along as we approach the NFL Draft. Today’s player interview is Marshall Safety Malik Gant. The Colts could use a tone setter on the back end https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Rigoberto-Sanchez-Jersey , and the..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteStampede Bluean Indianapolis Colts communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsColtsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Colts StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Colts NewsYahoo Colts Team PageYahoo Colts ReportYahoo Colts Depth ChartYahoo Colts TransactionsYahoo Colts PhotosShop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Filed under:Colts AnalysisInterviewsNFL DraftColts Prospect Interviews: Marshall Safety Malik GantNew,2commentsEDTShareTweetShareShareColts Prospect Interviews: Marshall Safety Malik GantPhoto by Joel Auerbach/Getty ImagesThe Colts prospect interviews are rolling along as we approach the NFL Draft. Today’s player interview is Marshall Safety Malik Gant. The Colts could use a tone setter on the back end, and the hard-hitting Gant would be an excellent fit.The interview will be towards the bottom of the page, as he interviewed exclusively with Stampede Blue to talk about rising up from being a walk on to a star player, why he declared early for this draft, and how he would pair with Malik Hooker on the back end.BackgroundSize:5’11” 209 poundsMeasurables: 40 Time: 4.63 / 10-yard split: 1.61 / Bench Reps: 17 Reps / Vertical Jump: 34.5 inches / Broad Jump: 114 inches / 3-Cone: 7.45 secondsCareer Stats:190 total tackles, 14 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 2 interceptions, and 13 pass deflections in his career.Round Projection:Rounds 4-5Fit with the Colts:The Colts still have a major need for a safety in this draft despite re-signing Matthias Farley and Clayton Geathers. Geathers has had his injury problems in the past and Farley is coming off of a season-ending injury. Adding a tone setter like Gant would be an excellent addition to the team. He may not be a great athlete, but he makes up for that deficiency with a tireless motor, excellent angles, and top-notch physicality. He is a tone setter on the back end that offenses are always aware of. The addition of Gant, to go along with the safety group the team already has, could make for a fun and physical group.Film RoomMotor and closing speed stand out the most on film. Gant knows how to close ground in a hurry, and plays with a ton of effort on every play.Gant is solid in coverage as well, as he knows how to separate ball from man and be physical with bigger players.Gant is also a big hitter on almost every play (which got me a bit excited in this tweet).InterviewZH: You decided to walk on at Marshall out of high school. Why did you decide to go that route?MG: I didn’t really have any other choices, I didn’t have any offers from any other schools. The process was getting really difficult and my mother told me as a last resort she wants me to go to school just for my education, and I got accepted to most schools. Marshall was right down the road and was the cheapest process for me to be able to go to school. Once we got down there for a tour Marlon Mack Jersey , the opportunity for me to be a walk on showed itself and my mother said it was a great opportunity for me to be able to play football and continue my education.ZH: How did it feel when you finally earned that scholarship last year?MG: It felt great because I was able to relieve my mother of having to pay for school after those first two years. It was just a great feeling because of that aspect.ZH: How did it feel to go from walk on to Team MVP after this past season?MG: It felt great. Not just for myself, but for being able to be a leader for everybody on the team from the walk ons to the people who get every single rep. Just being able to lead by example and show people that you can come from anything was really important for me.ZH: You decided to declare for this draft early, declaring after your redshirt Junior season. What went into deciding to leave college early?MG: I would say just the opportunity to be able to chase my dream and to be able to contribute and give back to my mother. She put the money into my dream those first two years when I was a walk on and helped me reach the point where I am at right now. Seeing the toll it took on her paying for those first two years, I really want to be able to give back to mother for everything she did for me.ZH: Going to your film, you don’t just tackle players. You tackle through them. How important is it to be a consistent tackler who leaves a mark on players when you are tackling?MG: The main thing that I think people shy away from is that hitting someone sticks in a person’s mind for an entire game. We are all human, you know. If you have to think about or second guess playing the same same way that you have always played, especially for offensive players, that slows down the way they usually play and that is an advantage for the defense and the entire team even. That is just the advantage of putting it into their head that if they go my direction, I’m going to make the tackle. ZH: Would you label yourself as a tone setter of a defense?MG: Yeah, most definitely. I set the tone for the entire defense on every play.ZH: A major aspect of playing safety, especially for strong safeties, is the ability to cover tight ends. Do you think you match up well with these athletic tight ends in the NFL?MG: Yeah definitely. I would say being able to be so versatile, with playing in the box and checking running backs and tight ends and slot receivers, is a strength for me. Being able to come down and play man or play zone is something