Surprise Linebacker Making Plays in Training Camp
The Indianapolis Colts linebacker group is among the best in the entire NFL, headlined by star Shaquille Leonard and ascending players Zaire Franklin and EJ Speed. The roster competition in camp is hardly about who is going to start with this group, but there is still plenty to talk about for depth spots at the bottom of the roster.
Veterans Cam McGrone and Grants Stuard were expected to compete to fill out the roster, but second year undrafted free agent Segun Olubi has been impressing thus far. Olubi has seen extended practice time with the first and second team so far in camp, and his ability to lay players out with big hits has caught the attention of many.
Gus Bradley had this to say about the young linebacker recently during media availability:
But physically and the charts and everything you look at, he’s a guy that definitely has the athleticism and the speed to play the position. Now, it’s just reps. But I see as we get into training camp, you see his speed.
Olubi, 23, is a player that had a fascinating collegiate career. He began as a walk-on at College of Idaho at the Division III level and excelled in his one year with the program. He was able to take the next step up to the junior college level with Saddleback College in 2018 and then moved up again to division II with Harding University in 2019.
After all those relocations, he finally settled in at the FBS level with San Diego State in 2020. He spent two years with the Aztecs, accumulating 67 total tackles, three tackles for a loss, one pass deflection, and one interception as a reserve player. He went undrafted in the 2022 NFL Draft, but that didn't stop this athletic backer from fighting his way up to the position he is in now.
Segun Olubi is a compact linebacker that is a phenomenal athlete on the football field (ran a 4.45 forty yard dash out of college). He may not be in line to start for the Colts this season, but he is a grinder that knows how to pack a punch in tight spaces (and also made the play of training camp in pass coverage).
In a linebacker battle where anybody has a chance at the roster behind the top three guys, Olubi is making his presence known on the practice field. If this strong play can carry into the preseason games, he is certainly a name to watch as a surprise roster player for 2023.
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