Could the former Texas defender become Grover Stewart’s future replacement?
The Indianapolis Colts hosted Texas interior defensive lineman Alfred Collins on a Top 30 Visit, according to Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network.
While the Colts have addressed their starting positions across the depth chart on the defensive side of the ball, adding depth throughout the defense for new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo is a must — and thankfully, the NFL Draft is fast approaching.
The Colts still need to find backup-level players at a handful of positions on defense, but one they’ve tried to address over the past few years (via free agency and/or the draft) but couldn’t find the right fit is a defensive tackle. Indy has thrown darts at the defensive tackle board for consecutive years at this point — Taven Bryan, Eric Johnson, Raekwon Davis, etc. — but to no avail.
Perhaps former Texas iDL Alfred Collins is the answer they’ve been looking for all along.
Collins is a certified mountain of a man, standing at 6’5.5”, weighing 332 lbs, and sporting 34-5/8” arms and 10” hands. He’s a former five-star recruit who didn’t blossom until the latter stages of his 5-year career. Collins began his pre-draft process as a Senior Bowl participant who showcased his impressive get-off and block-shedding at his elite size.
In his final season at Texas, Collins posted 64 total tackles, 27 stops, 17 pressures, and one sack on 593 defensive snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, Collins’ 22 run stops rank 12th among draft-eligible defensive tackles.
The Colts currently have recently signed free agent DT Neville Gallimore to pair with Adetomiwa Adebawore and Pheldarius Payne as depth behind star DT duo DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. Alfred Collins offers an intriguing outlook as an interior defensive line prospect given his true nose tackle projection would fit swimmingly behind Grover Stewart — a run-stuffing nose tackle who has enough traits to eventually blossom into a more complete player.
