Colts 2015 Player Preview: Defensive Lineman Earl Okine

The Indianapolis Colts' 90 man roster features a number of players of varying skill and from plenty of different backgrounds, and they all took different paths to making it to the Colts.  One of the lesser-known players on the Colts' current 90-man roster might be defensive lineman Earl Okine, however, and he certainly had a bit of a longer road to the NFL as well.

Okine (6-6, 290 pounds) played collegiately at Florida from 2009-2012, where he appeared in 42 games, making 27 tackles and 2.5 sacks.  He wasn't drafted in the 2013 NFL Draft, but he did spend some time with the Houston Texans in the 2013 offseason and into training camp before being released.  He spent some time with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League in 2013, but he was eventually released.  In 2014, Okine played in the Fall Experimental Football League (if you didn't know that was a thing, neither did most people) and then also played in the Arena Football League with the Orlando Predators.  In the AFL with the Predators, Okine notched 5.5 sacks.  The Colts then signed him early in March, and he participated in the offseason program with the team.  So Okine has quite a resume - he played at a significant college program in the SEC, has now been a part of two NFL teams' offseason programs (the Texans and the Colts), and has played in the CFL, the AFC, and the FXFL.

Despite that resume, Okine has yet to show that he can play in the NFL, and that will be his task in training camp and preseason with the Colts this year.  The Colts defensive line has depth players that they may be inclined to keep around, as Montori Hughes and Zach Kerr both played last year and Henry Anderson and David Parry were both drafted by the Colts this year.  For other defensive linemen to take away a spot from one of those players will be a tough task, but not an impossible one.  Jeris Pendleton, Kelcy Quarles, and Earl Okine all have a chance - they just need to show in camp and preseason that they can play in the NFL and can play a valuable role for the Colts as a depth defensive lineman.  It remains to be seen whether Okine can do that, but at this point he seems to face an uphill battle to earn a roster spot.