I’m very prepared for. I’m fluid in my hips and I think I’d be great doing that.ZH: Who in the NFL do you model your game after/compare yourself to?MG: If I could compare myself to anyone, I would say Earl Thomas, who recently signed with the Ravens. He is just versatile. He can play anywhere on the field and there is no drop off in any position you put him at.ZH: How well do you think that you would pair with a ballhawking free safety in Malik Hooker?MG: I would say that I would be great because with my skill and his play as a ballhawk, we would be perfect with each other. You got a person who can play in the box and stop the run, when it is necessary, and check the tight ends and running backs and stop the short game Quenton Nelson Color Rush Jersey , which helps out on the back end and allows him to roam back there. We could also switch roles even and make the defense even more fluid.ZH: Last question for you. On and off of the field, what is my team getting if they draft Malik Gant? What makes you stand out in this class?MG: If you look at my stats and you look at my style of play, there isn’t any safety that matches up with my versatility. Everybody is a safety who can play on the back end or play in the post but no one in this entire class this year has played as many snaps in the box as I have or has made as many stops for negative yardage at the line of scrimmage as I have. I don’t think anybody else compares to my ability as a safety around the line of scrimmage. INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When the Indianapolis Colts were struggling in mid-October, coach Frank Reich saw signs of a turnaround brewing.He urged players and coaches to stay the course, asked fans to believe in the plan and pleaded for patience as the young Colts got acclimated to a new system, a new staff and a new mindset.Two months later, Reich's message remains essentially unchanged — even with the Colts on the precipice of making their first playoff appearance in four years. "I haven't even thought about it in those terms because I really just think — we're just convinced that the best way is not to weight the importance of it (the game) but to weight the importance of practice and the everyday process," Reich said Monday about this week's high-stakes game."I certainly understand all the outside variables and all the other things that everybody else would look at, but from inside out, really the healthiest approach for us is to keep doing what we are doing."And why not given Indy's results?Since the Jets beat Indy 42-34 on Oct. 14, New York has one win — hardly a surprise for a struggling team with a rookie quarterback.But Andrew Luck and the Colts have won eight of nine to jump back into the playoff hunt and could become the third team in league history to make the postseason after starting 1-5.A win at Tennessee (9-6) on Sunday night would give the Colts a wild-card spot and a win, coupled with a Jacksonville (5-10) victory at Houston (10-5), would give Indy the AFC South title and a first-round home game.Reich might be the only one who truly believed it could happen when Indy was ranked No. 30 in the AP Pro 32 after losing to the Jets."It doesn't take much even within a season," Reich said Monday. "When I was a player (in Buffalo) I think we went from 2-14 to 4-12 and then I think we were 8-7 and then 12-4."In Philadelphia, we were 7-9 and then won the Super Bowl. What I've noticed is it's two things. It's playing good football, playing good football and establishing your identity and then just building the core players. You play good football. You make fewer mistakes and you find a way to be aggressive, but still play good football. That leads to better playmaking."His philosophy certainly worked for the Colts (9-6).Indy's rebuilt offensive line has kept Andrew Luck upright and allowed him to produce at the highest level of his career. He's already established single-season bests in completions (406) and completion rate (67.2 percent) and needs 453 yards and four TD passes against the Titans to establish career highs in those categories, too. He's also been sacked 17 times, the lowest total of any season he's started at least half of the Colts' games.Running back Marlon Mack has topped the 100-yard mark three times this season while receiver T.Y. Hilton and a handful of tight ends have performed at Pro Bowl levels https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Andrew-Luck-Jersey , giving Indy's offense the balance it's long sought.The defense finds itself just outside the top 10 and has consistently forced turnovers and pressured quarterbacks even with key players out.In Sunday's victory, Indy managed to hold Giants rookie Saquon Barkley to 43 yards rushing and 77 yards from scrimmage despite playing without middle linebacker Anthony Walker (shoulder), starting safety Clayton Geathers (knee) or defensive tackle Al Woods (foot), who was placed on injured reserve last week. Reich said he's not sure if Walker or Geathers will practice Wednesday when the Colts return to the field.He's also uncertain about the status of starting center Ryan Kelly (neck) or starting tight end Eric Ebron (concussion).But if Reich's calm, consistent approach has taught the Colts anything, it's this: The best results come when you stick to the plan."The only thing you can do is make sure one, do your job to the best of your ability, and you've got to start there," said Luck, who is 10-0 as a starter against Tennessee."When things are going tough, bring it back and bring it simple, stay calm and do your job. I hold that to heart. I think we all, especially at halftime (Sunday), just focused on doing our job, playing our piece of the puzzle and it managed to work out."