The Colts have hosted offensive lineman Mike Jerrell from D-II Findlay College in Ohio on an official pre-draft visit, according to Tony Pauline.
Pauline adds that Jerrell is receiving sixth-round grades from scouts and that he really impressed at Ohio State’s Pro Day, both with his athletic testing and in the on-field drills. Teams are viewing Jerrell as a tackle at the next level, which is what he played in college.
Jerrell, a Hula Bowl participant, measured in at just under 6-5 and weighed 309 pounds, reported Pauline. He ran a 4.94-second 40-yard dash that included an impressive 1.69-second 10-yard split. He completed 26 reps on the bench press and recorded a vertical of 32.5 inches.
Jerrell finished his college career with 40 starts while appearing in 48 games. In 2023, he was named an honorable mention All-American, was First-Team All-Region, and was the Great Midwest American Conference’s Offensive Lineman of the Year.
Below is a snippet of what Pauline had to say about Jerrell in his 2023 scouting report:
“Strengths: Celebrated small-school offensive tackle who projects to guard. Bend his knees, sinks his butt, and blocks with outstanding leverage. Fires off the snap, is explosive at the point, and stays square. Gets his hands into defenders and turns them from the line as a run blocker, and rides pass rushers from their angles of attack.
Anchors at the point, keeps his head on a swivel, and is always looking for someone to hit. Blocks with a nasty attitude. Keeps his feet moving and displays solid blocking range. Fires out to the second level and moves relatively well.
Weaknesses: Shows stiffness and struggles to adjust. Gets beaten by quick, nimble opponents.”
Offensive tackle isn’t a pressing need for the Colts, but it is a premier position, and this is a loaded draft class. Looking ahead to 2025, Braden Smith will be in the final year of his contract and comes with a cap hit of over $19 million. Meanwhile. when Blake Freeland has been on the field, he has been very up and down.
Throughout Ballard’s tenure as GM, we have seen him be more than willing to draft small school prospects, which most recently includes the team taking offensive tackle Jake Witt from D-II Northern Michigan in 2023.
“I bring a controlled aggression,” said Jerrell in a recent interview. “Hyped but kept inside not hyped out loud but very aggressive.”