At the start of the new month of July, we continue our training camp previews for the Indianapolis Colts, taking a look at one of the promising young pass rushers on the defensive line.
Name: Kemoko Turay
Position: DE
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 248
Age: 23
Year Drafted: 2018 (second round)
Background
Selected by the Colts in the second round at No. 52 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, Turay would be part of a group of young pass rushers that Indy hopes will take them into the 2020s.
The Rutgers product got off to a hot start recording 3.0 sacks through the team’s first seven games. However, injuries would wind up slowing Turay’s pace for a solid rookie season.
Turay finished the season having played 14 games (three starts) while recording 4.0 sacks. He played 36.6% of the defensive snaps on the year—good for the third-most among Colts defensive ends.
2019 Outlook
It’s a big year for Turay as he enters his second season. The Colts wound up adding veteran pass rusher Justin Houston via free agency, which means Turay’s starting role is far from guaranteed. Of course, the Colts will use a rotation on the defensive line, but Turay will be fighting for snaps.
Staying healthy is the key for Turay in Year 2, but he will also have the objective of finding a second pass rush move. That type of development will go a long way for the bendy edge rusher if he wants to secure a significant role in the defense.
Behind Houston and Jabaal Sheard, Turay is battling with Al-Quadin Muhammad and Gerri Green for the roles in the defensive end room.
Bottom Line
Turay has a lot of upside to be a solid pass rusher in the Colts’ one-gap front, but he has to show some development in his game from Year 1 to Year 2 if he’s to have a significant impact in 2019.
