With 10 selections throughout the final two days of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts followed their plan of selecting elite athletic prospects with upside.
One of those selections that has some of the highest upside in the Colts’ draft class is former USC defensive back Marvell Tell, who was picked in the fifth-round (No. 144) in the draft.
Though he remains a project, he was listed as the team’s biggest steal of the draft by Luke Easterling of Draft Wire.
Tell was projected by most analysts to go on Day 3, which is exactly where he went. Rather than staying solely at the safety position, Tell will be starting out with the Colts as a cornerback.
“Probably as a corner, corner-safety knowing both,” Tell told reporters of where the Colts view him. “Honestly, I had a pretty good feeling about the Colts throughout this process. But they kept in contact with me the most out of any other team.”
Given that he has elite athleticism and arm length, he could wind up being a contributor on the boundary if his development goes the way the Colts hope it will.
It remains to be seen how quickly Tell will be able to carve out a role in a cornerback room that has some upside now. Regardless, his progress as a boundary cornerback is something to keep an eye on even if he doesn’t play a whole lot right away.
