Colts depth chart update after Justin Walley pick

Day 2 of the NFL draft has been spent on the defensive side of the ball for the Indianapolis Colts after selecting Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley with the No. 80 overall pick in the third round.

How does that impact the cornerback depth chart?

Walley has an uphill battle to find playing time during his rookie season, but the path would be to secure the backup nickel corner spot to Kenny Moore II. A potential injury to Moore II would be his path to be on the field outside of special teams in Year 1. Moore II has missed eight games out of 41 games in the past three seasons.

While Walley does project to slide inside to nickel, he does have boundary experience after starting on the outside for the Golden Gophers for all four seasons in college. Charvarius Ward is sharpied in as one of the starting boundary cornerbacks with the expectation that Jaylon Jones will start opposite him. 

JuJu Brents and Samuel Womack III will battle for snaps in the rotation and for the top spot on the depth chart to fill in if Ward or Jones have to miss any time. Walley would need an impressive preseason to be considered as the top backup option on the boundary. 

David Long Jr., Corey Ballentine, and Alex Johnson are on the roster but are practice-squad candidates. Something to monitor heading into training camp is that Chris Ballard kept just five cornerbacks on the final 53-man roster last year. 

Walley could be battling with Brents and Womack III for the final two cornerback spots on the roster if Ballard doesn’t elect to keep the top six on the 53-man team. 

Colts depth chart

LCB:

1. Jaylon Jones

2. JuJu Brents

3. David Long Jr. 

NCB:

1. Kenny Moore II

2. Justin Walley

RCB: 

1. Charvarius Ward

2. Samuel Womack III

3. Corey Ballentine

4. Alex Johnson

MORE NFL NEWS

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