Colts draft DE J.T. Tuimoloau - Round 2, Pick 45

[AlwaysSunnyinIndy]

https://x.com/JoelAErickson/status/1915920828249604270

Colts take DE J.T. Tuimoloau with the 45th pick.

Three straight years First Team All-Big Ten.

Indianapolis needed defensive line help.

https://x.com/ZachHicks2/status/1915920922407571632

JT Tuimoloau is a Lou Anarumo type of edge rusher.

Big bodied player with long arms and good against the run.

Wins with power and finishes sacks.

Good pairing with Laiatu Latu, who is more of a rush winner that struggles to finish sacks

https://x.com/ZachHicks2/status/1915921604279762983

JT pick is very much like swinging for a double instead of a HR.

Very, very high floor player even if he’s unlikely to be a star in the NFL.

Rock solid player

[nate505]

He seems solid. Can't complain.

[Racehorse]

I am a little shocked. I know Polian said you never pass on a passer or a guy who can get to the passer, but were there no interior DL guys?

[omahacolt]

Ballard should not be allowed to draft defensive linemen

[IndyNorm]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

I am a little shocked. I know Polian said you never pass on a passer or a guy who can get to the passer, but were there no interior DL guys?

Same here. Seems like a good pick overall, but we need someone who can rush the passer from the inside other than Defo. Alexander seemed like a good fit, but our FO obviously didn't like him enough. To be fair no one else has either.

[ChaosTheory]

A lot of guys have been saying around 35 DL are going to go top-100.

[Spike]

After doing some research on JTT, there were some who were saying he could have been a 1st round pick. So I assume that Ballard was taking the BPA. At least he was very productive and not just a RAS ass pick.

[apballin]

Dayos replacement

[IndyNorm]

Originally Posted by apballin

Dayos replacement

Possibly, but Tuimloloau is ~20 lbs smaller than Dayo. Guessing he's Paye's or Ebukam's replacement.

[AlwaysSunnyinIndy]

Here was The Ringer's write-up on Tuimoloau:

https://nfldraft.theringer.com/

Tuimoloau is tall with a well-built, rugged frame. A three-year starter for the Buckeyes, he’s a strong, physical defender who plays with excellent balance and power. He rushes with heavy hands, employing an effective long-arm stab to bull-rush opponents into the backfield. He mixes in a swim move that leaves offensive linemen lunging and is a savvy hand fighter who keeps himself clean with a nonstop barrage of swipes and chops. He’s a heady player who shows excellent awareness and anticipation of what the offense is doing, positioning himself smartly to make a play. He’s patient and controlled and doesn’t bite on play fakes. In the run game, he is strong at the point of attack, stacking, shedding, and ripping away from block attempts to get into the backfield and arrive at the ballcarrier quickly. Tuimoloau has an unremarkable get-off and average bend and burst as a rusher. He relies heavily on his bull rush and will need to expand his repertoire of pass rush moves. He occasionally allows runs to spill past him.

WHY HE COULD RISE
Tuimoloau is a big, powerful edge defender with heavy hands who makes an impact on all three downs; he would be a plug-and-play contributor on the line.

WHY HE COULD FALL
He’s a jack-of-all-trades and master of none who lacks the burst and bend to threaten the high-side edge as a rusher.