The Indianapolis Colts are always thorough when it comes to their draft picks so when one of their favorite prospects in the 2021 NFL draft, Kwity Paye, had a red flag on his medicals, it likely caused a bit of concern.
During a pre-draft physical, Paye was red-flagged for a heart issue. Those conducting the physical flagged Paye has having elevated troponin levels, which is a type of protein found in the muscle of the heart, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Paye was eventually cleared by teams, but it was a scary moment for Paye and his draft stock.
A wild week for #Michigan pass-rusher Kwity Paye, who had a very serious health scare when his heart was red-flagged during a pre-draft physical. In the end, teams cleared Paye completely, source said, after his team arranged for endless tests.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 30, 2021
Paye's bloodwork also showed COVID-19 antibodies, so there's a thought that contributed to this situation and the elevated troponin levels. Led to a lot of scrambling by teams and Paye's agents to get answers ahead of the draft. https://t.co/qzvCmvdDVR
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) April 30, 2021
In the end, it seems this worked out for the Colts. Paye was cleared entering the draft and wound up falling to the Colts at No. 21 overall. Though they received a trade offer, the value wasn’t strong enough to move off of selecting Paye.
The Michigan product is a perfect fit for the Colts defense both from a schematic and character standpoint. He should fit in seamlessly given his talent, motor and character.
The Colts are a very thorough team, especially when it comes to medicals, so fans should feel comfortable that this shouldn’t be an issue since Ballard felt strongly enough to take him in the first round.
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