Colts Draft Review: Chris Rucker

DB Chris Rucker (Michigan State)

• 188 overall selection by Indianapolis
• Last Season Stats: 58 tkles, 2 FF, 2 INT
• Notes: 4 yr starter, served suspension and did jail time, 2 Big Ten Honorable Mentions

The character concerns that Chris Rucker brings with him to the Colts makes him a surprising pick.  Indianapolis tends to stay away from these types of players but maybe with the right coaching, they believe Rucker can get back on track.  Rucker has some strong potential but after being a four-year starter at Michigan State, he was still unable to reach that high draft player tier.  Rucker has prototypical size, good speed, and is a strong tackler.  What maybe prohibits him from growing is his lack of polished technical ability.  He needs to become better at back-pedaling and become more fluid in his hips.  The corner doesn’t have a firm feeling of the receiver behind him and usually over jumps routes but he is strong with everything in front of him.  He hones in on running backs.  If he can get better with the mechanics and disengaging bigger blockers, he may stand out.  In the Colts Cover 2 scheme, Rucker may be shifted over to safety due to his skill set.  After training camp, I would expect the rookie to be either a third safety or fourth corner back and probably a special teams player.