Jaylon

Carlies

The fifth-round rookie was starting in place of an injured E.J. Speed. Before Week 7, Carlies had been earning decent PFF grades on 15-20 weekly snaps.

Carlies was a three-star wide receiver entering college and Missouri moved him to cornerback and then safety but now the Colts will move him to linebacker. His 6'3" 230-pound frame with long 34 1/2-inch arms reminded the Colts of linebacker E.J. Speed, who was initially a wide receiver at Tarleton State. The Colts believe in their coaching staff to teach guys “to play the run... to be physical,” said defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. “The tougher part is the change in direction, understanding pass concepts. With knowing that for years now, we have looked at safeties (to play linebacker)” and Carlies will be another in the line. The Colts also moved rookie safety Jaylin Simpson back to cornerback and are trying former Kansas quarterback Jason Bean at wide receiver.

Carlies (6’3/227) was picked on frequently in pass coverage and allowed a catch on 72.2 percent of the targets he faced. Opposing receivers churned out 1,036 yards and 10 against Carlies over four seasons, which will make him difficult to trust in coverage at the next level. He also had a 15.9 percent missed tackle rate for his career and has drawn criticism for his poor angles when closing on defenders. While he’s struggled at times in coverage, Carlies has shown good hands when given a chance to make a play on the ball. He totaled nine interceptions in his career. Carlies is viewed as more of a safety/linebacker hybrid but could be asked to play strictly as a linebacker once coaches get a closer look at him.

Carlies (6'2/184) received a bit of Power 5 interest beyond that of Missouri, with Miami, Pitt and Syracuse among the other programs which extended offers to the Winter Garden, Florida, native. 247Sports’ Steve Wiltfong writes that Carlies has shown “big-play ability” in terms of the his ability to work down field. On the 247Sports composite board, Carlies ranks as the No. 164 prospect in the state of Florida for the 2020 cycle.