Tag: Austin Ajiake

Colts’ training camp roster preview: LB Austin Ajiake

Next up in our Indianapolis Colts’ training camp roster preview is linebacker Austin Ajiake.

Veterans and rookies for the Indianapolis Colts will report for training camp on July 24th, with the first practice taking place on July 25th.

Between now and then I will be previewing the Colts’ 91-man roster with a look back at each player’s 2023 season, along with what’s ahead for 2024.

I’ll be going through the Colts’ roster alphabetically, so up next is linebacker Austin Ajiake.

2023 Season Review

Ajiake went undrafted out of UNLV in 2023 and bounced around the NFL last season. Prior to being signed to the Colts’ practice squad in late December, Ajiake also spent time on the Las Vegas Raiders’ and Green Bay Packers’ practice squads as well. He did not see any regular season snaps in 2023.

Ajiake, a good athlete runninga 4.6 40-yard dash, was an experienced player coming out of UNLV, appearing in 48 games. During that span, he totaled 232 tackles, 12 of which were for a loss, 4.0 sacks, two interceptions, and a pass breakup, according to PFF. Ajiake would also play 671 special teams snaps across five different phases.

In 2022, Ajiake was a first-team All-Mountain West selection and a team captain.

“I just have to be the same person every day,” said Ajiake ahead of his final season at UNLV. “It doesn’t matter if I feel like I didn’t get enough sleep, it doesn’t matter if I feel like I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, or whatever. It doesn’t matter. My teammates don’t really care. They expect me to lead. Not just me — there are others and we all work off each other and we’re trying to get this thing rolling in the right direction.”

2024 Season Preview

Playing time for the third linebacker spot on the depth chart will be up for grabs this summer, providing incoming rookie Jaylon Carlies with the opportunity to carve out a role in coverage.

However, when it comes to available roster spots, at best, there may only be one up for grabs, and that’s if the Colts go heavy and keep six linebackers again.

Zaire Franklin, EJ Speed, and Carlies will account for three roster spots. Presumably, with Grant Stuard and Segun Olubi leading the team in special teams snaps in 2023, they will account for two roster spots as well.

This would leave Ajiake, Liam Anderson, Ronnie Harrison, who could compete with Carlies for that coverage-specific role at linebacker, Cameron McGrone, who played 151 special teams snaps last season, and UDFA Craig Young, battling for the sixth spot.

Special teams will be Ajiake’s path toward carving out a roster spot, but realistically, his ceiling in 2024 will likely be making the practice squad.

Colts sign 9 to futures contracts among several roster moves

The Colts made 14 roster moves Monday to begin the 2024 offseason.

The Indianapolis Colts officially got their offseason underway Monday by making several roster moves, including the signings of nine players to Reserve/Future contracts, the team announced.

Along with the nine futures contracts the team signed, all of which include players from the practice squad, the Colts also signed four players to one-year contract extensions while waiving another player. So in total, the Colts made 14 moves.

As is typical protocol following the end of the regular season, the Colts will be preparing to expand their roster to 90 players for the offseason. Much of that includes signing players to futures contracts.

The expansion of the roster to 90 players doesn’t go into effect until the start of the new league year, which is March 13. That’s why it’s technically a reserve contract. It is essentially stating the player will be on the 90-man roster when the time comes.

There is no limit to how many futures contracts the Colts have as long as they are within the 90-man limit when the new league year rolls around.

Here’s a look at the 14 moves the Colts made to begin the offseason:

Colts sign LB Austin Ajiake to the practice squad

The Colts added a LB to the practice squad.

The Indianapolis Colts signed linebacker Austin Ajiake to the practice squad, the team announced Thursday.

Ajiake initially signed with the Denver Broncos during training camp as an undrafted rookie free agent in August. He also spent time this season on the practice squads of the Green Bay Packers and Las Vegas Raiders.

Ajiake spent five seasons at UNLV (2018-2022), appearing in 48 games (20 starts). He recorded 232 tackles (117 solo), 4.0 sacks, three passes defended and two interceptions.

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Broncos’ updated ILB depth chart after losing Jonas Griffith

Broncos rookie Drew Sanders might be in line for more playing time following the Jonas Griffith injury.

After losing Jonas Griffith to a season-ending torn ACL, the Denver Broncos signed Austin Ajiake to add some more depth at inside linebacker.

Alex Singleton and Josey Jewell remain the team’s starters at ILB. Behind them, rookie third-round pick Drew Sanders has a good chance to emerge as the top backup ILB following the Griffith injury.

