Colts select CB Darius Rush

[GoColts8818]

12 minutes ago, Scott Pennock said:

Brents and Rush on the outside, Moore and Rodgers on the inside…..I like it

You don’t play a lot of four corners.  I think Brents and Rush will compete for the other outside starting job against Brown with Rodgers being the other outside corner.  Moore will stay in his nickel spot.  Going forward after this year that could all change.

[Scott Pennock]

5 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

You don’t play a lot of four corners.  I think Brents and Rush will compete for the other outside starting job against Brown with Rodgers being the other outside corner.  Moore will stay in his nickel spot.  Going forward after this year that could all change.

Essentially what I meant, Rodgers will be the slot corner next year

[RomanianColtsFan]

Rush looks like a good player. My impression is that whoever scouted the DBs for this draft for the Colts deserves a bonus 

[throwing BBZ]

2 hours ago, Colts1324 said:

Not sure why we traded back there. We have 5 picks left. No way all 5 make the roster. 
 

More shots I guess as he likes to say. 

 

 

 We will sign about 15 guys After the draft.

A few of them will make the practice squad and be one of the 60+ players that take snaps next season. Mostly special teamer but still needed.

 So yes, actually drafting late rounders and not having to compete for them post draft is important. 

 Roughly 1500+ are draft eligible. Who is hungry?

 

[wig]

6 hours ago, Colts1324 said:

Not sure why we traded back there. We have 5 picks left. No way all 5 make the roster. 
 

More shots I guess as he likes to say. 

 

 

You move back when the quality of the group of players you want will be there still. 

[stitches]

Dane Brugler scouting report on Darius Rush from The Beast(Draft guide): BTW it's worth buying a subscription to the Athletic only for this Draft Guide. It's probably the most detailed publicly available draft guide out there...

 

9. DARIUS RUSH | South Carolina 6017 | 198 lbs. | 5SR Kingstree, S.C. (C.E. Murray) 2/22/2000 (age 23.18) #28

 

BACKGROUND: Darius Rush, who has an older brother, grew up in Kingstree (about an hour inland from the coast) and played multiple sports throughout his childhood. Often the best player on the field, he played mostly quarterback throughout middle school (in his recognizable Rec Specs). Rush enrolled at C.E. Murray High School, where he lettered all four seasons on varsity. A big fish in a small pond, he started on varsity as a freshman, playing primarily quarterback on offense and cornerback on defense. As a sophomore, he led the school to its first state championship game, accounting for 803 total yards (462 rushing, 227 passing, 114 receiving) and 37 tackles and 12 passes defended. As a junior, Rush finished with 622 rushing yards, 228 receiving yards, 94 passing yards and 18 total touchdowns (12 rushing, three receiving, two kickoff returns, one interception return), adding 36 tackles, two interceptions and one forced fumble on defense. He moved to wide receiver as a senior and led the team to an 11-2 record with 47 receptions for 863 yards and 17 touchdown grabs, earning Region Player of the Year. He added a kickreturn touchdown and had 44 tackles, one forced fumble and one interception on defense. Rush also handled the punting and kicking duties. He lettered in five sports in high school: baseball, basketball, football, golf and track. As a sophomore, Rush won the 2016 South Carolina Class A state championships in the high jump (6 feet 4 inches) and triple jump (47-1).

 

A three-star wide receiver recruit, Rush was the No. 154 wideout in the 2018 recruiting class and the No. 21 recruit in South Carolina. He received offers from Miami (Ohio), Old Dominion and Charlotte, but once South Carolina offered, he committed almost on the spot. Rush grew up a fan of the Gamecocks, and his older brother (Marcus) graduated from South Carolina before earning his MBA from Stanford. After playing almost double-digit positions in high school, he signed as a wide receiver and was one of the lowest recruits in the Gamecocks’ 2018 class (below Jaycee Horn, Kingsley Enagbare, Israel Mukuamu, Ernest Jones and others). Rush transitioned to defense midway through the 2019 season. His father died when Darius was 13. His mother (Sonja Rush-Harvin), who worked at C.E. Murray as a curriculum specialist and athletic team assistant, was named the 2016 USA Football Team Mom of the Year (selected from more than 2,000 women nominated nationally) for her work with students. Rush graduated with his degree in sport and entertainment management (May 2022). He opted out of the 2022 bowl game and accepted his invitation to the 2023 Senior Bowl (voted the American Team’s practice player of the week at cornerback).

