Making the NFL is no easy feat, but sticking around is even harder. 

Professional football is a business and teams have a duty to build the best 53-man roster they can. 

But sometimes, players slip through the cracks during the team-building process, and following some recent news, that seems to be the case once again:

Colts Release Rookie CB Cole Coleman

The pride of Elon University, Coleman signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent following April's draft. A dominant defender in college, the Colts have decided to part ways with Coleman, allowing another team to capitalize on their mistake: 

Undrafted free agent Cole Coleman gets released and the #Colts add another veteran CB https://t.co/N5fpO0QuQQ

— Destin Adams (@TheDestinAdams) July 28, 2023

When taking a look at Coleman's collegiate tape, his presence came off as a man amongst boys on the gridiron. He plays downhill, with an acute awareness around the ball that often relays into turnovers. 

Coleman plays with the alpha dog mentality that teams covet out of their secondary players, flying around and sticking his nose into every pile. He takes proper angles in the open field and consistently wraps up with emphatic, but clean tackles and exceptional launch angles. 

But perhaps the best part of Coleman's game is the fact that he can play in multiple alignments in the secondary. Today's NFL is a game that calls for multiplicity, especially as teams start to place their best weapon all over the formation. 

"I've also played four different spots on defense, Coleman told A to Z Sports during the pre-draft process. "I played all over the place and I know every spot on defense; I know what the linebackers know, what the d-linemen do, I know what the safeties do, the corners do and, you know, with that being said, the cerebral part of the game, a lot of is just being able to see what's happening in front of you and having that that strategic mindset to be able to put yourself as a piece of the puzzle and fit wherever the offense is attacking you."

Any NFL scout, personnel director, or even college film analyst will tell you that a versatile player is an intelligent player. As hard as it is on the body to play multiple roles, it's even harder on the brain, yet Coleman has shown the propensity to excel in different alignments. 

But if the tape and his experience weren't enough, he left college with a stat sheet brimful of numbers including:

• 281 total tackles
• 9.5 tackles for loss
• 9 pass deflections
• 4 forced fumbles
• 3 interceptions 
• 1 sack

Oh, and if you think Coleman is just a tryhard, hardhat, lunchpail kind of player, you're not wrong, but boxing him into any pre-conceived notions isn't wise when you see his athletic testing:

• 4.43 40-yard dash
• 39" vertical
• 10'6" broad jump

So hopefully teams realize what kind of player just hit the market. A 23-year-old rookie with experience, football intelligence, durability, and athleticism like Coleman is hard to find. 

Meaning it's time for Coleman to show his next team they just found a diamond in the rough. 

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Featured image via: Patrick Welter YouTube Channel