Cornerback Micah Abraham was selected by the Colts in the sixth round of last April’s draft, and he made the most of his opportunities in his preseason debut on Sunday.
Abraham played 35 snaps on Sunday, spending time both at the boundary and in the nickel. He was very active around the ball and in the run game, recording six tackles – including one tackle for a loss – the third most on the team. In coverage, Abraham allowed just one catch for 10 yards.
This performance in itself is a very solid debut for any cornerback on Day 3. However, compared to Abraham’s spectacular play in the third quarter, this information is just trivial.
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Facing a second-and-1 in the third quarter, Denver handed the ball off to running back Audric Estime, who gained four yards before Abraham put his hand between Estime and the ball, ripped it free and tossed it into the air. Abraham took the ball and ran 45 yards to the goal.
“I didn’t see him take it off,” Shane Steichen said after the game. “I just saw him get it, and then I thought, ‘Damn, who got the stripe?’ And they said, ‘He took it off.’ I thought, ‘My goodness.’ And then I saw it again on the big screen, that was a damn good play by him.”
One of the key qualities Abraham possesses that attracted him to the Colts was his ability to make plays on the football. During his time at Marshall, Abraham finished his career with 12 interceptions and a whopping 43 passes defended.
Another aspect the Colts value about Abraham is his versatility. Although he spent most of his snaps on the boundary in college, the Colts believe he can play at the nickel position at the NFL level.
“For him to keep going in and out gives him real value and gives him a chance to actually compete and make the roster,” GM Chris Ballard said after the draft. “12 picks is 12 picks, that’s not easy. So he’s got natural instincts and ball skills. That usually translates.”
Before Sunday’s game, we hadn’t heard much about Abraham on the practice field, but like any late third-day pick, he’s competing for a roster spot and a role on this Colts team.
While the focus in the Colts cornerback room is on who will start at the boundary, Abraham is competing with veteran Chris Lammons for the position of backup nickel behind Kenny Moore.
Lammons’ advantage is his NFL experience, which has seen him play in 46 games in his career, but with Abraham as their most recent draft pick, there is still potential and untapped potential that the Colts hope to tap into.
And as we saw on Sunday, he also has an innate talent for making plays in football that he has already transferred from the college game to the NFL.
“I mean, that’s always great to see,” Steichen said of Abraham. “When you get those late-round draft picks, you make the most of them, you know what I mean? Make a name for yourself, and obviously he made a great move there.”
