As the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft progressed, the Indianapolis Colts used one of their four picks Friday on former TCU linebacker Ben Banogu.
Though Banogu was ranked mostly as an edge rusher, the Colts aren’t going to limit the ways they can use him. Given that he’s one of the best athletes to come out of this draft, Banogu is going to be used all over the front seven.
“They have been talking about playing everywhere in the front seven from linebacker to rushing on pass downs,” Banogu told reporters in a conference call Friday night. “Just trying to maximize my athleticism.”
Colts general manager Chris Ballard said following Day 2 of the draft that they were really focusing on finding athletes and high-impact players. How Banogu pans out remains to be seen, but he has the athleticism, explosion and versatility to be an impact player on the defensive side.
Though it won’t be clear until we see it on the field, the Colts have visions of using Banogu both as a rush linebacker and SAM next to Darius Leonard.
“Yeah, they were saying playing right next to (Darius) Leonard. Doing a little bit of that and then also getting around the edge and pass rushing,” Banogu said. “So they were saying wherever they put me they feel like I can excel at and they were looking at me as a guy that is a jack of all trades that can do just about anything.”
The Colts used three of their four picks on defensive players during the second and third rounds of the draft. Banogu appears to be an athletic chess piece that intrigued Ballard and the front office.
Where Banogu ends up spending most of his time is a mystery, but his versatility could help him carve out a role on the defensive side of the ball.
