Jordan Glasgow Feels Like A Special Sixth-Rounder

It's very hard for sixth-round picks to make an NFL roster, let alone stay in the league for an extended period of time. Not every sixth rounder ends up being Tom Brady. The average sixth-round pick starts less than 5% of possible games during their career. That's if they even make a team. Jordan Glasgow is going to try to be a diamond in the rough for the Indianapolis Colts, who took him with pick No. 213 in the sixth round.

Glasgow feels different.

Phillip B. Wilson of AllColts.com actually sees a similarity between Glasgow and a former late-round Wolverine who had a very fruitful career in Indianapolis.

"What’s interesting is we have history here with this type of situation," Wilson explained. "If you know about Michigan for a long time you’ll remember a guy named Cato June. He was a defensive back at Michigan but the Colts moved him to linebacker because Tony Dungy was part of the movement with Bill Polian to acquire fast, undersized players for their position.

"Cato was really effective in a role like that so when Jordan was drafted, that’s the first guy I thought of. I saw the 6-1, 220-something pounds and I thought ‘safety’ even though he played linebacker. Glasgow said on the call that he’s going to be in the linebacker room.

"When we finally talked to the [Colts general manager] Chris Ballard, he actually seemed pretty excited about Jordan as a late-round pick. He thinks he can be a really special player in terms of being a special teams leader. I’m not saying he won’t play in the base defense ever, but he’s being viewed as a guy who can really lead the special teams and be the guy on those units.

"Some NFL teams have a guy who is perfect in that role and Jordan could be that. Most teams don’t draft or sign a guy specifically for that, but I thought it was interesting that they kind of have him ticketed for that role. Ballard sounded confident that they found a guy who could excel."

So what exactly makes Glasgow perfect for that job in the eyes of Wilson and other people who pay attention to the Colts?

"He’s high energy and really intense," Wilson said. "The word that jumped off the page to me was fearlessness. An old colleague of mine used to say that you have to be a little crazy to play in the NFL. Guys are flying around and drilling people and some are absolutely nuts to do it day in and day out. I think this guy has the good kind of crazy to be effective."

Not only does Glasgow have the mental make up and the skill set, he has a unique and helpful pedigree. As the third brother who started as a walk-on at Michigan and eventually made it to the NFL, Jordan is going to benefit from having older brothers who have already blazed a trail. Wilson sees that as invaluable and really thinks it could help Jordan stick.

"I read up on Jordan and I see the connection to his brothers, so I specifically asked him about that. He’s staying with one of them now and he’s not far from the other one and they’ve really helped him prepare. He’s learned different things from each one of them," Wilson explained. "NFL pedigree, in my mind, counts for a lot. I think it boosts the stock of guys like this in the eyes of NFL scouts. They’re going to prepare the right way, they’re going to act like they belong in the NFL because they’ve got blood that’s already there.

"Those brothers want to see their kid brother succeed almost as much as they want to succeed themselves. That made me think even more highly of him. I was never doubting him, but you never know with sixth-round, late-round picks. I actually got more excited about him thinking, ‘You know what? They might have something here.’

"He’s going to come in and won’t be phased or in awe. His brothers will have his mind right in terms of how to play, attack the day, take care of his body and just be a pro. I think that’s a huge help. His story is remarkable when you talk about his two brothers who walked on and made it to the NFL and now he’s trying to do the same thing."