Indianapolis Colts: 3 Possible targets with 26th pick in 2019 NFL Draft
3. Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson
The Colts have four upcoming free agents on the defensive line, and they aren’t going to bring back all of them. They can address that need with a player like Dexter Lawrence, however.
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A three-year starter for the Tigers, he won two national titles with the team. He was considered a possible top-10 pick by some draft pundits last year, but his stock started to crater as the year wore on due to a failed drug test that resulted in a suspension for the two games of the College Football Playoff.
Lawrence isn’t an elite pass rusher on the inside like Alabama Crimson Tide defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, but he is extremely stout against the run and fundamentally sound. He gives the Colts a versatile piece that can be plugged in the middle on short-yardage situations, but he can also be brought to the outside when they need him to set the edge. Clemson had a ton of talent on the front, and Lawrence was a major piece of that.
Lawrence will have to answer those questions at the combine and in interviews about his PED mistake. If he can explain to teams the mistake he made that he has moved on from, he will be able to stick in the first round. If the Colts feel he is worth the possible risk, he could be a welcome addition to the big uglies they have been building since Ballard arrived.