With both the cornerback and safety positions major needs for the Indianapolis Colts, here are two standout prospects to watch during Saturday’s Senior Bowl game.
Following three days of competitive practices, Pro Football Focus put together its list of top performers, selecting one player from each position group.
At cornerback, PFF selected Virginia Tech’s Dorian Strong, and at safety, they selected Oklahoma’s Billy Bowman Jr.
Strong is an experienced player with nearly 2,800 defensive snaps over five seasons. For his career, he has allowed a completion rate of only 45.5% at 14.2 yards per catch with seven interceptions and 28 pass breakups.
“He does an excellent job in press-man coverage which is unsurprising considering how he performed with the Hokies,” wrote Max Chadwick. “Since 2023, his 87.0 grade in single coverage is in the 96th percentile among FBS corners.”
Bowman, meanwhile, has played almost 2,600 defensive snaps over four seasons at Oklahoma. The majority of that playing time has come at free safety, but he has ample slot experience as well.
Bowman has had excellent ball production, totaling 11 interceptions and eight pass breakups since 2022. He also has a career completion rate when targeted of only 56% and held opponents to just 7.3 yards per catch in 2024.
“While Bowman is slightly undersized at 5-foot-9, 198 pounds, he makes up for it with his instincts and quickness,” Chadwick said. “It’s a major reason why he’s picked off 11 passes over the last three seasons. He also filled the gaps in run defense nicely even if there wasn’t any live tackling in practice.”
It’s no secret that the secondary is a massive need for the Colts. Last season, the Indianapolis pass defense ranked in the bottom 10 of the NFL in completion rate, pass deflections, passer rating, and yards per pass attempt allowed.
It’s early in the pre-draft process, but Bowman and Strong are names to watch not only during the Senior Bowl but in the coming months as possible Day 2 or early Day 3 options at these crucial positions of need.