We continue on the defensive side of the ball by looking at the defense backs. This player is poised to have a great year in this 3rd season as a pro.
The defensive backs were a priority this offseason. The Colts decided to re-sign Pierre Desir and Kenny Moore to keep them for the long haul. They also went ahead and re-signed Clayton Geathers and drafted two other defensive backs. They are focused on the secondary.
Malik Hooker is a former first round pick who didn’t quite put up the numbers that he did in his shortened rookie season. He didn’t have the interception total a lot of people were looking for after he put up 3 in 7 games as a rookie. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t have a good year.
Hooker still didn’t allow receivers to catch the ball when it was thrown his way. He did a great job lowering catch percentages. When the rest of the defense was playing better around him, he didn’t need to have the gaudy interception numbers as much.
But this year, expect Hooker’s numbers to bounce back. He is finally healthy, which has been a concern dating all the way back to his days at Ohio State. With that health, he should be able to increase his stats across the board and play better.
The increase in competition across the board in the secondary should help Hooker as well. He should be pushed to play his best ball, and nothing less should be expected of him this season.