Indianapolis Colts defensive end, Kwity Paye, is expected to take a big leap for Indianapolis as he returns for his second season in the NFL.
Last year, the Indianapolis Colts used their top pick to draft Kwity Paye 21st overall. The defensive end out of Michigan was selected to help with Indy’s pass rush.
Paye was an immediate starter and had a pretty good rookie season. He wasn’t consistently dominant as a pass rusher but he did show flashes that gave everyone comfort that the Colts made the right pick.
Now, as Paye prepares for his second season, there will be many more expectations placed on him to be dominant. This isn’t just expected in Indianapolis, but league-wide.
Bucky Brooks from NFL.com recently wrote a piece ranking the top-10 second-year breakout candidates for next season. Brooks ranked Paye No. 4 on this list.
Colts DE Kwity Paye here at offseason workouts says he's excited about the new alignment he'll be playing under new coordinator Gus Bradley. He'll be playing a '9 technique' which means he'll be playing from a wider angle. He expects this system to truly be an "attacking front."
— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) April 20, 2022
Kwity Paye expected to have a breakout year for Colts
Brooks highlights the hiring of Gus Bradley and the acquisition of Yannick Ngakoue as a big reason Paye should be able to have an explosion in production next season.
In addition to the normal second-season development, Brooks believes that opposing offensive lines will be forced to key in on Ngakoue and DeForest Buckner, allowing Paye one-on-one opportunities to get double-digit sacks.
As a rookie last season, Paye only had four sacks, 32 tackles, and three for a loss. He also recorded 10 quarterback hits. Paye has been hard at work this offseason to improve those numbers.
In his first press conference of the spring, he talked about how he felt challenged mentally last season and he has been preparing this offseason to be a relentless force next year.
In addition to building his mentality, Paye has also been diligent about enhancing his skillset, by working with several pass-rush specialists.
As Brooks highlighted, Paye will also get to lineup alongside Yannick Ngakoue now. That’s someone that Paye has admitted to watching from afar to learn, so now, he can do that up close.
With all the work that Paye is putting in mentally and physically, he is due for a breakout season. His development will be crucial in seeing how dominant this Colts defense can be.
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