 

STRENGTHS: Above-average height and length for the position … fluid movement skills and above-average acceleration (his 21.65 mph was the fastest clocked at the Senior Bowl) … balanced backpedal with man-cover skills … shows the reaction quickness to stay connected at the top of routes … closes with burst on crossers and throws in front of him … wide receiver background is clear with the way he attacks the football … competitive in coverage without making early contact — flagged only twice in his career (one facemask, one defensive holding) … was a regular on special teams all four seasons (419 career special teams snaps), including as a gunner on punt coverage … carries himself with an overachieving attitude (NFL scout: “He won over (head coach Shane) Beamer and his staff pretty quickly. … Kid is always locked in.”) … changed positions multiple times and has a team-first mentality.

 

WEAKNESSES: On the leaner side for his long frame … questionable play strength and needs to be more aggressive punching his way off receiver blocks … too soft on the edges and doesn’t play excitable in the run game … inconsistent squaring up ball carriers, with too many missed tackles and mistimed angles on tape … can be caught on his heels and surrender easy slant completions … gets himself in trouble when he leans on receivers in press … conservative eyes in off coverage and can be late pulling the trigger on throws in front of him … battled several nagging injuries over his career, missing two games as a senior … lined up exclusively outside and doesn’t have slot experience.

 

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at South Carolina, Rush was an outside cornerback in defensive coordinator Clayton White’s man-heavy scheme. As a big fish in a small pond in high school, he played multiple positions and was recruited as a wide receiver until Will Muschamp moved him to cornerback full-time, where he emerged as an ascending player the last two seasons. A good-sized athlete, Rush has excellent reactionary quickness in man coverage with the balanced movements to transition cleanly out of his breaks and make plays on the football. Though he does a great job closing space in coverage, his route anticipation is still a work in progress, and his play strength must improve to better match up with physical NFL wideouts. Overall, Rush is not a secure tackler and must continue developing his instincts in off coverage, but he has the fluidity and length to turn, run and stay stride-for-stride with receivers. His athletic cover traits give him NFL starting potential as a manto-man corner.

 

GRADE: 2nd-3rd Round (No. 63 overall)

 

[shasta519]

Seems like a good shot at getting some value out of a Day 3 pick. 
 

Can never have enough CBs. 

[OhioColt]

Good pick really liked Rush’s skillset and has a better chance at getting on the field over Brents.  Brents still scares me with his injury history high reward but comes with a lot of risks.

[compuls1v3]

On 4/29/2023 at 1:05 PM, jgcolt said:

Converted wideout who really took off the last 2 years. 
 

Here’s his HC and DB coach talking about him: 

 

Looks like he and our new QB are aquatinted? LOL (I think that was him sacking AR).

[chad72]

To me, Josh Downs and Darius Rush were the steals of our draft, hands down, for when we got them.

[Hawkeyecolt]

Rush very well could wind up the better of the two a couple years down the road.  Rush is faster and has better ball skills. 

[rockywoj]

In an article on NFL.com, Chad Reuter has Darius Rush ranked as his # 1 favourite pick of the 5th round.  (Anthony Richardson was ranked his # 1 favourite pick of the 1st round.)

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-ranking-favorite-picks-in-every-round

[Fluke_33]

8 hours ago, rockywoj said:

In an article on NFL.com, Chad Reuter has Darius Rush ranked as his # 1 favourite pick of the 5th round.  (Anthony Richardson was ranked his # 1 favourite pick of the 1st round.)

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/2023-nfl-draft-ranking-favorite-picks-in-every-round

I saw a clip on nfl network where he gushed over the colts draft. It was his top rated over all.  

[Shive]

Really good interview by Destin and Zach Hicks on Horseshoe Huddle with Darius Rush:

 

[holeymoley99]

I look forward to the Brents vs Rush battle to start (Jones may have a say but a longer shot). IF both show out this season think both start in 2024 with Rodgers to the slot. Think in time Flowers emerges as well just needs time because of level of comp. Our CB room is in the best shape going forward then we have seen i quite some time.

[Stephen]

1 minute ago, holeymoley99 said:

I look forward to the Brents vs Rush battle to start (Jones may have a say but a longer shot). IF both show out this season think both start in 2024 with Rodgers to the slot. Think in time Flowers emerges as well just needs time because of level of comp. Our CB room is in the best shape going forward then we have seen i quite some time.

Just imagine if every pick turns out to be good. 

[stitches]

34 minutes ago, Stephen said:

Just imagine if every pick turns out to be good. 

[King Colt]

My, my how the Ballard haters have risen from the gutter to the top of the world to praise Ballard.