The latest addition to the Colts practice squad is tight end Isaac Smolko. If his name sounds familiar, it's because he’s been on the Colts’ practice squad before (briefly), and played against them as a Jaguar.
After an okay career at Penn State (13-192-0 receiving as a senior), he was not drafted in 2006 and signed with the Steelers. Despite a productive preseason, he was cut just before the opener.
The following offseason, he signed with the Jaguars. Again, he was one of the final cuts, but joined the Jags’ practice squad, on which they toyed with the idea of converting him to a defensive end. They activated him a couple of time and he saw action mostly on special teams, including against Indy. He caught one of the two passes thrown his way that season, for five yards in a regular-season loss to Houston. In the Jags two playoff games that year (he even started one because the Jags’ first possession was 1st-and-goal from the one and he was part of the short-yardage package), Smolko saw action mainly as a blocker but caught one pass for seven yards.
In 2008, the Jags cut him twice before preseason. He spent two weeks on the Colts practice squad before signing on with the Ravens. They cut him after preseason, signed him again for 2009 and cut him again.
The book on Smolko is that he’s an okay blocker (better in pass-pro than running) and a very good short area receiver. Despite running a 4.70 at his pro day (6043/246 btw), he doesn’t play that fast and is a dump-off option only. I don’t see him as a long-term option, but rather a reliable veteran who can fill in as needed.
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