Jake Witt Brings Multi-Sport Background to Colts OL
The seventh round of the NFL Draft is like buying lottery tickets. Hopefully, the player you take turns into a hit for your franchise.
Seventh-round prospects are players who most would describe as a "work in progress." These players typically have high-end athletic traits and are raw in their development. Many times, a team will take a player in the seventh round because they are scared they will lose out on the player as an undrafted free agent.
The Indianapolis Colts are known for taking chances on players in the seventh round who are tremendous athletes yet still need plenty of development. That trend continued in the 2023 NFL Draft when the Colts selected offensive tackle Jake Witt with the No.236 pick in the seventh round.
“Leading up to the draft, after the pro day, we started to get a lot of attention and after that, it’s all speculation towards the end of the draft," Witt said after being drafted. "As the rounds were going on, obviously things were happening. The Colts, you guys took a chance on me and I’m super excited for it.”
Witt has had an interesting journey to the NFL, to say the least. When he began college in 2018, his sport was not even football. Witt was a basketball player at Michigan Tech.
Witt transferred to Northern Michigan in 2019 but decided to take a year off from sports. It wasn't until the spring of 2020 that Witt committed back to competition, but this time it would be on the gridiron.
"Originally, I transferred from Michigan Tech, so I transferred to Northern Michigan and I was just there for my studies for that first semester. Walked on to the team in that spring of 2020 and you know, I had good people in my corner that got me back into it. It was all about dedication at that point."
Witt knew it would be a long road ahead if he wanted to reach the football field. But with Northern Michigan canceling their 2020 season due to COVID-19, Witt had plenty of time to practice and get ready to switch sports.
"Just had to be open to everything," he said. "Be a sponge when it comes to learning. That’s how I’ve succeeded playing basketball, then to football and then two positions in football. Just learn from a lot of guys, try to be a sponge like I said and just take everything in.”
Coming in as a basketball player, the natural position for Witt was tight end. He played tight end for the first nine games of the season before switching to offensive line. Witt started the final two games of 2021 at right tackle and became the starter at left tackle for the entire 2022 season.
With so little experience, Witt knew that he would need to show off his athleticism to get on the radar of NFL teams. Witt was a workout warrior at the Northern Michigan pro day, measuring 6'7" and 302 pounds while running a blazing 4.89 40-yard dash with a 37-inch vertical jump. Teams certainly took notice.
"I knew I would test well," Witt explained. "I knew I was going to be very athletic in the sport of football when I actually went out. I got a couple of years of film under my belt, started to get the attention of a couple of teams at the league and you know, that’s what really started to kind of domino effect it for me. Got that attention from a couple of teams, and then started looking at some agents and we got it working this spring and the rest is history.”
USA Today
While Witt did not make it into the 2023 Indy Draft Guide, below is an excerpt from Dane Brugler's The Beast on how Witt projects in the NFL:
With only 13 career starts on the offensive line, (Witt's) tape is understandably inconsistent, and he played much lighter than his current weight. However, Witt’s pro-day workout created a buzz among NFL scouts because of his remarkable testing numbers and movement skills in the positional drills. Overall, Witt is on the basement level in terms of his development on the offensive line. But with his athletic traits and natural talent, his ceiling for a patient coaching staff might be the penthouse. He is a draft-and-stash prospect worth a dart throw.
When it comes to teams who value athleticism, the Colts might be at the top of the list. With that in mind, it is no shock that Indy has had their eye on Witt from the jump and secured him before he could reach another team.
"The Colts were one of the first teams to actually reach out to me well before the pro day," Witt admitted. "We had good conversations, good interviews with them. Obviously, at the pro day, we had interviews then, had a private workout with the Colts a couple of weeks ago.
"You know, it’s just been great as the process has unfolded, the Colts have continued to be there as a team that was backing me and wanting me and part of that program the entire time. Just super excited to be in Indianapolis and be with a program that has shown that love and support for me since the start.”
While Witt is a long way from contributing to the Colts' offensive line, his athleticism and upside were worth the bet for Chris Ballard. Time will tell if that bet turns into a winner.
More Colts Draft Picks
- Round 1 Pick 4: QB Anthony Richardson - Florida
- Round 2 Pick 44: CB Julius Brents - Kansas State
- Round 3 Pick 79: WR Josh Downs - North Carolina
- Round 4 Pick 106: OT Blake Freeland - BYU
- Round 4 Pick 110: DT Adetomiwa Adebawore - Northwestern
- Round 5 Pick 138: CB Darius Rush - South Carolina
- Round 5 Pick 158: S Daniel Scott - California
- Round 5 Pick 162: TE Will Mallory - Miami
- Round 5 Pick 176: RB Evan Hull - Northwestern
- Round 6 Pick 211: DE Titus Leo - Wagner
- Round 7 Pick 221: CB Jaylon Jones - Texas A&M
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