INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts’ newest defensive lineman evolved into an inexorable force in his final college season.

He routinely barreled through overmatched offensive linemen to make dynamic, game-altering plays. Such plays became the norm, not the exception.

Then, in the seventh game of the season, Grover Stewart turned in a stunning performance.

Three tackles for loss, two sacks and seven tackles, six of them solo stops. The kind of stuff that makes NFL scouts stop in their tracks and take note – which they most certainly did.

But now that Stewart is wearing a horseshoe, having been drafted by Indianapolis in the fourth round of last month’s NFL draft, he’s going to have to come to terms with an important reality:

Clark Atlanta University is not on the Colts’ schedule this season.

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With all due respect to the Panthers – against whom Stewart had that remarkable performance last season – Clark Atlanta will never be confused with Colts AFC South foes like the Tennessee Titans or Houston Texans.

He’s about to make the gigantic leap from NCAA Division II college football to the NFL, where prospects from even the biggest college powerhouses regularly wash out.

But say this for Stewart: He knows what he’s up against. He just doesn’t see it as much of an obstacle.

“No sir, not at all,” he says when asked if the step up in level of competition seems daunting. “Everybody puts on their pads like I do.”

Perhaps that confidence was bolstered by the first day of the Colts’ rookie minicamp over the weekend. Stewart wasted little time in making his presence felt, bursting through the offensive line on multiple occasions in one-on-one drills. But rookie camp, where a majority of the participants are tryout candidates, is not in any way comparable to what Stewart will face even in full-squad offseason practices, which begin next week.

The Colts believe Stewart can defy the odds and make his mark in the NFL. Why else would they make him a fourth-round selection? But even the people who risked their reputations on the kid acknowledge he’s got a ton to overcome.

“It’s going to take time,” General Manager Chris Ballard conceded on draft day. “… But we believe in him and we have conviction that he’s going to turn into a player.”

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The Colts are debuting Stewart as a nose tackle. On paper, he looks the part, listed at 6-4 and 347 pounds. But the Colts point out Stewart has the potential to be much more than a space eater who takes on double teams. He certainly looks massive in person – shocker – but his long body breaks the stereotypical square-shaped nose tackle frame.

As a result, there might be some three-technique defensive tackle in his future. Stewart possesses a blend of quickness and power that enables him to be a factor in the pass rush, something the pass rush-challenged Colts will happily take.

“He’s going to give you some pass rush in there instead of just pocket push,” coach Chuck Pagano said. “He’ll push the pocket, but I think you can get him matched up on some of these guards and he’s going to win a lot of those one-on-one matchups.”

Sure, Stewart did that sort of thing at Albany State day in and day out. But how do we know he can do that in the big leagues? The Colts got a bit of a clue at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl game in January, an all-star game designed to showcase draft-eligible players.

The buzz surrounding Stewart reached its apex during the week of the game as he dominated practices. By the time the draft process neared its end, it was clear Stewart was going to be drafted, perhaps much earlier than previously thought. Stewart said he had pre-draft visits with 14 teams.

The NFLPA game “really opened my eyes,” Stewart said. “I thought D-I (competition) would have been different, but it really wasn’t a big change.”

But the NFLPA showcase is considered the least prestigious of the postseason all-star games, so it’s important to keep Stewart’s success there in perspective. He’s still going to have to prove his NFL worthiness in training camp and in the preseason, when the bright lights come on.

They’ll be the brightest lights Stewart has ever seen. He hails from the south Georgia town of Camilla, population 5,300. His graduating class at Mitchell County High School had a whole 38 students.

People back home keep posing the same predictable question.

“Everybody asks me,” Stewart said, “‘Has it sunk in yet?’”

It probably sank in about the time Stewart donned a blue jersey for the first time over the weekend.

The hometown folks might pose a similar question the first time Stewart makes one of those plays like the ones he made against Clark Atlanta. Rest assured, the quiet-but-confident country boy says, it’s going to happen.

“I’m going to make a play every day,” he said. “As long as they hike that ball, I’m going to make a play.”

After all, everybody else puts their pads on just like he does.

Follow IndyStar reporter Stephen Holder onTwitter andFacebook.