In case you haven’t heard, the Colts aren’t really that good at tackling and stopping the run. In 2014, the Colts were in the middle of the pack in tackling efficiency according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required) and were 4th in most missed tackles on special teams (Reasons why Pat McAfee has to make hits like this sometimes)

This seems to always be an issue in Indianapolis, and it never really seems to get fixed. Rather than drafting a front-seven player in the first round, they took a 5’9 wide receiver, to help out the league’s #1 ranked passing attack. Anyway…

This is what we know: D’Qwell Jackson somehow was invited to the Pro Bowl despite the fact he simply cannot cover even a vending machine, and Jerrell Freeman can’t stop the run even if it were his fridge was running.

Both are great in one aspect, and major liabilities in the other of the game, and are best suited as rotational players because of their deficiencies. The Colts brought in Nate Irving from the Broncos on a three-year, $9.25 million contract to help out the inside line backing corpse, and we’ll have to see where he fits in.

The Colts took Amarlo Herrera at the end of the 6th round this year, and he was probably the least well-known linebacker on that team when you think about Ramik Wilson, Jordan Jenkins and Leonard Floyd. However, he had a productive senior season in which he was named Second-Team All-SEC, behind his 115 total tackles, ten of which were for a loss, and three sacks.

Let’s look to the tape to figure out what kind of player Herrera is. (For the record, the red boxes do not indicate Herrera; this film was taken on a Leonard Floyd video from Draft Breakdown. Herrera is #52)

Herrera is an instinctive middle linebacker who excels in running downhill on plays. He’s kind of like a poor man’s Stephone Anthony, out of Clemson University who went in the first round of the draft.

Instincts are one of the most valuable commodities a linebacker can have, and can mask athletic deficiencies.

Herrera has overall good instincts who weaves well through defenders in traffic and finds the ball carrier many times throughout the course of a game.

As mentioned earlier, he runs very well north/south, and can hit the hole very fast to wrap up running backs.

Here’s an example of him doing so against Clemson. When Herrera remains square with his base he also shows very good tackling form and wraps up players well.

http://www.draftbreakdown.com/gif-embed/?clip=253561&gif=NimbleCoolCottontail

Another great thing about Herrera is that he understands his assignments and has a very good concept of what he’s doing on the field. He knows where he is playing and understands the limits of his range.

The next play shows him drop back in coverage while keeping his eyes on the quarterback, as Cole Stoudt weaves through defenders and makes a run for it. Herrera slowly creeps back toward the line of scrimmage and is able to wrap Stoudt up before reaching the first down.

http://www.draftbreakdown.com/gif-embed/?clip=253561&gif=ColdAmpleAlpineroadguidetigerbeetle

Having a linebacker like that on third downs that can start off in coverage while being able to contain a mobile quarterback is extremely valuable in understanding his place on the field.

Another aspect where Herrera thrives is pass rushing, something neither D’Qwell Jackson nor Jerrell Freeman provided much of last year.

Having a quick burst and an ability to beat defenders one-on-one provides great value in any situation, and that’s the whole concept of a 6th round pick: value.

Here is an example of Herrera beating the guard right at the point of attack and disengaging by tricking him with his feet movement.

http://www.draftbreakdown.com/gif-embed/?clip=253561&gif=ElatedRightAlligatorsnappingturtle

This next play shows him maneuvering his feet very well and shuffling while “getting skinny” through the line and blasting through the running back.

http://www.draftbreakdown.com/gif-embed/?clip=253561&gif=MassiveInstructiveLacewing

However, there are many reasons Herrera was taken late in the 6th round.

This next play is probably the most “Amarlo Herrera” play you will ever see. He diagnoses the play very well and runs aggressively downhill toward the runner.

http://www.draftbreakdown.com/gif-embed/?clip=253561&gif=VeneratedShockedJunco

However, right around the eight-yard line, he gets caught in a small pit of quicksand that somehow made its way onto the field.

Herrera needs to have more awareness to not get caught in random plots of quicksand on football fields. He might want to talk to the grounds crew before games to make sure that doesn’t happen as much as it does. (Either that or he is really heavy-footed and lacks agility to keep up with running backs and their change of direction)

If the latter of the two scenarios is true, it would be a big reason that Herrera struggles to finish plays and make real big impacts in the run game.

The next play is a crucial 4th and 1 inside the ten-yard line where Cole Stoudt keeps the ball and moves the chains.

Herrera (#52, to the left of Floyd who is marked in the red box off the line of scrimmage) does a good job of finding the hole Stoudt will be running to, but doesn’t really attack it, at all. Knowing he only needed a yard to make the conversion, Herrera shows a lot of hesitance in the gap, and this occurs frequently.

Diagnosing the play is only half of making the stop, but being aggressive and trusting your instincts is where Herrera has his downfall.

http://www.draftbreakdown.com/gif-embed/?clip=253561&gif=PitifulGreedyBorer

Herrera may not find find himself on the 53-man roster opening day. With Freeman, Irving, and Jackson the starting inside linebackers. Freeman is a free agent after this season, while Jackson and Irving are signed until 2018. However, I think he deserves at least a shot for special teams and maybe a few snaps throughout the season.

If he’s not on the roster, he will definitely be one of the best players on the practice squad, and if the Colts don’t retain Freeman, is well worth the roster spot in a rotational duty.

This is my first one of these, let’s see how it goes…

Handsome Rating®: 5/10 (A face only a mother could love)