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Indianapolis Colts rookie Kwity Paye, who’s projected to start at right defensive end during the 2021 campaign, is off to a very quick start so far at the team’s training camp practices, raising eyebrows—especially as of late:
Kwity Paye’s recognition on screens has been impressive the past two days. Twice come up with stops for losses right after the screen is caught
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) August 19, 2021
Kwity Paye has at least three sacks in today’s practice.
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) August 18, 2021
Now, some of that should be taken with a grain of salt—or at least a disclaimer, that the Colts replacement left tackles have routinely been beat in training camp by almost everyone, as the team sorely hopes Eric Fisher debuts much sooner rather than later.
However, Paye’s explosiveness, quickness, and twitch have still been on full display. He’s been very active and is making plays almost daily—as Kwity has clearly made his presence felt off the edge, both early and often for the Colts:
Eason opens practice with a really nice completion to Zach Pascal over the middle.
— Joel A. Erickson (@JoelAErickson) August 8, 2021
PBU for Okereke, then a pair of nice rushes by Kwity Paye, whose opponent at LT today is Will Holden. At least one would have been a sack
Kwity Paye and Kemoko Turay meet at the QB for a half-sack each against Eason. #Colts
— George Bremer (@gmbremer) July 30, 2021
D-line continues to shine, this time against the starters. Kwity Paye recovers a fumble after botched trickery in the backfield, and Andrew Brown records a “sack” of Carson Wentz. #Colts
— George Bremer (@gmbremer) July 29, 2021
The Colts’ 2021 first round pick figures to be thrown into the fire from the get-go, as the starting job is safely his to lose—as he’s both the present and the future at defensive end for Indianapolis, already showcasing his unique combination of speed and power:
“You can see him translating the things that we’re coaching and teaching,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said at a recent training camp practice via The Athletic’s Stephen Holder. “You always saw the natural power, but today, I saw speed. I saw speed, which we knew he had, but as a rookie, it takes you a second to play fast. And I’m starting to see him play faster and faster.”
So far, the Colts promising young pass rusher appears to be a little bit ahead of schedule—with the game already slowing down, and is ready to hit the ground running.