Colts Scouting: Mike Derice Gives Report on Isaiah Rodgers

INDIANAPOLIS — When Indianapolis Colts area scout started his evaluation process on Massachusetts cornerback/kick returner Isaiah Rodgers, one question pertained to size.

At 5-10 and 170 pounds, Rodgers is undersized for his position, even by small-school college standards. But Rodgers also has exceptional speed — he ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash in his pro day — and has a knack for making plays around the football.

Derice thought of Colts nickel cornerback Kenny Moore II, who is just 5-9 and 190, but in three seasons has emerged as one of the defense’s top playmakers. He was rewarded with a four-year, $33.3-million contract before 2019.

The Colts selected Rodgers in the sixth round, with the 211th overall pick, in April’s NFL draft.

“He’s obviously a smaller corner from UMass,” Derice said in a Zoom video conference call after the draft. “He has inside and outside flexibility, great ball skills, 11 interceptions. He was also a pretty good returner. He’s also a great kid.

“With this kid in particular, that was a complete team effort. Sometimes with our organization, we have height-weight requirements for certain positions. And sometimes Rodgers didn’t fit that mold. But like Kenny Moore, he had enough talent to be the exception to the rule.”

Other scouts checked out the film and came away impressed with his skills as a cornerback and returner.

Then Rodgers attracted more attention from teams with that 40-yard dash.

“I think people knew of Rodgers,” Derice said. “There might not have been tons of love for him. When I went to the school, there wasn’t a lot of love for him. I got a chance to get to know him when I bumped into him at the cafeteria and we spent some time talking. I got to see how passionate he was about the game of football.

“Then hen you start to really study him, you realize he does a lot of the little things right, from his footwork, the way he plays the ball, and his confidence when he’s in man coverage, whether he’s playing on the outside or inside. For a guy who’s 174 pounds, you just never felt that he was 174 pounds, you felt like he was bigger. He played that way and had that type of confidence.”

What also resonated was how Rodgers used his smarts on the field.

“Rodgers has exceptional instincts,” Derice said. “He knows how to put himself in position to get in front of the ball. He gets a lot of pass breakups. He’ll get the interceptions. The added value to him is the return capabilities. He can do that. He’s had success at UMass. He takes the ball away. He has 11 interceptions and three (returned for) touchdowns. He has a savvy about him in coverage.”

(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)