The more days pass without the Indianapolis Colts making headlines with a free-agent linebacker move, the clearer it becomes that general manager Chris Ballard is looking to the NFL Draft to get the job done.
Luckily for him, and many other teams looking to draft at linebacker, this year's draft is cluttered with talent and potential at the position. The Colts, being in desperate need of help at linebacker, will have more than a few options to choose from.
Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech), Anthony Hill Jr. (Texas), and CJ Allen (Georgia) are just a few linebackers the Colts have been linked to in the draft as far as interest and potential fit go. Of course, there are others, and one of those others is a First Team All-Big 12 star out of TCU, Kaleb Elarms-Orr.
TCU's Kaleb Elarms-Orr fits into Indianapolis Colts' defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's scheme
As far as linebackers go, the Colts have recently bolstered their depth by adding former Arizona Cardinals and long-time Cincinnati Bengals, before that, Akeem Davis-Gaither, who spent several years under Lou Anarumo in the Bengals offense.
That said, signing Davis-Gaither wasn't the plan to fill the hole left behind by Zaire Franklin, who the Colts traded to the Green Bay Packers earlier in the offseason. It was a depth move, but a solid one at that, meaning Indianapolis still has more work to do.
Ballard has had plenty of time to sign one of the remaining free agents, but has seemingly decided not to, yet. This is a strong indication he is counting on the draft to produce some good results, and the Texas Christian University star, Elarms-Orr, might be the right fit the Colts need right now.
Elarms-Orr is one of the linebackers in the draft that the Colts are keeping their eye on, and rightfully so. Considering the type of players Anarumo has had in the past, and still likes today, Elarms-Orr fits the mold. Elarms-Orr showed elite blitzing skills at TCU, a skill set Anarumo looks for in his players.
His college tape showed that he's reliable in keeping up with his reads and is a strong tackler. The 6-foot-2, 234 lbs star shot up the draft board during this past college season, earning him First Team All-Big 12 honors thanks to his 130 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four sacks, and two broken up passes. Elarms-Orr's 130 tackles were ranked ninth in FBS.
There are a handful of linebackers in the draft that the Colts could pick, develop, and transition into a full-time starter, and Elarms-Orr is only one of them. That said, to make his case, Elarms-Orr's high IQ, high-motor, and his ability to play well in coverage, among his other traits, are right out of Anarumo's playbook preferences, making the former Horned Frog a perfect draft candidate for the Colts.
Will Elarms-Orr replace Franklin? No, at least, not in the immediate sense, but maybe what the Colts need in the immediate sense is just a solid linebacker room filled with good, strong depth more than they need a star.
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