In a 2021 NFL re-draft, Marcus Mosher of the 33rd Football Team had the Indianapolis Colts taking cornerback Tyson Campbell at 21st overall and not defensive end Kwity Paye.
Mosher would instead have Paye going to the Minnesota Vikings two picks later.
Campbell was a second-round selection by Jacksonville in that draft and has spent his first three seasons with the Jaguars.
The 2022 season, Campebell’s second, was his breakout year. He had the 7th-best coverage grade from PFF, allowing 53 completions on 87 targets and holding opponents to just 9.7 yards per catch.
Campbell also had three interceptions and nine pass breakups, along with a quarterback rating of only 86.0 when targeted.
Unfortunately, an injury limited Campbell to only 11 games in 2023, but now fully healthy this offseason, Mosher believes he would be a good fit for the Colts, providing them some needed stability at the cornerback position, where some of their biggest unknowns lie heading into training camp.
Paye has been a rock solid pick for the Colts, who earlier this offseason, exercised his fifth-year option for the 2025 season.
Paye’s production has steadily increased each season and culminated in 2023 with a career-high 8.5 sacks.
While Paye made the most of his opportunities around the quarterback, where he can take another step forward in 2024 is in his consistency to generate pressures.
Despite producing 8.5 sacks, Paye ranked 69th out of 100 edge rushers in pass rush win rate, and his 28 pressures were tied for 76th. Realistically, if Paye is going to recreate that sack production this season, he’ll need to give himself more opportunities to do so with pressures.
Paye has, however, been very good against the run, ranking X in PFF’s run defense grade last season. That ability, coupled with the addition of Laiatu Latu, should form a strong defensive end duo—along with Samson Ebukam and Dayo Odeyingbo—whose skill sets complement each other well.
