The Colts have signed another player, defensive back Travis Key (5085, 185, 4.54pd in 08). He played strong safety at Michigan State, and was very productive at the highest level of college football. Because of his size, though, most NFL teams scouted him at cornerback. When he ran some pretty disappointing times at his Pro Day, he went undrafted in 2008 and signed with the Vikings. They cut him. He signed with the Browns. They cut him. He signed with the Lions. They cut him. He signed with the Chargers. They cut him. He signed with the Colts. They’ll bring him to camp.
The reason he keeps getting signed is because he was a great player in college. He was solid in coverage, a fumble-causing hitter, a good tackler for a man his size and a good open-field runner who was a threat to score any time he got his hands on the ball. It was like someone had put Yeremiah Bell in a dryer and he came out two sizes too small.
After the Vikings (who gave him an audition at corner) cut him, he signed with the Browns and played in a couple of preseason games. They had him play at safety — the Browns ask their corners to do much more man coverage than the Vikings or Colts do — and he made a few plays, mostly against the run, and showed some ability as a blitzer.
The reason teams keep cutting him is because of his size. He’s not just short; he’s small. But he’s in the right place. The Colts are as close to a true meritocracy as you’ll find in the NFL. Hey, they gave Brandon Foster time on the field (in the regular season yet!), and he’s even smaller than Keys.
They’ll give Key a chance to contribute at reserve cornerback, which will be a very crowded spot this summer. The odds are stacked against him, but he was a walk-on who later became a star at Michigan State, so you never know.
A while ago, when the Colts were inking their practice squad guys, they also signed cornerback Brandon Sumrall (5097, 195, 4.60c/4.62pd). I remember this guy from Southern Miss, and was truly surprised when he went undrafted even with his poor Combine forty. I just relooked up his stats as a senior — 65 tackles, 33 assists, 5-20 tackles for loss, 1-8 sack, 6-101-1 interceptions, 8 passes broken up, 3 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He put up similar defensive numbers as a junior, when he played a strong safety and wasn’t bad returning kicks.
After the 2008 draft, he too signed with the Vikings. I watched him a little in the preseason, and thought he played well enough to make the team. He intercepted Kyle Boller in one game I watched, and made some nice plays on both defense and special teams. The Vikings didn’t agree with me, and they cut him. Tampa Bay signed him to their practice squad a couple of days later. They let him go, and the Colts grabbed him, only to let him go when they were juggling their own practice squad and he was injured in practice.
Sumrall will be thrown into the reserve cornerback fray and could well earn a roster spot if he plays as well as I think he can this summer. His only real negatives are his lack of deep speed and his ability to handle the quickest receivers in man coverage (most teams would consider him a safety prospect). But since the Colts system can compensate for those problems, his ability to win the No. 5 cornerback spot will probably depend on his ability on special teams.
Note: Brandon Foster may be tiny, but also runs a 4.28 forty.
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