Stampede Blue
An All-Pro Colts cornerback already had high praise for a rookie teammate.
According to new veteran cornerback Charvarius Ward, the Indianapolis Colts may have found a good one regarding fellow corner, rookie Justin Walley, who’s already flashed with some early impressions this offseason (via Stampede Blue’s very own Noah Compton):
Surprisingly selected by the Colts in the 3rd round of the recent NFL Draft, Walley was initially seen as a bit of a head-scratching pick by Indianapolis, particularly with their already relatively sound cornerback room (aided by Ward’s earlier offseason arrival).
Many Colts fans expected Indianapolis to select a linebacker or right guard at that spot, which are arguably still lacking some much needed depth respectively.
However, longtime Colts general manager Chris Ballard remained bullish on Walley:
Instead, it was Walley, the 5’10,” 190 pound cornerback out of Minnesota, who while not an elite athlete at the position, has been lauded for his instincts, ball skills, and tackling.
The Colts plan on deploying an extra defensive back on the field more often under new veteran defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo (instead of a third true linebacker) to better hold up in coverage, which could mean more Walley—even as a rookie.
Highly regarded for his own tenacity, tackling, and ball skills, Ward, as a former NFL All-Pro, knows a thing or two about what it takes to play cornerback in the NFL at an elite level.
This should be taken with a grain of salt though, as the first-year pro has so far only undergone rookie minicamp, OTAs, and veteran minicamp and has yet to formally step on an NFL football field for meaningful snaps. Not even Colts training camp at this point.
That being said, the early signs from Walley here are fairly encouraging—leading Ward to believe, possessing the unique ‘IT factor,’ that some day it may in fact be ‘Walley’s world.’
