As there have been some solid selections in recent drafts for Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard, there have also been some that haven’t panned out. Through two seasons, it seems defensive tackle Tyquan Lewis is heading toward the latter group.
Of course, the jury is still out on Lewis. However, the 2018 second-round pick hasn’t been able to make any impact whatsoever since being drafted. Some of that comes from dealing with multiple injuries across two seasons while also simply not shedding his blocks consistently.
Entering a crucial third season in 2020, Ballard was not shy about what he needs from Lewis.
“I need to see more. I had a long talk with Tyquan [Wednesday],” Ballard told reporters Thursday. “What I told Tyquan was, this is a big year for him. We’re going to expect him to come in and really show what we think his talent level is. Where we end up playing him, we see him as a guy who can play both at end and inside, and he’s got to be able to give that to us.”
While the defense did some good things in 2019, one of the areas that hurt the unit was the interior defensive line. Rarely did the Colts get consistent pressure from the interior, which includes both Lewis and veteran Denico Autry.
It’s too early to call Lewis a bust just yet. But he’s approaching that territory quickly if he doesn’t begin improving in 2020. A player the Colts touted as a versatile pass rusher, Lewis hasn’t given them much of that at all in his two seasons.
In his 17 games played since being drafted, Lewis has just 2.0 sacks and nine quarterback hits. The potential is certainly there, but the Ohio State product hasn’t shown much consistency when he’s on the field.
Being on the field, though, has been extremely difficult for him.
“Last year, he missed, really, all of Training Camp and the first eight games with the injury, and then comes back and plays pretty good at end for us, solid at end, and then this year, gets hurt again, and the one position we’ve got a lot of depth in, we’ve got a lot of guys at defensive end, and then at defensive tackle we had some guys in there playing, and he was at a point where he wasn’t even active because he was coming off the injury,” Ballard said.
The Colts are likely to add to the interior this offseason given the need for talent, but Lewis will be fighting for his job when training camp comes around in August.