Colts Take Kemoko Turay with 52nd Pick

The Colts have gone defensive now. They selected defensive end Kemoko Turay, a defensive end from Rutgers.

The Colts selected their second defensive player of the draft. They took Kemoko Turay with the 52nd overall pick in the draft. Turay played defensive end at Rutgers, but might transfer over to linebacker in the NFL.

Turay had 60 tackles his senior season as a defensive end. He did a good job in the run game, not allowing running backs to turn the corner on him. He didn’t have very many sacks though, only tallying three. But he did record 7.5 sacks in his freshman year.

While Turay didn’t play for the best school, he made his impact known. He was the most talented player on the Rutgers defense. By the time his senior year rolled around, he was being double teamed in passing situations. This could be why his sacks were down later in his career.

His role on the team is currently unclear. If he moves to linebacker, he would help with the depth, but would be forced to fight for playing time with fellow second round pick Darius Leonard, as well as the current Colt starters. He would likely not see much playing time at defensive end with bigger players in front of him.

Turay has a lot of athletic upside. He only played one year of high school football, so he is still learning the game. He is a very coachable player, and is a willing learner. If the Colts can coach him up properly, they can unleash his athletic potential and allow Turay to be a menace.

Next: Colts Draft Braden Smith with 37th Pick

With the linebacker need pretty much filled, it will be interesting to see where the Colts go with the rest of their picks in this draft. Look for them to be more offensive minded now.