In the latest episode of ‘Behind the Colts,’ offensive line coach Tony Sparano gave a brief breakdown and scouting report of the Indianapolis Colts’ fourth-round pick, offensive tackle Jalen Travis.
The video of Sparano came from an April 17th pre-draft meeting, where the Colts‘ coaches and personnel department were discussing various NFL draft prospects.
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“Got natural power in his body,” Sparano said of Travis. “I just see some rare stuff in him. High lean mass, strength, length. He does use his hands correctly. He plays on his feet for a guy that’s almost 6-8; he ain’t on the ground. I think this guy’s going to be able to strike and anchor pretty well.”
As Sparano says, Travis measured in at just under 6-8, and he weighed 339 pounds. After spending his first three seasons at Princeton, Travis transferred and was Iowa State‘s starting left tackle this past year, where he was excellent in pass protection, ranking 15th among all tackles in PFF’s pass blocking efficiency metric.
What the addition of Travis provides the Colts with is additional offensive tackle depth, and therefore the flexibility to move Matt Goncalves to right guard. Prior to the draft, had the Colts wanted to move Goncalves inside, the leading tackle off the bench would have been Blake Freeland, who has struggled early on in his career.
But with Travis in the mix, he can compete with Freeland for the swing tackle role and potentially be the first player off the bench if needed, which was a role last year that Goncalves filled.
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“Obviously really smart,” Sparano added. “Great character, intangibles. Like this is the kind of kid you want to bet on…Really impressive to talk to. (He) Would be an easy fit in the room. I like the kid and his upside.”
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Colts’ OL coach with scouting report on Jalen Travis