The Indianapolis Colts traded up to the No. 211 overall pick to draft cornerback Isaiah Rodgers from UMass. This hard-hitting cornerback is great at reading quarterbacks and his timing in the secondary is impeccable.
Here are three things to know about the new Colts CB:
1. Surrounded by good company
Rodgers’ favorite player growing up was Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie who happens to be his cousin. He mirrored his game to Rodgers-Cromartie’s and used his home gym in Tampa to train during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also been in contact with UMass alumni James Ihedigbo and Victor Cruz.
2. Multi-faceted player
While Rodgers is a very underrated cornerback, he is also a highly skilled kick returner. He was named to the Pro Football Focus All-America First Team as a returner and was an All-ECAC selection as a returner and corner. He ranked No. 1 among all FBS players with 53 returns for 1,295 yards.
3. Does not let size limit abilities
At 5’10” and 170 pounds, Rodgers is somewhat undersized for his position. He uses that as motivation to compete with anybody at a very high level. His speed and ability to make people miss makes up for his lack of size and he should be a nice depth player and special teams weapon for the Colts.
