Two Indianapolis Colts on Mel Kiper’s Undrafted Watch List
By Kyle Nishida
Two Indianapolis Colts made ESPN analyst Mel Kiper shared his “Top 30 undrafted players to watch” list last week.
Tight end Darion Griswold and running back Josh Ferguson were both players Kiper thinks people should keep any eye on. Every year, undrafted free agents turn out to be impact players for NFL teams. Kiper believe Griswold and Ferguson could do the same for the Indianapolis Colts this year.
Here is what Kiper wrote about Griswold:
"Brings a basketball skill set and length to the position, and the TE options are just OK here after Dwayne Allen."
Meanwhile, this is what Kiper wrote about Ferguson:
"He has sub-4.5 speed and can flat out make people miss; he’ll turn a little space into big plays."
Kiper’s listing of Griswold and Ferguson as two of his top 30 undrafted free agents is not too surprising. Earlier this month, Ink on Indy had both players listed as two of the Colts’ Top 5 undrafted free agents. Both guys have enough talent to earn a spot on the Colts’ 53-man roster.
More from Ink on Indy
- Still Searching for Their Groove, Pacers Take on Struggling Magic Thursday Night
- Pacers Travel to the Nation’s Capital to Begin Four Game Road Trip
- Update on Pacers’ Oladipo’s Serious Leg Injury
- Has Romeo Langford Been a Disappointment for the Hoosiers?
- The Indianapolis Colts Have a Brutal Road Schedule in 2019
Griswold, who was projected a sixth or seventh round pick by NFL.com, decided to sign with the Indianapolis Colts after being undrafted. He certainly has a lot of potential and intangibles that will make the team think about placing him on their 53-man roster.
At 6’5” and 255 pounds, he has a big size advantage over defenders. His height gives him a large catch radius while his larger body allows him to absorb hits from smaller defenders while catching the ball. He also very good at catching the ball at its highest point in the air.
After losing Coby Fleener in free agency, the Indianapolis Colts do not have a lot of tight end depth outside of Dwayne Allen. They do have Jack Doyle to back Allen up, but he is more of a blocking specialist. The Colts like to have three tight ends on the roster. Griswold could take that third spot if he has a good summer.
Meanwhile, Ferguson is the exact opposite of Griswold. He is very small. He stands at 5’9” and weighed less than 200 pounds at the NFL Combine. However, Ferguson is known speed and quickness, which is exactly how he will carve out a role for himself with the Colts.
The Indianapolis Colts think Ferguson could become a Darren Sproles-type of running back for them. His shiftiness and elusiveness as a runner and pass catcher makes him a threat out of the backfield despite his size. The Colts need more production at the running back position, and Ferguson can provide that.
Frank Gore is the starting running back while free agent acquisition Robert Turbin is set to be his backup. After those two, there is a lot of unknown. Tyler Varga and Jordan Todman are still unproven commodities so there is a chance Ferguson could slide in front of both players because of his unique skill set.
Next: Colts Need Production From Dwayne Allen In 2016
The Indianapolis Colts did a nice job bringing in a strong undrafted class, and it will be interesting to see which players emerges as contributors this summer. Griswold and Ferguson are expected to be the top players of this class in many people’s eyes. Hopefully, they work hard this summer to live up to that hype.