After grabbing their hopeful franchise quarterback, the Indianapolis Colts turned around on Day 2 to add a potential cornerstone piece of the secondary in the form of cornerback Julius Brents.
The Indy native and Warren Central alum was high on the Colts’ board to begin Day 2. They were able to move back twice in the second round via trades before making the selection of Brents, who has a chance to compete for a Week 1 starting role as a boundary corner.
Here’s what the draft analysts had to say about Brents before the Colts made the pick at No. 44 overall:
Dane Brugler, The Athletic (draft guide)
“A two-year starter at Kansas State, Brents was the left cornerback in defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman’s man/zone scheme. After starting as a true freshman at Iowa (his first start came against Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson in 2018), he got lost in the mix after missing the 2019 season because of injury and transferred to Manhattan in 2021, where he led the Wildcats in passes defended and interceptions as a senior. Brents has rare length for the position and impressive short-area quickness for his body type. With his long arms, he can make wide receivers uncomfortable at the line of scrimmage and mid-route, but his length is negated downfield because of his struggles to find the football. Overall, Brents’ inconsistent balance and ball skills are legitimate concerns at the next level, but he is a long-limbed, fluid athlete with the loose movements and speed to maintain phase. He offers the man-cover skills that will help him compete for starting-level snaps early in his NFL career.”
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
“Brents is a classic zone cover corner with an outstanding blend of size, length and leaping ability. He has the disruptive traits to reroute the release and the dog in him to handle his business in run support. He can play some press-man on a vertical plane but lacks the top-end speed and pattern matching to play in that scheme full-time. Brents needs to maintain eye discipline from zone but has the ball skills to win a battle for the pass when he’s in position. While he’s likely to be targeted in the draft as a zone-based corner, he has the instincts and demeanor to make a move to safety if needed.”
Doug Farrar, Touchdown Wire
“Given Brents’ size, willingness to face up in the run game, and his displayed ability to cover tight ends in the box (there’s not a lot, but it’s there). I wonder if he might be seen as a cornerback/safety hybrid at the next level. I might move him into that role, with the understanding that his debits in quick-twitch and certain one-on-one matchups will be offset by the fact that he’s learned to take his preposterous measurements to the field in a positive sense.”
Tony Pauline, Pro Football Network
“Brents possesses the size, athleticism, and ability teams want in a starting cornerback on Sundays, but he needs to polish every aspect of his game. He can play in man or zone when hitting on all cylinders, yet there’s a lot of inconsistency in Brents’ game. I suspect there will be bumps in the road before he’s NFL-ready.”
Keith Sanchez, The Draft Network
“On the field, Brents utilizes his size and length to be a productive player against the run. Brents is a physical corner that is a high-level defender against the run. Brents does a good job of shedding receivers to free himself to make a tackle on the ball carrier. Brents also does a good job of closing distance to the ball carrier working from depth. In situations where he is aligned 10-plus yards off the ball, Brents still does a good job of quickly closing downhill as a physical presence against the run or passing quick game. Brents is an intriguing cornerback prospect that has the possibility to align at safety in situations.
Brents does some good things in coverage but there are some elements that he needs to work on. In off-coverage situations, Brents has to flip his hips to run vertically with receivers—his open hip transition is not quick and receivers are able to get on top of him and begin to separate. On deep passes, Brents lacks the top speed to stay in phase with receivers to carry them vertically. Oftentimes, Brents feels receivers separating and will reach out to grab them, which could result in a pass interference penalty.”
Cory Giddings Jr., Bleacher Report
“The times he shows a quick reaction, he can stick to the receiver’s hip and often runs the route for them. Though it takes time for him to open his stride and get to top speed, when open he is able to match receivers downfield.
When matched against faster, quicker receivers, he has struggled to match their speed and sink his hips. His length shows up mostly when playing the ball in the air, as he can locate the ball and displays good timing when contesting receptions.
Brents is also a willing tackler who isn’t afraid to get mixed up in the run game. He does a good job of setting the edge but lacks the functional strength to control blockers. There have been many times when smaller receivers have gotten into his chest and walled him off from ball-carriers. When tackling, he has generally wrapped and wrestled ball-carriers to the ground with good security.
Ultimately, Brents has a blend of rare size and good mobility for a cornerback. He can be a good role player early in his career and has the skills to develop into a starter down the road.”
CBS Sports
“Julius Brents is a long cornerback with a slender frame. He had good ball production this year as a result of getting his eyes back to the quarterback. Tackling was much improved in 2022, but top-end speed remains a concern. He is a high-cut prospect, which generally leads to stiffer transitions across the field for cornerbacks.”
Mike Renner, Pro Football Focus (draft guide)
“Brents is a scheme specific corner who’s likely to be a little boom or bust in his play style.”
Greg Cosell, The 33rd Team
“Brents is a strong, outside corner prospect with a desirable combination of size and length, plus athletic movement and high-level competitiveness. He has extensive experience playing both man and zone coverage concepts. Brents is long and rangy, with rare arm length for a corner (two inches longer than Richard Sherman), and his overall length allowed him to be effective in both mirror match press man and physical press man. He also played a good percentage of zone coverage, and he showed a strong feel for route concepts and combinations, understanding how to navigate the gray areas in the coverage.
Brents is not sudden or twitchy in his movement but 6-foot-3 corners rarely fit that athletic profile, and there is no question that Brents’ tape showed a smooth fluid corner with the overall traits to be a quality and even a high starter at the next level. There are some balance and body control issues that need to be cleaned up, especially in mirror match press man, that stem from his length and the fact he is high cut, but I believe those technique issues can be coached.
Brents’ stride length often compensated for his lack of pure speed, and his 2022 tape did not show many reps in which he was beaten over the top. Brents is a strong prospect given his length and athletic traits, and there are teams in the NFL that highly value size at the outside corner position. Brents will likely be a Day 2 pick in the 2023 NFL draft.”
