New Indianapolis Colts linebacker E.J. Speed was an unknown name entering the 2019 NFL Draft, but that didn’t stop Indy from picking him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Coming from a Divison-II school at Tarleton State, Speed told reporters during a conference call after being selected that he had offers from Division-I schools including Colorado and Oklahoma State.
However, he stayed closer to home to be closer to his adopted brother, who was diagnosed with cancer his senior year of high school.
Speed intrigued the Colts with his impressive athleticism. He’s a bit undersized at 6-foot-4 and 224 pounds, but he ran a 4.60 in the 40-yard dash and recorded a 6.9 in the three-cone drill at his pro day.
The Colts emphasized speed and athleticism with their Day 3 picks, which is exactly what Speed has.
Speed was one of the red-flag prospects general manager Chris Ballard said they had on the draft board. He was arrested in 2018 on two counts of organized criminal activity which were related to credit card activity. The charges were ultimately dropped, and Speed said he has since distanced himself from the people that were involved.
It remains to be seen where Speed will work into the defensive side of the ball, but his pro day records show he has potential to be a fit in the middle of the unit.
