Indianapolis Colts Seven-Round Pre-Combine Mock Draft
By Kyle Nishida
Round 2: Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan (5-foot-10, 188 pounds)
The Colts need to stick with the defensive trend to start the draft, and cornerback Jourdan Lewis is a guy that Indianapolis could use immediately.
Yes, Lewis is small in frame and needs to bulk up a lot. However, it is hard to argue with his production in college. Despite missing his first three games a senior, he still posted 25 tackles, 3.5 for loss, two interceptions, nine pass breakups.
In fact, he only allowed the receivers he covered to catch the ball seven times all season in 2016. Quarterbacks only completed 23.3 % of their pass when they threw it his way.
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He has very quick hands and feet, which allows him to keep up with downfield threats and shifty slot receivers. In press coverage, he does a very good job prevent receivers from getting solid releases into their routes.
Obviously, his one downside is his size. He will struggle with the more physical receivers in the NFL. However, that will not be much of a problem for the Colts because they already have physical cornerback. Indianapolis needs a speed defensive back.
The Colts were shredded on by opposing teams’ passing games. A lack of a pass rush had something to do with that, but also, their cornerbacks were not very good in 2016.
No. 1 cornerback Vontae Davis had another down year, which is now raising concerns whether he will ever return to his top 2014 form. At the same time, No. 2 cornerback Patrick Robinson battled injuries and inconsistency.
Veteran cornerback, and slot corner specialist, Darius Butler is probably moving to safety. Finally, the remaining cornerback spots were filled by undrafted players.
The Colts need a confident cornerback to their defense. Lewis does not lack confidence. In fact, he is probably a bit cocky when he plays. They need someone with that sort of swagger on defense.
Lewis probably will not be an ideal shutdown cornerback. However, he could easily fill in as a No. 2 guy or a slot corner immediately.
As for alternatives for Lewis, Clemson’s Condrea Tankersley and Iowa’s Desmond King and LSU Tre’Davious White could be available too.
The Colts have address their defense with their first two picks of the 2017 NFL Draft. Now, they can dabble with an offensive player if they want to. However, they will probably stick to defense for at least one more round.