Colts Scouts Take: Ohio State Caden Curry

Good things come to those who wait. While a proverb as famous as that sounds good, it probably isn’t too applicable to the game of football. But such a comment would apply for Caden Curry’s career.

NFL: JUN 11 Indianapolis Colts Minicamp — Source: Icon Sportswire / Getty

Colts Scouts Take: Ohio State Caden Curry

INDIANAPOLIS – Good things come to those who wait.

While a proverb as famous as that sounds good, it probably isn’t too applicable to the game of football.

But such a comment would apply for Caden Curry’s college career.

Anytime a high school player chooses to play football at Ohio State, they better be prepared for a crowded depth chart. Or else that transfer portal will be pretty enticing.

That was especially true for Curry, as he had to wait for a slew of high draft picks to play ahead of him, and make the NFL, before getting his chance.

After 3 years of spot duty as a rotational defensive end and special teams, Curry flourished in his final season with Ohio State.

It led to a 14-game season with Curry racking up 16.5 tackles for sacks and 11.0 sacks.

“There were always guys in front of him, but whenever he had the opportunity, he made plays,” Colts Midwest Area Scout Tyler Hughes says. “Finally, this year he gets the starting opportunity, he had 11 sacks this year, 40 pressures.

“I mean, doesn’t always look great, but this kid is always going to give you everything he’s got, he’s going to be productive, he’s going to bring pressure.”

The aesthetic of Curry as a defensive end, and in particular a very short wingspan for an NFL defensive end, led to more than 200 picks in this past year’s draft went without hearing his name called.

It’s pretty crazy an 11-sack player from Ohio State, facing Big Ten competition, with a high character checkmark, can really go until the middle of Round 6 before being drafted.

So how does Curry make up for a lack of the desired physical traits, yet still produce at a super high level?

“The instincts and his feel for the game, he knows how to set up tackles who are longer than him, he understands angles and all that, how to rush, and just his motor,” Hughes explains.

“It’s hard to block a guy 50 snaps who plays as hard as hell.”

With a special teams background, Curry could make himself as an attractive guy to dress on game days as a rotational defensive end, thanks to him able to play on special teams.

For the Colts, Chris Ballard has actually seen Curry play since his high school days at Center Grove.

“I’ve kind of followed him through his career and really, his first three years, he was a role player and really good on (special) teams, like really good,” Ballard says. “And then, Ohio State, I mean, they’re recruiting guys behind (Curry). It’s not like the cupboards are bare at Ohio State. They’re bringing other ends in.

“(Ohio State defensive end coach) Larry Johnson texted me (on draft day) and said, ‘He’s one of the better football players I’ve been around.’ And he is. I mean, he had 11 sacks in the Big Ten.”