Colts Draft Pick Reaction: SS/LB Jordan Glasgow

After two days of wheeling and dealing, Chris Ballard increased the seven picks he entered the weekend with to nine. The ninth and final of those came in the sixth round at number 213 overall. Here, Ballard selected Michigan defender Jordan Glasgow. Glasgow was a box safety/linebacker hybrid in defensive coordinator Don Brown’s multiple unit. With the Colts, he will likely transition to linebacker full time. Glasgow’s older brothers are both linemen in the NFL: Graham as a guard for Denver and Ryan as a defensive tackle for Cincinnati. The youngest and smallest of the Glasgows faces an uphill battle to see the field as a member of Indianapolis’ defense.

Watch out- Jordan Glasgow is coming to an NFL arena near you!

The newest @Colts player hails from @UMichFootball. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/wjWawZ66AO

— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) April 25, 2020

Jack of All Trades

Master of none. Glasgow does a lot of things pretty well but nothing exceptionally. He found his niche at Michigan by competing like crazy on special teams. As a sophomore, he was named the Wolverines’ Special Teams Player of the Year. His path to a career in the NFL will almost certainly require the same commitment to covering kicks. Face it, he seems unlikely to supplant Darius Leonard, Anthony Walker, or Bobby Okereke in the starting defense. Those three can run circles around Glasgow, but he can take pride in being the Colts’ special teams ace. Look at Matthew Slater in New England as an example of a player whose entire career has been on special teams. Glasgow, like Slater, can make a healthy living without putting up monster stats at any point.

Relentlessness

In many ways, Glasgow plays with a similar fire to his now-teammate Robert Windsor. They play different positions, but both men overcome relatively low athletic ability by taking the field by storm. No one plays harder than Windsor or Glasgow, and that is why both could find themselves in Colts blue come fall. Beyond persistent effort, Glasgow needs to make sure he knows the defensive playbook inside and out. Matt Eberflus may ask him to play at linebacker in certain sets and strong safety in others. Again, his primary value will be on special teams. But if Eberflus wants to get creative on defense, Glasgow has experience lining up all over the field.

@Michigan S Jordan Glasgow with the pass breakup. pic.twitter.com/sFQtpsn83s

— PewterReport (@PewterReport) January 15, 2020

Next Steps

The draft is now over! Undrafted free agents are signing on with the highest bidders, and rosters will take shape by Monday. As for Glasgow, he has control of his future. By memorizing the defensive playbook, out-hustling everyone on kick coverage, and playing with maximum effort, he can keep a job with the Colts.

– Jesse Pierson is the Managing Editor of FPC Colts. He covers the Indianapolis Colts and the National Football League. Like and follow on Twitter @jessetpierson Follow @FPC_Colts and Facebook.