The Indianapolis Colts made somewhat of a shocking pick selecting former Stanford linebacker Bobby Okereke with the No. 89 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Quick Hits
- Stands at 6-foot-1 and 239 pounds. Ran a 4.58 in the 40-yard dash and has 34 6/8-inch arms.
- He recorded 20.0 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks and eight passes defended over the last three seasons at Stanford.
- From Lance Zierlein of NFL.com: “Undersized but instinctive and rangy, Okerke plays fast and is generally on the right track with his initial reads and response to play development. While he’s fairly sound from a technical standpoint, his lack of size and strength shows up in both tackling and downhill duties against blockers. He has adequate talent to drop and cover in space and his experience on special teams gives him a shot to become a quality NFL backup.”
Fit with the Colts
The Colts didn’t have a massive need to add depth to the linebacker corps, which is led by All-Pro Darius Leonard. However, they could use a talent when it comes to coverage in the middle of the field. Given his range and speed, he should be able to carve out a decent role.
Emphasizing speed has been the name of the game for the Colts defense. Okereke brings that as well as high character. He doesn’t project to be a three-down linebacker, but he could have a solid role working as a cover linebacker.
Conclusion
It wasn’t a need, but general manager Chris Ballard likely sees Okereke as a huge locker room presence and potential rotational linebacker working on third downs and on special teams.
