Colts to Host Freak Athlete Pass Rusher for 30 Visit

The Indianapolis Colts need to address their burgeoning depth issues at defensive end before they become a full-blown problem, and this offseason is the perfect time to do it.

There are some quality, less-heralded free agents on the market, but the Colts also still have the luxury of investing in some long-term options in the draft.

One of those options is a small school player, Elijah Ponder from Cal Poly, who has put together as good of a pre-draft process as an FCS player could hope to have. The Colts have an official pre-draft 30 visit scheduled with Ponder, according to Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda.

"Cal-Poly pass rusher Elijah Ponder, who was graded as a late-round prospect before the season, had a sensational pro day workout," Pauline wrote about Ponder this week. "He timed 4.57 seconds in the pouring rain on a turf field, hit 41 inches in the vertical jump, and completed 24 reps on the bench."

Often, small-school prospects like Ponder garnering pre-draft buzz either have great size and athleticism or crazy college production, but Ponder has a little but of it all.

What happens next for the Colts? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Colts news delivered to your inbox daily!

At 6'2", 257, Ponder is slightly short but very well built with his explosion to be a developmental speed rusher. Because of his natural gifts, he's been able to show his abilities against a higher level of competition back in January.

NFL.com's Chad Reuter included Ponder in his biggest East-West Shrine Bowl game standouts.

"Ponder showed off his bend, speed, spin move, and quick hands throughout the game," Reuter wrote. "He was a constant presence in the backfield, recording a sack and helping to set up a pick-six for South Carolina CB O'Donnell Fortune. His explosion off the ball and ability to drop into coverage give him the position versatility some NFL teams desire."

In 47 career games, Ponder recorded 167 tackles (43.5 for loss), 26.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumbles recovered, 1 interception, 8 pass breakups, 1 defensive touchdown, and 2 blocked kicks

It's easy to see why the Colts would be intrigued, especially considering they lost promising young defensive lineman Dayo Odeyingbo and free agency, and three of their four most important defensive ends -- Kwity Paye, Samson Ebukam, and Tyquan Lewis -- are entering the final year of their contracts.

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Facebook and X, and subscribe on YouTube for multiple Colts live-stream podcasts per week.