Indianapolis Colts Seven-Round Pre-Combine Mock Draft
By Kyle Nishida
Round 3: Anthony Walker Jr., ILB, Northwestern (6-foot-1, 245 pounds)
The Colts’ need for an inside linebacker quickly became a reality when the team released veteran D’Qwell Jackson. The team might have found his replacement in the Wildcats’ Walker.
Walker was a key figure in Northwestern’s defense. He started in 33 of the 36 games he played in. In his three year career, he posted 276 total tackles, 38 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, four interceptions and eight forced fumbles.
He has a huge body frame and moves really well considering his size. He has very good field awareness which helped him identify plays quickly. He possesses toughness to attack running backs in open lanes and enough speed to catch backs that are trying reach the edge.
On top of the physical traits, he has very good intangibles. Everyone at Northwestern raves about his leadership skills, and he is a very good locker room guy. Those are two traits Ballard has said he values when building a 53-man roster.
Walker was a ball-hawk with the Wildcats and could be that same thing with the Colts. Indianapolis has young players like Antonio Morrison and Edwin Jackson set to be their two starting inside backers.
They may be fine with that scenario. However, Walker would be a solid addition to the group and would promote competition within it.
As for alternatives, there are not many inside linebacker options. LSU‘s Kendell Beckwith and Ohio State‘s Raekwon McMillan could be available, but that is unlikely.
Now that the Colts have devoted their first three picks to the defensive side of the ball, they can focus on their offense. Specifically, they can find an eventual replacement to running back Frank Gore.