In addition to Sanders, the Broncos also have fourth-year special teams contributor Justin Strnad, undrafted rookie Seth Benson, the newly signed Ajiake and Ray Wilborn (although it’s still unclear if Denver plans to use Wilborn primarily on the inside or on the outside).

Here is our projected updated ILB depth chart going into the first week of preseason.

ILB1 Josey Jewell Drew Sanders Seth Benson
ILB2 Alex Singleton Justin Strnad Ray Wilborn Austin Ajiake

The Broncos are expected to release an official depth chart ahead of their preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals sometime this week.

Broncos worked out 4 players this week

The Broncos worked out four players on Thursday and signed Austin Ajiake after placing Jonas Griffith on injured reserve.

After losing inside linebacker Jonas Griffith to a season-ending torn ACL, the Denver Broncos worked out four players on Thursday.

The Broncos worked out Austin Ajiake, Chris Garrett, Breeland Speaks and “Olasunkanmi,” according to Aaron Wilson and Mike Klis. “Olasunkanmi” is presumably how Ola Adeniyi’s name showed up on the NFL’s transaction wire.

Denver ended up signing Ajiake. The Broncos had an open spot for Ajiake on the 90-man offseason roster after officially placing Griffith on injured reserve on Thursday.

“We liked him,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Ajiake. “We felt like he had good athletic traits. We felt like he could help us in the kicking game. We brought him back for a workout with the other guys, and we thought he did pretty well.”

Meanwhile, wide receiver Tim Patrick (Achilles) underwent successful surgery on Thursday. Patrick is now facing a six-month recovery timeline. If all goes well, the veteran will be able to return before training camp in 2024.

Broncos sign LB Austin Ajiake after Jonas Griffith’s ACL injury

After losing Jonas Griffith to an ACL injury, the Broncos have signed rookie linebacker Austin Ajiake.

After losing inside linebacker Jonas Griffith to an ACL injury, the Denver Broncos have added more depth at the position.

The Broncos have signed linebacker Austin Ajiake, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Ajiake previously tried out for the team at minicamp in June.

If Griffith tore his ACL, he will be placed on injured reserve and his 2023 season will be over. That would create an open spot on the roster for Ajiake, but the team has not yet confirmed the signing.

Ajiake is a former running back who played college football at UNLV, appearing in 38 games from 2018-2022. Ajiake totaled 231 tackles (12 behind the line), four sacks and two interceptions during his time with the Rebels.

Despite earning first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors last fall, Ajiake went undrafted in April. He then agreed to terms with the Carolina Panthers as a college free agent but ended up not signing. Ajiake was later picked by the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL’s draft in June.

Ajiake now gets an opportunity in the NFL, competing for a roster spot with the Broncos at training camp this summer.

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2023 NFL Draft Profile: UNLV LB Austin Ajiake

The rangy Rebels linebacker hopes to be the prospect that breaks UNLV’s long NFL Draft drought.

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2023 NFL Draft Profile: UNLV LB Austin Ajiake

The rangy Rebels linebacker hopes to be the prospect that breaks UNLV’s long NFL Draft drought.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Can he hit the draft jackpot?

It’s been 13 years since the UNLV Rebels have had a selection in the NFL Draft, but the program has a shot to end that fallow period in linebacker Austin Ajiake.

A native of Fremont, California, Ajiake got his start as a true freshman by appearing in ten games during the 2018 season but didn’t truly break out until 2021. That year, he notched 74 total tackles despite missing the last four games with injury, though that was just a taste of what he would accomplish in 2022. He landed on the first-team all-Mountain West defense last fall after leading the conference with 133 total tackles, adding 11 tackles for loss, four sacks, and two interceptions for good measure.

His college career in the books, Ajiake now turns to the NFL. Will he be the one to open a new chapter in UNLV’s history of development?

Measurables (taken from Dane Brugler)

Height – 6′ and 1 1/2″
Weight – 223 pounds
40-yard time – 4.55 seconds
10-yard split time – 1.60 seconds
Arm length – 31 5/8″
Hand size – 9 1/8″
Wingspan – 76 5/8″
Vertical jump – 38 1/2″
Broad jump – 10′ and 3″ (or 123″)
Shuttle time – 4.27 seconds
3-cone drill time – 7.15 seconds
Bench press – 13 reps

Highlights

Strengths

One thing that jumps out about Ajiake is the quickness with which he can range from sideline to sideline, a sentiment to which Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline agrees when he mentions that Ajiake “moves well laterally in pursuit”.

That has served him particularly well in coverage duties. In 2021, Pro Football Focus notes that Ajiake allowed a completion rate of 66.7% on 318 coverage snaps. Last year, that figure dropped to 62.5% on 361 such plays, the best mark in the Mountain West.

