Rodney Thomas II and the Colts' Last 5 Draft Picks in Rounds 6-7

A look back at the last five players that the Indianapolis Colts have selected in the sixth and seventh rounds of the NFL Draft, including an improbable contributor in safety Rodney Thomas II.

It's evident that the closer to the top of the NFL Draft you're picking, the higher the likelihood that the players you're selecting will succeed. However, when you get down to the bottom of the order on Saturday each year, teams are just hoping the players they add can make their roster.

The Indianapolis Colts have had some recent hits with their picks in the early rounds but perhaps even more impressive are the ones they've had on Day 3.

Leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft, which begins this Thursday, we will look at each of the Colts' most recent five selections per round, starting with Rounds 6 and 7. They don't currently have any sixth-round picks this year, but they do have two in the seventh.

ROUND 7

S Rodney Thomas II | 2022 | Pick No. 239

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• Colts Career Stats: 17 games (10 starts), 52 tackles, 4 interceptions, 6 pass breakups
• Pro Bowl: 0
• All-Pro: 0
• Colts Tenure: 2022-Present

From the outside, there weren't many expectations for Thomas as a rookie, and rightfully so. He played linebacker and cornerback while at Yale and missed 2020 as the season was canceled due to COVID, so there would be some expected development before earning any significant role. However, the young safety came in for relief in Week 3 at free safety with Julian Blackmon going down against NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, and he was a key part in the Colts' improbable win. Thomas became a starter again later in the season when Blackmon took over for the injured Kenny Moore II at nickel. Ultimately, Thomas led the team in interceptions, which is something not commonly seen from a Colts safety. He's earned the right to be a starter, if that's how it develops, heading into 2023.

IOL Will Fries | 2021 | Pick No. 248

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• Colts Career Stats: 19 games (9 starts) with 667 snaps
• Pro Bowl: 0
• All-Pro: 0
• Colts Tenure: 2021-Present

Fries was a layup pick for the Colts near the end of the 2021 draft, with experience all over the line and starting 40-plus games at Penn State. Late in his rookie season, he was relied upon to provide some depth but by the end of Year 2, he was the Colts' starting right guard. Things got off to a shaky start for him and everyone else on the Colts' line in 2022, but by Week 9 he was inserted as the new starter at right guard and provided stability. Ultimately, he allowed 20 quarterback pressures (17 hurries, 2 hits, 1 sack), and showed clear improvement throughout the season. He's the frontrunner for the role again in 2023 as it stands currently.

WR Mike Strachan | 2021 | Pick No. 229

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• Colts Career Stats: 19 games, 5 receptions (12 targets), 85 yards (17.0 avg.)
• Pro Bowl: 0
• All-Pro: 0
• Colts Tenure: 2021-Present

Strachan was a relatively unknown pick in 2021 but he quickly earned the Colts' trust. He practiced with the veterans quickly in minicamp and then made highlight plays almost every day in training camp. Strachan didn't see much action during the regular season but took a determined approach to earn more of a role. Year 2 brought much of the same statistically although Strachan's playtime doubled. It's hard to gauge anyone from last year's passing offense with how poorly things went, but this does feel like a make-or-break upcoming summer for Strachan.

C Javon Patterson | 2019 | Pick No. 246

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• Colts Career Stats: N/A
• Pro Bowl: 0
• All-Pro: 0
• Colts Tenure: 2019-20

Patterson never got much of an opportunity to make it with the Colts after suffering a torn ACL during his rookie summer. He was then let go during roster cuts in 2020 as the Colts decided on other depth on the line. He has since been with the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and Denver Broncos.

OT Jackson Barton | 2019 | Pick No. 240

• Colts Career Stats: N/A
• Pro Bowl: 0
• All-Pro: 0
• Colts Tenure: 2019

Barton made the Colts' practice squad as a rookie, but critical needs along the offensive line caused the Chiefs to sign him to their active roster in November. As a result, he got a nice little Super Bowl victory out of the deal later that season. Barton was waived by the Chiefs the next summer before joining the Giants, then the Las Vegas Raiders, and now the Arizona Cardinals.

Among the Colts' last five seventh-round picks, the most recent three are still with the team, including the last two being considered starters, and the other two went on to be picked up by other teams.

ROUND 6

DT Curtis Brooks | 2022 | Pick No. 216

• Colts Career Stats: N/A
• Pro Bowl: 0
• All-Pro: 0
• Colts Tenure: 2022

Brooks was a sleeper pick for the Colts in 2022 after a highly productive career late in college at Cincinnati. He signed with the team's practice squad and stayed there until he was let go in December when he was picked up a couple of weeks later by the AFC South division-rival Tennessee Titans.

TE Andrew Ogletree | 2022 | Pick No. 192

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• Colts Career Stats: N/A
• Pro Bowl: 0 
• All-Pro: 0
• Colts Tenure: 2022-Present

Ogletree quickly made name for himself in training camp and the preseason, making several highlight plays. Unfortunately, he tore an ACL during practice, which ended his season before it began. The Colts have a very talented tight end room but there's always room for Ogletree as long as he can rebound.

QB Sam Ehlinger | 2021 | Pick No. 218

Mandatory Credit: John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

• Colts Career Stats: 7 games (3 starts), 64-of-101 passing (63.4%), 573 yards (5.7 YPA), 3 TD, 3 INT, 76.1 passer rating, 20 carries, 96 yards (4.8 avg.)
• Pro Bowl: 0
• All-Pro: 0
• Colts Tenure: 2021-Present

The Colts glowed about Ehlinger after drafting him near the end of the 2021 draft. He got a chance to compete with Jacob Eason for the Colts' backup quarterback spot that summer, which was aided by starter Carson Wentz being out for a while following foot surgery. Ehlinger ultimately won, showing more consistency and a more cerebral grasp of the Colts' offense. After missing the beginning of the season following a knee sprain, Ehlinger resumed the backup quarterback role. His biggest action came in Year 2 when Matt Ryan was benched in Ehlinger's favor. Ehlinger, in ugly fashion, started two games. He did it again in the season finale as Ryan and Nick Foles were both out. Again, it's tough to evaluate the job he did with how terribly everything in the offense went.

LB Jordan Glasgow | 2020 | Pick No. 213

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• Colts Career Stats: 25 games, 15 tackles
• Pro Bowl: 0
• All-Pro: 0
• Colts Tenure: 2020-22

The Colts selected Glasgow to be a special teams stud and that's exactly what he delivered as a rookie. He didn't record any snaps on defense in two years but had nearly 500 on special teams. Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 90.7 as a rookie and 74.0 in 2021. A back injury last summer kept Glasgow off the field, and he was ultimately let go.

WR Dezmon Patmon | 2020 | Pick No. 212

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• Colts Career Stats: 10 games, 4 receptions (10 targets), 45 yards (11.3 avg.), 1 touchdown
• Pro Bowl: 0
• All-Pro: 0
• Colts Tenure: 2020-22

Patmon was inactive on gamedays for all but one game (he played two snaps) as a rookie, and he got a little more playing time in Year 2, seeing action in eight games, even catching his first touchdown. He was given another chance in the summer of 2022 and performed well during camp and the preseason. He only saw action in one game during the season and spent much of his time on the practice squad. After the Colts' season ended, Patmon agreed to a reserve/future deal with the Buffalo Bills.

All five of the Colts' most recent sixth-rounders made the team as rookies, some earned important roles, and the three drafted before 2022 all made it into their second year with the team.

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