The Indianapolis Colts played the waiting game to kick off Day 2 of the 2023 NFL draft despite having the fourth selection (No. 35 overall) of the night.
But in typical fashion, Chris Ballard did Chris Ballard things and made his annual trade back, not only once but twice. To his credit, he pulled off these moves and no cornerback prospects came off the board so the front office was able to land the top player at the position despite falling back nine selections to do so.
Julius Brents will be coming to a city he is familiar with. He played locally at Warren Central High School so he is comfortable with the organization that he is headed to. He brings great size for the position with him sitting at 6-foot-3 and 198 pounds with 34-inch arms.
According to his RAS score, he’s ranked as the fourth-best cornerback prospect to come into the league since 2008.
Julius Brents was drafted with pick 44 of round 2 in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 9.99 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 4 out of 2222 CB from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/iJKHIdJCTx pic.twitter.com/trdtGz1eb9
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 29, 2023
His three-cone and short shuttle times were the second-best among all players at the combine. It should be no surprise that his athletic traits are what had him high on Ballard’s board heading into the evening.
Kansas state CB Julius Brents is a freak.
🏈 6’3 👀
🏈 82.6wingspan (longest in nfl combine history for CB)
🏈41.5 vertical
🏈Physical CB not afraid to tackle
🏈Versatility has played both S and CB— Jared Tokarz (@JaredNFLDraft) April 22, 2023
Brents does a very solid job at using his length to his advantage. He can disrupt a receiver’s route with his long arms and uses them to create contested catch situations.
Julius Brents contesting the throwing window vs Johnston pic.twitter.com/FZ1UEQKDKV
— Tyler Browning (@DiabeticTyler) February 18, 2023
His short-area quickness combined with his instincts is shown when he read and reacts when he has his eyes on the quarterback to see where he is going with the ball.
#KansasState DB Julius Brents has the modern DB size and physicality NFL teams will covet.
He’s another player the #Eagles should be keeping a close eye on at the Senior Bowl.
Brents has the tools to develop into a nice secondary cornerback.
🔗: https://t.co/DdyNcvfKrc pic.twitter.com/ck5oZoDUzD
— Devin Jackson (@RealD_Jackson) January 26, 2023
He also fits the culture of the Indy defense in terms of run support from the corners. Brents is a willing tackler and does a great job at bringing ball carriers to the ground.
Julius Brents makes the stop for virtually no gain pic.twitter.com/bpnxuRTrp1
— Tyler Browning (@DiabeticTyler) February 18, 2023
As far as things he will need to work on to reach his ceiling include tracking the ball down the field and not panicking which can lead to penalties. He also can struggle at the top of routes with shifty receivers that can shake him to create separation.
He is bringing experience with him after starting 27 games as the left cornerback for Kansas State over the last two seasons. He also has safety experience so his versatility can help give him a long career in the league.
Brents has the talent to come in and compete to be an opening-day starter at one of the outside cornerback spots.
Overall, the Colts are getting a potential day-one starter with their second-round corner who has the size and athleticism to develop into a Pro Bowl-level player at the next level.
