With the 151st overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected S/LB Jaylon Carlies from Missouri. Here is a quick breakdown of the pick.
Height: 6-3
Weight: 227
RAS: 8.26
Stats to know: As you can tell, Carlies has excellent size for a safety–at nearly linebacker size. Carlies is an experienced player with 2,479 career snaps, with 1,345 coming as a free safety, 507 in the box, and 320 in the slot. During his career, he generated nine interceptions and five pass breakups, allowing 12.5 yards per catch. This past season, he ranked 43rd out of 200 safeties in PFF’s run-stop rate. Carlies is also a fairly experienced special teams player.
Fit with Colts: With Ronnie Harrison only signed through the 2024 season, Carlies could provide the Colts with a long-term option at that safety/linebacker hybrid role. He will be at his best playing closer to the line of scrimmage but he does have the athleticism to handle some coverage responsibilities that can still come in the box.
What Lance Zierlein had to say: “Carlies likely needs to make the transition from safety to linebacker to have an opportunity in the NFL. He’s very tight in his hips and plays with a debilitating lack of change of direction that causes problems for him in coverage and as an open-field tackler. As a linear mover, he needs to be able to play forward and near the line, where he’s less likely to make mistakes with his angles of pursuit. Carlies has pretty good ball skills but will have a hard time sticking with pass-catching tight ends, so it could be challenging for teams to lock in on a role for him.”