Over the course of the last few offseasons, the Indianapolis Colts have transformed into a team with no shortage of young talent. Second-year linebacker Bobby Okereke is at the front of that charge.
A third-round pick during the 2019 NFL Draft, Okereke emerged during the second half of his rookie campaign, flashing upside as the potential starter at the MIKE linebacker position after Anthony Walker Jr. departs.
In ranking the top 25 prospects in the NFL, ESPN listed Okereke at No. 7.
Age: 24 | Draft: Pick 89 in 2019 | Career snaps: 472
Will Okereke beat out Anthony Walker to be the No. 2 linebacker in Indy this year? It seems like a pretty easy transition on paper, but the Colts have offered a ton of praise for Walker’s intelligence. Linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi certainly expects a breakout, telling Colts.com: “We expect Bobby to make a big jump from Year 1 to Year 2, just in his production, his plays on the ball, interceptions, game-changing plays. Bobby has a lot of ability and we expect him to really have a great season this coming year.”
Coming out of Stanford, Okereke caught eyes at the combine with a 4.58 40-yard dash at 239 pounds. Being a good coverage linebacker means a lot in a league that needs as many of them as it can get, and Okereke showed some early aptitude in that area as he allowed just 71 yards on 12 coverage targets after Week 3’s firestorm against the Falcons.
If Okereke can improve on run defense quickly heading into the year, he won’t give the Colts any choice but to play him. Even if the Colts still do play Walker some, it’s likely that Okereke will be the big factor on passing downs. If that pans out as they hope, an Okereke/Darius Leonard tandem could be tough to throw underneath on for many years.
Walker Jr. is likely to still be in the mix during the 2020 season. Beyond that is a mystery as it isn’t clear whether the Colts want to give him an extension, especially with salary cap implications differing in 2021.
But Okereke will have the chance to compete for the starting role at MIKE linebacker for the 2020 season and should see a solid increase in playing time.