Indianapolis Colts draft Hassan Ridgeway in fourth round

By Steve Lansdale

CHICAGO, Ill. — Texas defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway was drafted Saturday in the fourth round by the Indianapolis Colts.

The 116^th overall selection, Ridgeway becomes the 336^th Longhorn drafted into the NFL since 1938. In three seasons at UT, Ridgway[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)] started 18 of the 36 games in which he played and piled up 92 tackles, with 9.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss.

“Hassan is an outstanding young man with great character so Indianapolis is getting a tremendous person,” Texas head coach Charlie Strong said. “He’s a hard worker and is very hungry to learn. Ridgeway is big, strong and powerful, a guy who can be a problem in one-on-one match-ups, and someone who can also create his own rush.

“It’s very seldom you can find an inside guy who can create his own pass rush, Ridgeway is one of those guys who can do that. He can play both the run and the pass equally well. I just look forward to watching him play on the next level. I saw a ton of development here, and he’s only going to get better because he’s still learning the game.”

So how does Ridgway fit with his new team?

The Colts’ defense operates out of a 3-4 as its base alignment, and its defensive line is built around big players who can tie up blockers and free up running lanes for the linebackers to get to the ball carrier. At the NFL Combine, the 6-foot-3-inch Ridgeway weighed in at 303 pounds — which makes him lighter than any of the Colts’ starting defensive linemen last year (defensive end Kendall Langford is listed at 305 pounds, while the other two starters — defensive end and Arthur Jones weighs in at 337 pounds and nose tackle Josh Chapman plugs the middle of the defensive line with his 340-pound frame). Langford made the biggest statistical contributions, leading all Indianapolis defensive linemen and ranking 10^th on the team with 38 tackles, and he tied for the team lead with seven sacks.

Ridgeway has a chance to thrive in Indianapolis. He has the strength, especially in his lower body, to get low and disrupt opposing offenses by disrupting the line of scrimmage, and should be able to hold his own against NFL offensive linemen, including the occasional double-team. He also is extremely athletic for a big interior player, so he’ll be able to chase down some ball carriers, too.

There are different schools of thought about whether the Colts will use Ridgeway in the middle of their line or as a defensive end, because he has the strength and explosiveness to do either. But one extra factor working in his favor is that Chapman remains an unsigned free agent. The Colts have other defensive linemen on their roster, of course, but they lack depth, which can only work in Ridgeway’s favor.

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