INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Travis isn’t your traditional offensive lineman.
For one, the Colts‘ new fourth-round draft pick measures 6-foot-8 and 339 pounds. Secondly, he can jump 35 inches in the vertical jump, or three inches higher than the cornerback the Colts drafted the round ahead of him, Justin Walley.
Third, he has a degree from Princeton and plans to go back some day for law school.
Put it together, and the bet the Colts are placing is a unique one. But like their newest tackle, the payoff can be big.
“I think the physical ability that he brings,” coach Shane Steichen said. “He’s light on his feet for a big guy. I think he ran a 5.15 (40-yard dash). At that size, to be able to run and move like that, it’ll be good for the room.”
Many expected the Colts to target a guard in this draft, as they’ve outlined the need for one following Will Fries’ departure in free agency. Whereas center Ryan Kelly’s departure led to a competition between Danny Pinter and Tanor Bortolini, the Colts didn’t have any such candidates in the pipeline at right guard.
But what they did have was a second-year third-round pick at tackle in Matt Goncalves who entered draft weekend without a place to start since Braden Smith is back on a restructured contract year. The Colts could have kept Goncalves as a swing tackle and sought out a guard in the draft, but they also could have targeted a new swing tackle to open up Goncalves to move to another position he played in college in right guard.
That’s the big payoff Travis can bring in the interim as the lone new addition to this year’s offensive line. If he can tap in early to the size and athleticism that combines to give him a Relative Athletic Score of 9.08 out of 10.00, he can allow the Colts to get their five best linemen on the field this season and use him as a lever to pull when an injury strikes.
“He is a little bit developmental, but knowing him and the type of worker he is, if he gets thrown into a game, he’s not going to bat an eye and he’s going to be fine,” Colts area scout Tyler Hughes said. “He’s athletic enough. He’s big enough. He’s long enough. He’ll find a way to figure it out.”
But the real payoff can come in future seasons if all goes as planned. Smith is in a contract year, and though he is still just 29 and has rediscovered some love of the game, injuries have taken their toll over the years and could shorten his career at some point.
That’s where Travis will be hard at work doing the next steps of what he did last season, when he upped his level of competition in transferring from Princeton in the Ivy League to Iowa State in the Big 12 Conference. He was able to carry over his level of play at that level, earning honorable mention All-Big 12 recognition while helping lead the Cyclones to their first 11-win season in program history.
“The best thing about Jalen is he got better,” Hughes said. “… He got better every single week he played.”
And that’s just what he’ll do with the Colts, starting in a couple weeks.
“I’m going to make sure I’m putting my best foot forward starting Day 1 when I get to rookie minicamp,” Travis said, “to make sure that I’m continuing to perfect my process.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts draft: What Jalen Travis means to Colts offensive line
INDIANAPOLIS — Jalen Travis isn’t your traditional offensive lineman.
For one, the Colts‘ new fourth-round draft pick measures 6-foot-8 and 339 pounds. Secondly, he can jump 35 inches in the vertical jump, or three inches higher than the cornerback the Colts drafted the round ahead of him, Justin Walley.
Third, he has a degree from Princeton and plans to go back some day for law school.
Put it together, and the bet the Colts are placing is a unique one. But like their newest tackle, the payoff can be big.
“I think the physical ability that he brings,” coach Shane Steichen said. “He’s light on his feet for a big guy. I think he ran a 5.15 (40-yard dash). At that size, to be able to run and move like that, it’ll be good for the room.”
Many expected the Colts to target a guard in this draft, as they’ve outlined the need for one following Will Fries’ departure in free agency. Whereas center Ryan Kelly’s departure led to a competition between Danny Pinter and Tanor Bortolini, the Colts didn’t have any such candidates in the pipeline at right guard.
But what they did have was a second-year third-round pick at tackle in Matt Goncalves who entered draft weekend without a place to start since Braden Smith is back on a restructured contract year. The Colts could have kept Goncalves as a swing tackle and sought out a guard in the draft, but they also could have targeted a new swing tackle to open up Goncalves to move to another position he played in college in right guard.
That’s the big payoff Travis can bring in the interim as the lone new addition to this year’s offensive line. If he can tap in early to the size and athleticism that combines to give him a Relative Athletic Score of 9.08 out of 10.00, he can allow the Colts to get their five best linemen on the field this season and use him as a lever to pull when an injury strikes.
“He is a little bit developmental, but knowing him and the type of worker he is, if he gets thrown into a game, he’s not going to bat an eye and he’s going to be fine,” Colts area scout Tyler Hughes said. “He’s athletic enough. He’s big enough. He’s long enough. He’ll find a way to figure it out.”
But the real payoff can come in future seasons if all goes as planned. Smith is in a contract year, and though he is still just 29 and has rediscovered some love of the game, injuries have taken their toll over the years and could shorten his career at some point.
That’s where Travis will be hard at work doing the next steps of what he did last season, when he upped his level of competition in transferring from Princeton in the Ivy League to Iowa State in the Big 12 Conference. He was able to carry over his level of play at that level, earning honorable mention All-Big 12 recognition while helping lead the Cyclones to their first 11-win season in program history.
“The best thing about Jalen is he got better,” Hughes said. “… He got better every single week he played.”
And that’s just what he’ll do with the Colts, starting in a couple weeks.
“I’m going to make sure I’m putting my best foot forward starting Day 1 when I get to rookie minicamp,” Travis said, “to make sure that I’m continuing to perfect my process.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts draft: What Jalen Travis means to Colts offensive line
