Having built the majority of the roster through the last three drafts, the Indianapolis Colts continue to construct the foundation with young players—including the most recent crop of picks.
The Colts may have traded out of the first round during the 2019 draft but they were still able to get some solid production from some of the selections. While they didn’t get any top-end production, ESPN ranked the Colts’ rookie class as the ninth-most productive unit in the NFL.
Why they’re ranked here: The Colts’ rookie class wasn’t without its struggles, but it did add some interesting pieces in coverage that showed promise. Both linebacker Bobby Okereke and cornerback Rock Ya-Sin made PFF’s All-Rookie team despite early-season growing pains. If those two continue to progress, along with Marvell Tell III and Khari Willis, this class could yield several regular contributors on the defensive side.
How their top pick fared: Ya-Sin (No. 34 overall) improved greatly over the second half of the season. His PFF overall grade increased from 48.4 from Weeks 1 to 8 to 77.9 from Weeks 9 to 17.
Best value pick: Okereke (No. 89 overall) was strong in coverage, keeping pass catchers in front of him in their zone when on the field. He allowed just over 6 yards per target this season.
The Colts didn’t need to rely on rookie production like they had in years prior. Some of the depth built up over the last two drafts allowed the Colts to take some project-type players with upside because they have time to develop.
Even so, the Colts found a great deal of production on the defensive side of the ball. Ya-Sin and Willis were starters in the secondary after just a few weeks into the season while Okereke emerged as arguably the group’s best rookie during the second half.
There were some growing pains with the fifth-round pick in Tell while Ben Banogu made little impact and Parris Campbell dealt with injuries throughout the campaign.
The Colts will once again focus on building through the draft as they believe that brings along sustained success, but they should also be looking forward to the development of a promising class.