Colts' J.T. Tuimoloau Pick Receives Draft Grade

The Indianapolis Colts have picked J.T. Tuimoloau for their defensive line.

Sep 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau (44) during the NCAA football game between Ohio State Buckeyes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Ohio Stadium. | Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Indianapolis Colts have selected Ohio State's J.T. Tuimoloau with the 45th overall pick (round two) of the NFL draft.

J.T. Tuimoloau was drafted in round 2 pick 45 in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 9.33 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 136 out of 2029 DE from 1987 to 2025. https://t.co/c6BKXgEjXX pic.twitter.com/NBfdNcTCN8

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 26, 2025

Tuimoloau is an edge rusher who can provide an athletic presence for new defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo's scheme. Tuimoloau produced well for the Buckeyes in 2024 with 12.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss, and 61 total tackles.

Tuimoloau joins names like Laiatu Latu, Samson Ebukam, Kwity Paye, and Tyquan Lewis in the edge room. This adds more talent to the defensive trenches that needed it after the departure of (now Chicago Bear) Dayo Odeyingbo.

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Per Pro Football Focus, Tuimoloau provided the defense with 51 pressures, second only to Jack Sawyer (64). Tuimoloau will likely rotate in behind the aforementioned names, but that's okay given he's a rookie who needs to learn to deal with NFL-level offensive linemen.

Indianapolis still needs an interior talent to back up DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart , but no longer needs to worry about the edge room after shoring up the depth with Tuimoloau's talent. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact he has after the 45th overall selection was used on the Ohio State talent.

Tuimoloau is a solid selection and had a torrid 2024 campaign that saw his potential on display for the Buckeyes. While it's not the Tyler Warren-level grade of A, it's still a solid B that gives Indy more weapons in the defensive trenches.

The Colts still can move up into the second round of the NFL draft, but it's not likely. If any scenario happens, it will likely be Chris Ballard trading back to acquire more picks for a squad that still needs to address areas like linebacker, safety depth, defensive tackle, and offensive guard.

Grade: B

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