Weaknesses

A potential concern which both Pauline and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler mention is that Ajiake may not have the size that some teams are looking for in the draft. The former notes that Ajiake may have trouble keeping up with NFL tight ends while the latter mentions “he can be reached and engaged by blockers if he doesn’t get a quick start”, so an increase in physical strength to match his play recognition will be in order wherever he ends up.

NFL Comparison

Kwon Alexander

Draft Prediction

It seems like Ajiake should be able to find a place in a NFL landscape where passing is king, but his lack of overall size makes me think that his likely destination is undrafted free agency.

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Mountain West Football: First Look at 2023 NFL Draft Prospects

Jake Haener, JL Skinner, Dom Peterson and many more from the Mountain West could be on the minds of NFL scouts until next year’s draft.

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Mountain West Football: First Look At 2023 NFL Draft Prospects

Next year’s class of Mountain West football prospects could be a diverse bumper crop.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

Who could be the next men up?

Air Force

It’s always tricky to guess which Falcons might be enticed to chase the NFL dream after their time at the Academy, but running back Brad Roberts might consider it if he can duplicate his 2021 season. It isn’t often that a fullback leads Air Force in rushing, let alone the entire Mountain West, but that’s what Roberts did in piling up 1,357 yards and 13 touchdowns on a conference-high 297 carries. He’s a bruiser with enough acceleration to warrant a look as a short-yardage back in the NFL, if nothing else.

In the mix: Zion Kelly, CB; Kyle Patterson, TE; Vince Sanford, LB

Boise State

Pass catchers beware when Broncos safety JL Skinner is in the vicinity. At 6-4 and 220 pounds, he’s earned a reputation as a hard hitter with the range to make plays just about everywhere on the field. In 2021, he collected 92 total tackles, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions, so another big year patrolling the defensive backfield is all but guaranteed to put him on a few big boards by this time next year.

In the mix: Hank Bachmeier, QB; Stefan Cobbs, WR; George Holani, RB; Shane Irwin, DL; Scott Matlock, DL; John Ojukwu, OT

Colorado State

Wide receiver Dante Wright wasn’t always at 100% during the 2021 season, but he remained one of the Rams’ most reliable targets and could be the primary beneficiary of Jay Norvell’s Air Raid offense. The former freshman All-American hasn’t lost any of his potency — he caught at least four passes in every game he played last year and has done so in all but two career games — and could very easily be 2022’s Deven Thompkins if everything breaks right.

In the mix: Cam’ron Carter, LB; Dequan Jackson, LB; Melquan Stovall, WR

Fresno State

Most college football fans remember Jake Haener‘s late-game exploits against UCLA last September, but the Bulldogs quarterback built a strong case throughout all of last year as the best signal-caller in the Mountain West. In throwing the ball nearly 38 times a game, Haener completed 67.1% of his passes for 4,096 yards and 33 touchdowns, also managing a reasonable 1.8% interception rate. While he may not fit the typical NFL quarterback mold (6-1, 195 pounds), his moxie and arm should give scouts plenty to keep an eye on.

In the mix: Dontae Bull, OT; Jalen Cropper, WR; David Perales, DE; Evan Williams, S

Hawaii

Since breaking into the starting lineup as a true freshman back in 2018, defensive tackle Blessman Ta’ala has been a quiet force in the trenches for the Warriors defense, earning a pair of all-Mountain West honorable mentions in 2019 and 2020 and, according to Pro Football Focus, posting a career-best 75.3 grade last season. His ability to eat up space is something not just anyone can be taught, so he might be an example of how the stat sheet doesn’t tell you the whole story.

In the mix: Ilm Manning, OT; Dedrick Parson, RB; Solo Vaipulu, G; Micah Vanterpool, OL

Nevada

Defensive tackle Dom Peterson didn’t have to rejoin the Wolf Pack for one last season, but you can bet fans will be glad he did. Perhaps the best interior defender anywhere in the Mountain West, Peterson has now made 40 starts for Nevada and picked up 22 sacks and 41.5 tackles for loss. Not only could another dominant year put him in the conversation as the program’s best defensive lineman ever, it could entrench him as a prospect to watch.

In the mix: Aaron Frost, OL; Toa Taua, RB; Tyson Williams, S

New Mexico

After leading the Mountain West with four interceptions in 2020, Lobos safety Jerrick Reed II put together another solid campaign last fall and led the team with 92 tackles. He also tied for the team lead with seven pass breakups, moving around the defense to do whatever it took to make stops and bolstering his bonafides as a sure tackler with reliable hands.

In the mix: Donte Martin, CB

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