Indianapolis Colts: Kwity Paye’s struggles becoming more of a concern

Indianapolis Colts rookie Kwity Paye is otherwise known as the premier defensive end in the 2021 NFL Draft. Paye had high expectations entering the league after the show that he put on at the collegiate level during his time at the University of Michigan, and the team clearly banked on him making an impact right away, especially after they sacrificed their top draft capital to secure his services.

Instead, the Colts sit at 3-4 on the year, and despite coming off a Sunday Night Football 30-18 win over the San Francisco 49ers, things haven’t gone according to plan.

It’s normal for newcomers like Paye to experience growing pains. In Week 7, his initial pressure on San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo led to a fumble that was forced by Al-Quadin Muhammad. The rusher helped to put together an impressive series that resulted in his best play in the NFL so far, which says a lot about the player that he’ll continue to develop into.

However, Paye’s pass rush game has been far less than impressive. Now’s the time to talk about the growing pains that I mentioned earlier. At six-foot-two and 260 pounds, the rookie has struggled at using his strength to make it past the opposing team’s offensive linemen. After all, Indianapolis did go all-in on Paye because he was one of the top pass-rushers available on the draft board. So, what could this mean for the Colts?

Defensive end Kwity Paye’s pass rush should raise a red flag for the Indianapolis Colts

In the positives column, Paye was the leading charge behind Garoppolo fumbling the football on Sunday because of his speed. He beat 49ers offensive lineman Anthony Davis around the edge that led to a straight shot right at Jimmy, who used his left shoulder to ward off Paye. In the end, Garoppolo’s efforts to secure the ball weren’t successful.

Kwity’s size and quickness is what makes him so special, but right now his bull rush is tied for fifth out of Indianapolis’ six defensive ends. According to PFF, Paye earned a 93.6 pass-rush grade during the preseason, which was enough to make him the highest-graded defensive line rookie since 2013. When’s the time to sound the alarm over his current pass-rush win percentage of 12.5?

He’s only played in a total of seven games, but this statistic could very well be something that’ll carry over into the next 11 weeks. That’s the exact opposite of what the Colts want, much less what they expected whenever they drafted the Big Ten standout. In Ann Arbor, Paye’s pass-rush win percentage of 25.8 was the best in the conference last year. However, we all know that the NFL is a different beast.

Indianapolis shouldn’t be panicking over his pass rush just yet, but there’s enough reason to be worried. The more snaps that he continues to take as the season wears on, the more that he’ll need to learn about how to be an effective pass-rusher at the professional level. Winning the one-on-one battles will simply have to happen at a higher rate. Don’t sound the alarm just yet, but be prepared to do so.

The Indianapolis Colts will try their hand against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, so it’ll be another opportunity for Paye to up his game.

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