Pre-Draft Colts Positional Outlook: Defensive Tackle
When the Indianapolis Colts and General Manager Chris Ballard traded a first round pick to the San Francisco 49ers in 2019 to acquire All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, it felt like the missing piece to the defense was added.
So far, that feeling has turned out to be an accurate one, as Buckner's dominance in the middle of the Colts' defense has helped Indianapolis take a massive step forward on that side of the football.
In addition to Buckner's dominance, Grover Stewart's development at defensive tackle has given the Colts an elite pairing in the middle of the defensive line, making it extremely hard to run against the Colts, and throw multiple guys at Buckner in protection on passing downs.
With two All-Pro caliber defensive tackles on the roster and locked up long-term, it's hard to find any fault with this position group. That speaks to the job Ballard and the Colts have done identifying talent and acquiring it.
On the roster: DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Andrew Brown, Taylor Stallworth, Rob Windsor, Chris Williams, Kameron Cline
Pre-Draft need: Low
Having guys like Buckner and Stewart leading the way on the depth chart gives the position an insane overall boost. You'd be hard-pressed to find a defensive tackle tandem in the NFL that's better at the moment.
Behind those two though, there is some depth concerns for the time being, but not a big enough concern to have the Colts go out and use a high pick one one.
Guys like Brown, Stallworth and Windsor have NFL experience, with Stallworth leading the way with 133 career snaps.
Windsor brings juice as a pass rusher inside, while Stallworth plays the run well. Brown is an unknown, but he was a strong player coming out of college.
Injuries could really ravage the the position if one of the top two goes down, but I'm hard-pressed to say that this group has a need ahead of the draft higher than a "low" grade.
Have thoughts on the defensive tackle depth chart for the Colts? Drop a line in the comments section below!
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