The Colts got first-round pick Malik Hooker under contract on Thursday and then followed that up by announcing an agreement with another pick.
It’s fouth-round defensive tackle Grover Stewart this time. He signed a four-year deal with the team and his signing leaves third-round linebacker Tarell Basham as the only member of the 2017 draft class without a contract.
Stewart is a big body -- 6'5", 347 pounds -- for the Colts to deploy on their defensive front. Coach Chuck Pagano said during the team’s rookie minicamp that he feels confident that Stewart can make the jump from Division II Albany State to the NFL.
“To have a guy in there that not only can command a double team in the run game, (but) he’s going to give you some pass rush in there instead of just pocket push,” Pagano said. “He’ll push the pocket, but I think you can get him matched up on some of these guards and he’s going to win a lot of those one-on-one matchups.”
Stewart joins free agent additions Johnathan Hankins, Margus Hunt, Al Woods and Josh Boyd as new faces on the defensive line in Indy.