One-third of the Indianapolis Colts’ 2024 NFL draft class did not make the active roster.
Ryan Phillips of Sports Illustrated noted Tuesday the AFC South team released cornerback Jaylin Simpson, cornerback Micah Abraham and defensive tackle Jonah Laulu in an effort to cut the roster down to 53 players by Tuesday’s deadline.
That represents three of the nine players the Colts selected in the previous draft.
Indianapolis selected Simpson out of Auburn with a fifth-round pick at No. 164 overall. He was a higher pick than the other two, as Abraham was a sixth-rounder out of Marshall at No. 201 overall and Laulu was a seventh-rounder out of Oklahoma at No. 234 overall.
Releasing fifth-round cornerbacks is nothing new for the Colts, as Phillips noted they did the same thing to Darius Rush last season after selecting him with the No. 138 overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Rush is now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Simpson was the most notable of the three rookies released Tuesday, as he tallied four interceptions and a defensive touchdown during his final collegiate season at Auburn. It was enough to convince Indianapolis to select him with a fifth-rounder, but he didn’t show enough in training camp and the preseason to earn a spot.
Ultimately, the front office clearly felt it had enough to win without these three rookies.
The Colts went 9-8 last season but fell just short of the playoffs, which was quite the improvement from a 4-12-1 effort in 2022. If that improvement continues, nobody will think back on the decision to release three of the nine 2024 draft picks ahead of the season.
But if the improvement doesn’t continue, the Colts will be under the spotlight for the 2025 draft.
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