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<\/p>\nINDIANAPOLIS \u2014 The blue Indianapolis Colts T-shirts were only temporary. For many of the former college players who wore them during the Colts\u2019 local pro day Tuesday, they might never wear them again. Depending on how each athlete\u2019s career unfolds, those shirts, and their accompanying random numbers, will likely be tucked in the back corner of a drawer or discarded as the years go by.<\/p>\n
But Tuesday, for about an hour and a half at the Colts\u2019 practice facility, those shirts served as more than just a way to organize dozens of former college standouts, most of whom were trying to impress the Colts\u2019 talent evaluators, including general manager Chris Ballard and coach Shane Steichen.<\/p>\n
For one college program, the reigning national champion Indiana Hoosiers, its robust representation at West 56th Street was also a reminder of how far it has come.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust (last) year, we were the losingest team in college football,\u201d former Indiana tight end Riley Nowakowski said. \u201cSo I think that\u2019s huge just to see that turnaround, where we have \u2026 like 10-plus guys here and just all in really good positions and really here to show something. \u2026 That was huge for the program as a whole and for all the fans to be able to see that. And see that we\u2019re not only gonna have success in college, but they\u2019ll be able to watch us on Sunday, too.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2022, the Hoosiers became the first college team to reach 700 losses. In January, they became the first team to go 16-0 since Yale \u2014 131 years ago.<\/p>\n
More history is likely on the way as Nowakowski and his college teammates transition to the NFL. The Hoosiers haven\u2019t had more than three players drafted in the same year since the event was trimmed to seven rounds in 1994, per The Herald-Times, and they haven\u2019t had more than seven players selected in one draft since 1976. Nowakowski, projected as a Day 3 pick, is one of several former Indiana players who are poised to shatter the program\u2019s previous mark.<\/p>\n
In addition to Nowakowski, 2026 Rose Bowl offensive MVP and center Pat Coogan, 2025 second team All-Big Ten receiver Omar Cooper Jr., 2025 NCAA receiving touchdowns leader Elijah Sarratt and D\u2019Angelo Ponds \u2014 the self-proclaimed \u201cbest DB in the draft\u201d \u2014 were in attendance Tuesday, among other former Indiana standouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo doubt, I feel like I\u2019m the most consistent DB in the draft,\u201d Ponds said, asked to expound on his claim of being the best. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m the guy who has the highest football IQ as well, and I can affect the game in all type of ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n Indiana defensive back D\u2019Angelo Ponds does not lack confidence. (Carmen Mandato \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Ponds\u2019 NFL potential is supported by his noteworthy college career, which was punctuated by a 25-yard pick six on the first play of the Hoosiers\u2019 national semifinal victory against Oregon. It also doesn\u2019t hurt that Ponds, who is a bit undersized, logged an unofficial 4.31-second 40-yard dash at Indiana\u2019s pro day and a 43.5-inch vertical at the NFL Scouting Combine.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s 5-9, but he plays like he\u2019s 6-2,\u201d Sarratt said. \u201cHe can play nickel. He can play outside. He can do whatever he wants on the field. His mentality\u2019s gonna take him a long way. He\u2019s a real dog.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ponds, Sarratt and Cooper did not participate in the on-field portions of the Colts\u2019 local pro day, which is a common theme for the top prospects in the draft. But at one point, as other players took part in drills, Sarratt struck up a conversation with Colts wide receivers coach and franchise legend Reggie Wayne. Their brief interaction might not have been much more than the two exchanging pleasantries, but it\u2019s also worth noting that receiver is a position the Colts will likely address via the draft.<\/p>\n
The Colts retained Alec Pierce on a four-year, $114 million deal<\/a> as their No. 1 wideout, but to reward him with the largest free-agent receiver contract in NFL history, they also had to trade veteran wideout Michael Pittman Jr.<\/a> to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittman led the Colts in receptions in four of the last five seasons, and though Ballard and Steichen say the team can absorb Pittman\u2019s absence by expanding the roles of Pierce, slot receiver Josh Downs and tight end Tyler Warren, it might behoove them to take a serious look at Sarratt.<\/p>\n The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder totaled 65 catches for 830 yards and 15 touchdowns, one shy of tying the program record for the most in a single season. He had four games with multiple receiving TDs, highlighted by his two scores in the Hoosiers\u2019 victory over Oregon.<\/p>\n \u201cI can do a little bit of everything,\u201d Sarratt said when asked to make his case to the Colts and other NFL teams. \u201cI\u2019m a crafty receiver, bigger guy who can get in and out of his (breaks), a willing blocker. And a leader. I like to be a leader out there, very vocal. That was a big step for me.\u201d<\/p>\n