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Indianapolis Colts: 5 Players to Follow During Training Camp

By Kyle Nishida

Aug 29, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano yells from the sidelines during the second quarter of a football game against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 29, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano yells from the sidelines during the second quarter of a football game against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports /
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Indianapolis Colts Rookie D'Joun Smith remains unsigned heading into training camp
Feb 23, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Florida Atlantic defensive back D’Joun Smith catches a pass in a work out drill during the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Cornerback D’Joun Smith

Last offseason, there was a lot of hype surrounding the Indianapolis Colts’ 2015 third round pick D’Joun Smith. Unfortunately, Smith struggled during training camp, and injuries ended up defining his rookie season. Smith is hoping 2016 will be a much more positive season for him.

When the Colts drafted Smith last season, they thought he would help their team immediately. However, his development was slower than anticipated during training camp and the preseason.

In the preseason games he played in, he gave up solid gains to opposing receivers, and he seemed confused on defensive play-calls sometimes. He did how improvement with each preseason game he made.

Unfortunately, a knee injury late in preseason halted his growth in 2015. By the time Smith was healthy enough to play in 2015, he had missed too much time and was mainly used as a Special Teams’ player in the regular season.

Smith enters the 2016 season projected as the fourth cornerback on the depth chart. The Colts used three-cornerback (nickel) sets often in 2015. If new defensive coordinator Ted Monachino does the same thing in 2016, Smith would be first guy inserted into the set if a cornerback injury occurs.

The Indianapolis Colts know Smith has the necessary physical traits to succeed. However, he cannot help them on defense unless he makes technical improvements. He has to get better at man-on-man coverage, which was his main issue last year.

The spotlight will be much brighter on Smith during training camp. People want to see if Smith has dramatically improved. If he struggles in training camp again, talks about him being a draft bust will continue to intensify.

Next: DT Henry Anderson

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