Colts take Bobby Okereke with 89th overall pick

The Colts decided to take another linebacker to round out their night, taking Bobby Okereke with the 89th overall pick.

Bobby Okereke was the Colts’ third round pick and the 89th pick overall. He was the second linebacker that the Colts took on Friday night. Okereke is more of a complete linebacker though, as he can stop the run and also drop back into coverage.

The Colts decided to go super heavy defensively at the beginning of their draft, having three of their first four picks go towards that side of the ball. It is a curious drat strategy, but the Colts don’t have too many holes. It makes sense to improve a unit that was only top 15 a season ago.

As far as Okereke goes, he was a solid player at Stanford. He totaled 94 and 88 tackles in his senior and junior year respectively. He started for three years at Stanford as well. Having someone who played that much football at a major conference is valuable.

Okereke will fight for some playing time on defense, but will definitely be a mainstay on special teams. He will be a hard worker who plays his hardest every down. Okereke will work hard to earn his playing time, and that’s the type of attitude Chris Ballard loves.

The Colts will see how much he can contribute early on, but this sends a message to their linebacking corp. The outside linebackers are on notice. Anthony Walker and Najee Goode could possibly lose their jobs if they’re not careful.

It will be interesting to see what direction the Colts go tomorrow in the final day of the draft. They still have several picks so they can get good value.