Malik Hooker fell to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 15 like a 2017 NFL Draft miracle, but does the pick still get top marks?
The Indianapolis Colts made the right choice and had one of the better defensive backs fall to them with the 15th overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft in Ohio State safety Malik Hooker. After all, the Colts were, a word, terrible on defense last season.
Indianapolis was an average 8-8 last season. On defense they played well below average as they were 22nd in points allowed (24.5), 30th in yards per game allowed (382.9), 27th in passing yards per game allowed (262.5) and 25th in rushing yards allowed (120.4).
Also last season, the Colts totaled just eight interceptions, and at Ohio State, playing in a tough Big Ten and against some tough non-conference opponents, Hooker finished with seven interceptions in 13 games. Hooker, a redshirt sophomore in 2016, also had 74 tackles (5.5 for a loss) and a half sack.
Now the question is: What does Hooker bring to the Colts? Hooker brings a player that will still need some seasoning when he begins his NFL career, but he also has raw talent that will make plays for his new Colts defense, especially if quarterbacks try to challenge the rookie. What scares some in the NFL is the fact Hooker did miss 17 tackles this past season, but that’s very fixable. The Colts may have hit the jackpot for the fact Hooker can play well in coverage.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote this of Hooker before the NFL Draft:
"“(Has) strong hands at the catch point lead to takeaways. Can disguise coverage and hustle back into position. Will strike receivers with some force to jar throws loose.”"
That will work wonders for the Colts this upcoming season as Hooker can and should start from Day 1 in the NFL, and don’t forget coming from Ohio State, Hooker has been coached well to be ready for the NFL.
Facing quarterbacks in Blake Bortles (Jacksonville Jaguars), Marcus Mariota (Tennessee Titans) and now the newly drafted Deshaun Watson (Houston Texans), this need of a safety was the right choice for the Colts. Plus, the better the defense can be, that can only help the offense too, allowing the Colts to not have to throw the football too many times per game and play from behind.
Also, there are players like Allen Robinson (Jaguars), DeAndre Hopkins (Texans) and now Corey Davis whom the Titans selected with the No. 5 overall pick.
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Hooker makes the Colts defense better instantly as their current depth chart at the position isn’t a who’s who of NFL superstars, plus the Colts didn’t re-sign veteran Mike Adams, who went to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, which makes this pick even more important for the Colts as they rebuild a defense that needed a lot of help in the first place. The best guess is this is just the start of the Colts adding more talent to their defense during this draft.