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Will Mallory Comes to Colts With Family Ties to the Hoosier State

Originally posted on FanNation All Colts
By Andrew Moore | Last updated 5/2/23

Entering the 2023 NFL Draft, one of the deepest position groups on the roster for the Indianapolis Colts was tight end.

The Colts used two draft picks in 2022 on tight ends in Jelani Woods and Drew Ogletree, with Woods showing flashes of greatness during his rookie campaign. Mo Alie-Cox has been an established starter at tight end despite a rocky 2022 season. Kylen Granson has continued to grow as a "move" tight end over his first two seasons.

Add in the addition of Pharaoh Brown this offseason as a blocking tight end, and the position seemed set heading into the draft. However, that did not stop general manager Chris Ballard from dipping into the tight end class, one he called the deepest he had ever seen.

The Colts selected tight end Will Mallory out of the University of Miami with the No.162 pick in the fifth round on Saturday. In five seasons with the Hurricanes, Mallory started 40 games while racking up 115 catches for 1,544 yards and 14 touchdowns.

“It’s a great, great honor to be coming back (to Indiana)," Mallory said after he was drafted. "To where it was home to my family, so really excited to just get there and get to work.”

Mallory comes from a football family with quite a history in the Hoosier state. Will's grandfather, Bill Mallory, served as the long-time head coach for the Indiana Hoosiers from 1984-1996. Bill Mallory ended his career with the most wins in Hoosiers football history with 66, a record the late football coach still owns to this day.

Will's father, Mike Mallory, was a graduate assistant coach for the Hoosiers from 1986-1987. Mike currently serves as an assistant special team coach for the Denver Broncos. Will's uncle, Curt Mallory, has been the head coach for the Indiana State Sycamores since 2017. While Will himself has never lived in Indiana, he recognizes the special connection his family has to the state.

“I grew up around football, obviously," Mallory remarked. "It’s kind of my family’s thing. Just, you know, as I keep getting older, my passion for the game has grown and I found out this is truly what I want to do and I’m just fortunate to be in a football family and I’m just honored to continue that.”

Before the Colts gave him a call, Mallory was not expecting to head to Indy. He admitted that he did not have much communication with the Colts throughout the draft process. But with a new era on the horizon with Colts football, headlined by rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, Mallory is excited to be a part of the journey.

“Obviously there’s a lot of excitement going on (In Indy,)" Mallory explained. "So, I’m excited to be a part of that. I had a great meeting with Coach (Tom) Manning, and I thought we had a good meeting, got along well and I’m just excited to get to work with him. I wasn’t expecting this call but I’m glad it happened.”

With the Colts already having a lot of bodies at the tight end position, it will be interesting to see where Mallory fits into the equation. Mallory is an athletic tight end with great speed and explosion. On film, Mallory's skillset is on display when he can be used as a pass catcher and create mismatches down the field, similar to Woods and Granson.

Below is an excerpt from the 2023 Indy Draft Guide on Mallory's fit with the Colts:

The Colts have plenty of pass-catching tight ends, making Will Mallory not the best fit for this team. Indy is very high on Jelani Woods, Kylen Granson, and Drew Ogletree. All three are at their best when they run routes and catch the ball, like Mallory. If the Colts are to add a tight end on Day 3, they will need to have solid blocking skills to have a chance.

Although it is a crowded room filled with young, athletic tight ends, Mallory feels he is not limited to a certain role. The rookie is ready to contribute however he can and wherever head coach Shane Steichen sees fit.

“Whatever the team is asking me to do, I’m going to do," he said. "Whether that’s in the receiving game or the blocking game, run game, whatever. I see myself as a big athletic tight end that can move the chains and make plays happen once I get the ball in my hand. I’ve said that since Day One of this process. Whatever the team asks me to do, that’s what I’m going to do.”

The battle at tight end will be fun to watch throughout training camp and the preseason. The Colts have turned their tight end room into a group with tremendous size and athletic upside. Mallory fits that mold at 6'4" and 239 pounds with a 4.54 40-yard dash.

If Mallory can improve as a blocker and contribute in the running game, there is an obvious path for him to be a contributor right away. The rookie is up for the challenge and ready to build his own legacy as a Mallory in the state of Indiana.

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