Should Colts Take a Chance on DB in NFL Supplemental Draft?

One of the most talked about positions of need for the Indianapolis Colts this offseason,and for the NFL Draft, was at cornerback. With Quincy Wilson seeing limited playing time in 2017, the release of Vontae Davis in November of last year and little-to-no experience at the position otherwise returning, Chris Ballard still didn’t grab one.

The Colts did, however, re-sign Pierre Desir, who ultimately unseated Davis before his release as the starter, they still have Nate Hairston after getting a ton of rookie-year experience and have some guys on the roster they feel can battle for playing time such as Kenny Moore and D.J. White. The Colts kicked the tires on Bashaud Breeland, but appear to be somewhat happy with what they have right now.

By and large, though, the position isn’t seen as a strength right now in a new scheme in which it needs to be and could use more talent to raise the base level of the secondary.

The Colts safety position is also one that appears to be in flux. The Colts have first-round pick Malik Hooker whose Week 1 availability may be in question, Clayton Geathers, Mathias Farley — who also played very well last year through the team’s injuries at the position — and is apparently dedicated on seeing what T.J. Green can offer the roster.

An upgrade would be welcome and the team has looked at a couple quality, young veterans in Tre Boston and Kenny Vaccaro, but have failed to pull the trigger on a contract. With the backend of this defense needing more depth, and quality depth at that, we still await a possible move to help solidify the units.

With that, the NFL Supplemental Draft will be featuring some defensive backs of note, and the question as to whether or not the Colts should bid on one of them is a valid one. On the other hand, this process comes with the risk of losing a 2019 draft pick in whichever round the bidding team acquires the player in.

Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal appears to be the most viable, from those familiar with his skillset, of the group making themselves available. His 77 total tackles, 2 interceptions and 18 passes defensed over his last 24 games shows that he’s at least a guy who deserves to be looked at. He definitely has the length to complement his numbers which will get him some deserved attention throughout the process.

Mississippi State safety Brandon Bryant is another who has recently been added to the group that has some noticeable traits. His speed has been timed at 4.24 in the 40-yard dash, according to Chase Goodbread, and has the requisite strength and measurements to go along with the collegiate production teams will be seeking.

These two join Virginia Tech CB prospect Adonis Alexander (6-foot-3) who has been listed anywhere between 197 and 207 pounds, presents a similar production value to Beal and Bryant for teams to consider.

Jonah Tuls, who relentlessly studies cornerbacks — and the secondary in general — gave a quick and realistic overview of how these three can best be described.

While the Colts have looked at young veterans without agreeing to terms on a contract, the potential of bringing in a good, young draft-worthy talent to this roster may be a possibility considering they have an additional second-round pick to use in 2019. There is that risk as I mentioned earlier though, and not limited to a potential miss on talent evaluation.

Alexander has some off-the-field issues in his past, and both he and Beal are reportedly academically ineligible for next season as collegiate athletes. Players enter the supplemental draft for a reason — not usually ones that don’t present risk to teams either — and if they were to take a year off, the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ stigma can easily take affect.

Since its inception (1977), the NFL Supplemental Draft has seen 43 players selected, including Cris Carter, Brian Bosworth, Jamal Williams, Ahmad Brooks and Josh Gordon. 12 of those years have seen multiple players selected in the process, and actually account for 28 of the 43 total players taken. Additionally, 18 of those 43 were bid, and selected before the fourth-round, which also shows that most who enter are viewed to potentially become high-level NFL talents.

These three players are likely to be drafted by someone, but whether or not Chris Ballard deems it be necessary for the Colts right now will be interesting to see as the process plays out.