As the Indianapolis Colts prepare for training camp, the cornerback room will have plenty of eyes on it. This is especially true when it comes to the case of sixth-round pick Isaiah Rodgers.
Though he doesn’t quite meet the height and weight requirement that the Colts typically stand by when scouting cornerbacks, Rodgers impressed the organization by excelling in other important areas.
One of those areas is instincts, where Rodgers has proven to be above average. Colts area scout Mike Derice told Colts.com how those instincts translate to his scouting profile.
“So Rodgers has exceptional instincts, so he knows how to put himself in position to get in front of the ball. So he gets a lot of pass breakups, he’ll get the interceptions,” Derice said. “And the added value to him is the return capabilities. He can do that, he’s had success at UMass. And he takes the ball away. He has 11 interceptions, like three for touchdowns, and he has a savvy about him in coverage.”
Rodgers enters the NFL standing at 5-foot-9 and 174 pounds. Those numbers don’t wow scouts by any means. But the Colts see something in Rodgers similarly to what they saw in Kenny Moore, who has become one of the best slot cornerbacks in the NFL.
Rodgers brings incredible speed (reported 4.28 40 at his Pro Day) while his return abilities on special teams makes him a wanted asset on the backend of the roster.
In fact, Derice wasn’t all that happy to see Rodgers post the video of him running a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash.
“So I’m not gonna lie: I was upset that he did that video. Because at that point in time, we were already convinced of what type of player he was, and because he didn’t have a pro day, he’s more liable to slip. But he did the pro day, ran fast, and he was timed by a former NFL scout, so other teams would find it very credible,” Derice said. “So there’s a little bit of a panic, like, ‘OK, how much are other teams going to take stock on this pro day? And is there a chance for someone to take him before we get a chance to get a crack at him?’ It was probably a little bit nerve wracking for us once he put that out there and then it was public to the social media world.”
Rodgers will be battling for a roster spot in the cornerback room this preseason, but there is a solid chance he makes the team given what he brings to the table.