Colts Trade CB Marcus Burley to Seattle for 2015 Sixth Round Pick

Colts general manager Ryan Grigson has a great knack for signing unheralded free agents and turning them into draft picks.  He has done it again this year.  The Colts traded cornerback Marcus Burley to the Seattle Seahawks for a sixth round pick.

Burley was an undrafted corner in 2013 and spent the year with the Jaguars.  The Colts signed him this offseason and he had a great training camp and preseason, being one of the stars for the Colts.  Beyond any doubt, Burley did a great job in camp and preseason with the Colts, and he certainly played worthy of a roster spot.  The problem he encountered was that the Colts also had several other corners.  Vontae Davis is close to entering the elite category (if he gets more consistent), and then Greg Toler is a good corner who also had a good camp and preseason (he just needs to stay healthy).  Darius Butler is one of the top nickel corners in the league, and then Josh Gordy is a good number four corner option.  Then undrafted corner Loucheiz Purifoy had a great training camp and preseason as well and has a ton of potential and talent.  He seemed to be the team's number five corner for much of the preseason, though Burley might have been pretty even with him.

There were a lot of Colts fans who wanted the Colts to keep both players, and certainly both Purifoy and Burley could turn into good corners.  But one of them was going to be the sixth corner, and that seemed to be Marcus Burley.  For Ryan Grigson to get a draft pick for him is a good move.  For a great defensive team like Seattle to be willing to give up a pick for him should show how impressive Burley was and the potential he has, and I think he could develop into a good corner (especially in the slot).  But there's no question that for Grigson to turn a signing like Burley into a sixth round pick is a good move.