INDIANAPOLIS – Early on in the tenure of Matt Eberflus, he introduced everyone to the term ‘loafs’ when it came to grading his defensive players.
Atop the pre-requisite list to play in Eberflus’ defense is this: High effort. No slacking. Run to the ball
Well, 6th round pick Rob Windsor checks the box of having a high motor.
It was the effort that Windsor showed on his Penn State film which had him squarely on the Colts radar when Day 3 of the 2020 Draft arrived.
“He’s a hard-working, tough, hard-nosed football player,” Colts area scout Mike Derice says. “He truly loves the game, so that’s the selling point. The amount of effort that he plays with on every snap, it’s the kind of stuff Matt Eberflus preaches. And so when you find those kind of traits in a player, they have to be pushed up the board, they have to be noticed, because that’s the style of football that we want to bring and play on a daily basis.
“It’s undeniable how hard he plays the game.”
Windsor wants people to know that there’s more to his game than playing to the whistle.
“I think my intensity sometimes overshadows some of my other traits like my athleticism and my technique, which is one thing that the Colts were definitely attracted to about my game,” the Wisconsin native says. “But I think motor is the most obvious thing that pops off the screen.”
Derice also points out that quick first step that helps Windsor be disruptive at defensive tackle.
“The qualities that make Rob special is that he’s able to win with his quickness off the ball and his hands, so he’ll be able to disrupt the feet of the running back and the running game, because he’ll be in the backfield before the guard gets a chance to really grab on to him,” Derice says.
“That’s the one thing I thought he did special. You watch the Iowa game, the Ohio State game, the Michigan game, he beat NFL-level guards and centers off the snap. And was forcing the running back to run the banana or to stop their feet, and that’s what he can do at our level.”
At Penn State, as a two-year starter, Windsor played at two vastly different weights.
Early in his collegiate career, Windsor weighed around 315 pounds, before dropping down to 280 for his senior season.
Ideally, the 6-4 Windsor would play around 290 pounds, and that’s his expectation with the Colts.
Making the Colts 53-man roster will not be easy for Windsor.
While the Colts love having defensive line depth, versatility is another key.
DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Denico Autry, Sheldon Day and Tyquan Lewis are all considered ‘defensive tackles.’ Eberflus has mentioned wanting to keep/rotate 4 defensive tackles on the final roster.
Really, Stewart is the only true 1-techiqnue defensive tackle of that group.
That’s where the Colts think Windsor (despite weighing 25 pounds less than Stewart) will begin his career.
Is that his best route making the team and become a rotational player?
“Yeah, I think I can come in and play,” Windsor says. “That’s one thing that they told me—be ready when I come in.”
