The Indianapolis Colts had the longest active streak of having an undrafted free agent (UDFA) rookie make the 53-man roster, which lasted for 22 years in a row until it ended in 2021.
A new one has potentially started after seeing four UDFA rookies make the team last year. UDFAs face an uphill battle to make the roster because even with a great preseason performance, a general manager can still give the edge to a drafted player or someone they invested money into.
The best pathway for a UDFA to make an NFL roster is to join a position group that lacks depth. With that being considered, here are five UDFAs on Indy’s roster that have the best to be on the team for the season opener:
1
G Emil Ekiyor Jr.
Ekiyor Jr. is the easy pick among the UDFAs on the Colts roster to make the team in 2023. The Alabama guard was projected to be a draft pick and potentially go on Day 2 but due to a medical red flag, he didn’t hear his name called on draft weekend.
His situation is favorable because he joins an interior offensive line group without proven depth at guard. Ekiyor Jr. not only has a great shot at making the team, but with an excellent preseason performance, he could push Will Fries for the right guard spot on the starting unit.
During his last three college seasons, he made 40 career starts at right guard. If he doesn’t have any health issues arise then Ekiyor Jr. should find his place on the 53-man roster.
2
LB Donavan Mutin
Another position group on Indy’s roster that lacks proven depth behind the starters is linebacker. The current backups on the depth chart include JoJo Domann (2022 UDFA), Grant Stuard, Segun Olubi, and Cameron McGrone. Mutin has a great opportunity to make the team if he can outperform those players and show he can be a quality contributor on special teams.
A sign that the front office has belief in Mutin to potentially make the roster is that they gave him $85,000 guaranteed and a $15,000 signing bonus to sign with the Colts. In his final season with Houston, he had 85 tackles (43 solo), five TFLs, four pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
3
LB Liam Anderson
Feeding off the same reason for Donavan Mutin, another UDFA rookie linebacker that has just as much of a chance to make the 53-man roster is Liam Anderson. The Holy Cross product finished with 86 tackles (58 solo), 14.5 TFLs, four QB hits, three sacks, two pass deflections, one interception, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in his final college season.
Anderson fits into the athletic 2023 draft class for the Colts with an 8.74 RAS score that ranked him 334th out of all linebackers to enter the NFL since 1987.
Liam Anderson is a LB prospect in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 8.74 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 334 out of 2652 LB from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/P92pWKJGty #Colts pic.twitter.com/VYwJoQCXH9
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 30, 2023
4
DB Cole Coleman
The Indianapolis secondary was already thin following the NFL draft because of the lack of NFL experience that most cornerbacks and safeties have on the roster. Both position groups took a hit last month due to the lengthy suspension and subsequential release for Isaiah Rodgers Sr. after gambling violations and fifth-round pick Daniel Scott suffering a torn ACL during OTAs.
Coleman’s versatility will give him a good case to make the team because he has experience playing as a slot corner and free safety during his time at Elon. He doesn’t have the size (5-foot-9, 188 pounds) to compete for the open boundary corner spots so he will have to battle with Tony Brown for the backup role to Kenny Moore II.
If Coleman shows he can be a special teams contributor and pushes Brown for his role then his versatility can help give him an edge on cutdown day. During his college career, he collected 281 tackles (156 solo), nine and a half TFLs, nine pass deflections, three interceptions, four forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
The Colts did give him a $7,500 signing bonus to sign with the franchise. Coleman will be looking to follow in his father’s footsteps. Chris Coleman made the Tennessee Titans roster as a UDFA rookie in 2000.
5
WR Zavier Scott
There aren’t a whole lot of spots open on the offensive side of the ball, but Scott certainly made a strong case during OTAs and minicamp. The versatile wideout coming out of Maine brings an intriguing blend of size, speed and short-area quickness.
Scott worked mostly with the wide receivers during the offseason workout program, but he also spent a significant amount of time with the running backs during drills. That shows the Colts see some type of potential in Scott as a swiss-army knife type of player.
Even if Scott is an odd-man-out when it comes to making the 53-man roster, he can make a compelling case for a roster spot due to his athleticism and positional versatility.
