The Indianapolis Colts have officially gone through a week’s worth of training camp practices at the Grand Park Sports Complex in Westfield where there have been plenty of takeaways.
While it is still very early in the process and most of the notes and observations should be taken with a grain of salt, there are some Colts that having strong starts to training camp—stronger than most would have expected them to.
Let’s take a look at six Colts exceeding expectations through the early parts of training camp:
DT Grover Stewart
The 2017 fourth-round pick has been a project for the Colts since arriving to the league from the Division II Albany State. But it finally appears he’s poised to make a bigger impact on the interior defensive line than he had during his first two seasons.
Sporting a leaner build this offseason, Stewart has been flashing huge potential as a run-stuffer working from the one-technique behind veteran Margus Hunt.
Stewart has been blowing up run plays at the goal line throughout camp. If he can continue to make strides in his development this summer, there is a huge role waiting for him at nose tackle a la Al Woods.
WR Krishawn Hogan
The Colts have been on the Indianapolis native since they signed him to the practice squad just before the 2017 regular season. The Marian product has an intriguing blend of size, speed and athleticism—enough for the Colts to keep him around through a torn ACL suffered in 2017.
Hogan has been showing out at training camp thus far, stringing together some strong days catching the football. His strong performances have shown true in the red zone primarily and as the competition at wide receiver continues to heat up, Hogan should be one to watch.
LB E.J. Speed
While third-round pick Bobby Okereke might get all the love coming out of Stanford, it has been Speed that’s made the biggest impact through the first full week of training camp practices.
A product of the Division II Tarleton State, Speed has been working all over the linebacker corps while even mixing in with the first-team. His size, speed and aggressiveness have allowed him to compete at all three linebacker spots early in training camp.
There is still a very long way to go for Speed to be a constant contributor on the defense, but he’s showing some immense promise.
WR Chester Rogers
There have been plenty more names making noise during the first full week of training camp, but Rogers has been working a lot on the first-team offense in the slot with T.Y. Hilton and Devin Funchess lining up on the outside.
Rogers has been a constant with the Colts since coming in as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He’s a solid player on special teams as a return man and had provided strong depth in the wide receiver room as a WR4/5.
Even though the competition is deep in the room right now, Rogers appears to be one of the players leading the way for one of the final roster spots.
S George Odum
The safety room has one constant in that Malik Hooker is set to be the starting free safety. Through the first full week of training camp, though, there has been a lot of mixing and matching next to him with the team taking it slow with veteran Clayton Geathers—who is coming off of an offseason knee procedure.
If there has been one standout in the room, it has to be Odum. The uber-aggressive safety has been making plays all spring and summer, which has included some interceptions and big hits. His role could be set to expand in 2019 if he can continue to make plays as a rotational safety in addition to his already strong special teams prowess.
WR Jordan Veasy
Another wide receiver on the list, Veasy has been flying under the radar all offseason. While the attention has been given to some of the bigger names in the room, Veasy has been quietly making plays every day in practice.
The 24-year-old, who signed a futures contract with the Colts in January, has a long way to go to make it into the thick of the competition. However, if he continues to string together strong practices throughout training camp and into the preseason games, the Colts will have to begin considering him.
