In the first iteration of my Top 100 Big Board, I had Ponds 69th overall and the top player in the Round 3 Grade tier. I had just watched his first 20 yard reception allowed (by Ohio State phenom Jeremiah Smith) two days prior to the article’s release. But in the last month and a half, Ponds has done everything possible to tell me one thing:
Fair enough, grades are fluid and can be subject to change; and Ponds has made sure to silence a lot of doubt on him. He now is a potential top 50 player in this draft when my next big board releases. Turns out you need to be a prospect potentially worthy of the overused in the draft community but fabled G word to be able to win vertically against Ponds.
In the last 2 drafts 5’9 Mike Sainristil (50th overall) and 5’8 Upton Stout (100th Overall) went in the top 100 and showed strong play at the NFL level as rookies.
The notion that corners have to be big and lanky to have success with the Gus Bradley-Legion of Boom archetype is incorrect. It certainly can help, but size and length also mean little if you can’t put yourself in position to make plays consistently to disrupt offenses. Smaller corners can have success in the NFL, even if they lack the 5’9 Kenny Moore II’s 32.625” arms.
Stout has been a slot only player while Sainristil has played a majority (1,273/2,003 snaps) outside. But D’Angelo Ponds at Upton Stout’s height and weighing reportedly nearly ten pounds lighter than both is challenging the preconceived notions that smaller corners need to move inside to be successful in a whole other way. He has played just 27 snaps as a nickel slot corner in his entire collegiate career and despite his size has thrived on the outside for years. Can he do so in the Pros and stay outside full time despite his smaller and lighter frame? Some teams having to grapple with this question might not believe in him with their thresholds for the boundary Corners.
Good news for him, the coach he’d have in Indianapolis, Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo, has no qualms about using smaller Corners outside in his scheme as long as they are competitive in man coverage and have speed to recover and track deeper routes. Ponds has both. He should be granted an opportunity to prove himself outside first before potentially moving to the slot.
The simple fact is, Ponds’ tape is sensational. Had he grown roughly 3 inches taller and had his arm length and weight grow proportionally, his tape would warrant not just Round 1 discussion, but created a Top Corner in the Class debate with LSU’s Mansoor Delane. Even without that extra growth spurt, Ponds has maximized every athletic gift he’s been given and plays with a fiery intensity that shines bright. As one of the chairmen of the Upton Stout = Stud committee leading up to last years’ draft, I can’t help but love the tape and trust in the player’s clear passion to work itself out; measuring tape be damned.
With Charvarius Ward mulling retirement, 2025 3rd Round Pick Justin Walley recovering from an ACL tear, and Jaylon Jones falling out of favor with an awkward fit in Anarumo’s new scheme, outside corner remains a need for the Colts to address. Sauce Gardner might be locked in as the Colts top corner, but they still need to give him a running mate outside. Kenny Moore II also isn’t getting any younger in the slot. By adding Ponds, the Colts get another outside option at Corner and a potential successor to Kenny Moore II after his contract expires post-2026 season.