Mike Cirino, Jared Machorro the Real Colts UDFA’s to Watch?

This week, Howard Balzer of NFLDraftScout.com put out a list of undrafted free agents to watch on every team. For the Indianapolis Colts, wide receiver Steve Ishmael and linebacker Skai Moore have received a lot of love, but Balzer actually named defensive back Mike Cirino and offensive lineman Jared Machorro as his selections.

Colts.com

Balzer on Cirino:

S Michael Cirino: The 5-foot-11, 191-pound defensive back earned his way onto the Colts’ offseason roster after impressing the team’s coaching staff as an undrafted tryout player. A two-year starter at Adams State, Cirino displayed enough athletic skills to warrant a longer and much closer look. He could end up finding a permanent job with Indianapolis on special teams as a rookie.

Cirino is rather intriguing, as he was not originally signed as an undrafted free agent, getting a rookie minicamp tryout instead. The Colts liked what they saw and signed him, dropping veteran cornerback Kenneth Acker in the process. The big question is what position Cirino will play. The Colts released Acker when they signed Cirino, but they’d also been hosting free-agent safeties Tre Boston and Kenny Vaccaro just before they signed him.

The most advantageous spot for Cirino would be cornerback, as the Colts already have Malik Hooker, Clayton Geathers, Matthias Farley and T.J. Green. Fellow undrafted free agents Chris Cooper and George Odum are expected to look good this summer as well. At cornerback, there’s not much behind Quincy Wilson, Pierre Desir, Nate Hairston and Kenny Moore. Cirino could claim a roster spot and play a good amount of special teams.

Here is NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein’s pre-draft overview on Cirino:

Cirino has good size, ran fast, tested well and had a solid positional workout at the Tampa regional combine which has helped build his case as a draftable prospect. Despite his size and athletic ability, he lacks ball production expected for that level of football. Cirino was a versatile defensive back in college, but teams may see him as a cornerback with his size and athletic traits. Cirino may not be drafted, but his potential gives him a shot at earning a practice squad spot this season.

Here is what Balzer had to say about Machorro:

T Jared Machorro: Another undrafted tryout participant who got the attention of Indianapolis coaches, Macharro certainly has the size (6-foot-6, 302) and appears to have the temperament to earn a roster spot during training camp. A former Division II standout at Texas A&M-Commerce, Macharro will be given a chance to provide some much-needed depth along the offensive line.

The Colts seem likely to carry nine or 10 players on the offensive line into the regular season, and there are already eight guys who look like they’ve got a pretty good shot at the roster in Anthony Castonzo, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Matt Slauson, Austin Howard, Denzelle Good, Braden Smith and Joe Haeg. If Machorro is in the mix on the second/third team, he’ll have to beat guys like Jack Mewhort, Le’Raven Clark, Deyshawn Bond and Jeremy Vujnovich for a spot.

Like Balzer mentioned, the Colts also signed Machorro following his tryout, not being among the original group of Colts undrafteds. There’s not much information out there about former D2 player Machorro, but he has plenty of collegiate experience (41 games) and his size 6-6, 302 size certainly indicates he has NFL tackle size.