5 things to know about Colts’ new TE Will Mallory

The 2023 NFL Draft is the largest class ever selected by general manager Chris Ballard, boasting 12 picks. Among those selections, the Indianapolis Colts drafted tight end Will Mallory in the fifth round.

Mallory joins a crowded tight end room with Mo Alie-Cox, Jelani Woods, Kylen Granson, Drew Ogletree, and Pharaoh Brown. He’ll have to stand out to make the roster and show what made him a standout at the University of Miami.

Here are five things to know about the fifth-round pick:

1

He has deep Indiana ties

New Colts tight end Will Mallory has deep ties to the state of Indiana. His grandfather, Bill Mallory, was the Indiana University football coach from 1984 until 1996. His uncle, Curt, is the current football coach at Indiana State and has been with the team school since 2017.

2

He's no stranger to making history

Will Mallory was the first alumnus drafted from his Jacksonville, FL, high school, Providence. Additionally, his NFL combine performance also broke records. Mallory’s 40-yard dash time of 4.54 seconds puts him in the top 3% of all tight end prospects since 1987. His vertical jump of 36.5 inches places him in the top 9% of prospects of all time.

Will Mallory was drafted with pick 162 of round 5 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.05 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 106 out of 1105 TE from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/dr1hq7jdqW pic.twitter.com/sCTEmV3Kqh

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023

3

He keeps the Senior Bowl tradition alive

Chris Ballard has made headlines for his tendency to draft players who play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl. Before 2023, Ballard drafted 19 players who participated in the showcase. This year he added seven more names to that list, including Mallory.

6 highest-graded players from the Senior Bowl via @PFF:

ED Lonnie Phelps – 91.2
CB Anthony Johnson – 90.5
ED Isaiah Land – 89.9
OT Richard Gouraige – 83.9
TE Will Mallory – 80.7
OL Cody Mauch – 80.9 pic.twitter.com/3tbyTHkVFg

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) February 7, 2023

4

His productivity speaks for itself

A former four-star prospect in high school, Mallory excelled at the University of Miami. He started in 28 games and put up over 1,500 receiving yards— second in school history among tight ends—and 14 touchdowns. During his senior season, Mallory led the team in receiving yards and had three touchdowns on 43 receptions.

Will Mallory is a very underrated TE prospect. This guy can MOVE. He has hands and is a willing blocker.

He ran a 4.53 40 and jumped a 10’ broad jump. He’s gonna be a late round steal. #NFLdraft #NFLTwitter pic.twitter.com/FvyrjlL3B7

— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) April 10, 2023

5

Mallory is willing to be a multi-dimensional tool

At his pro day in March, Mallory had this to say when asked what a team who drafted him might get: “They’re getting a guy who’s willing to do whatever they ask of, a guy who’s on offense, all phases of special teams, is more than willing to do whatever they ask for to help the team.”