Colts release 3 players from 2024 NFL Draft as part of reduction of their 53-man roster | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

A third of the players in the Indianapolis Colts’ 2024 NFL Draft class did not make it to the active roster.

Ryan Phillips from Sports illustrated noted Tuesday that the AFC South team released cornerbacks Jaylin Simpson, Micah Abraham and defensive tackle Jonah Laulu to trim the roster to 53 players by Tuesday’s deadline.

These are three of the nine players the Colts selected in the previous draft.

Indianapolis selected Simpson out of Auburn with a fifth-round pick at No. 164 overall. He was a higher pick than the other two, as Abraham was a sixth-round pick out of Marshall at No. 201 overall and Laulu was a seventh-round pick out of Oklahoma at No. 234 overall.

The Colts are no stranger to releasing fifth-round cornerbacks. Phillips noted that they did the same thing with Darius Rush last season after selecting him with the No. 138 pick in the 2023 draft.

Rush is now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Simpson was the most notable of the three rookies released Tuesday, as he threw four interceptions and a defensive touchdown during his final collegiate season at Auburn. That was enough to convince Indianapolis to select him as a fifth-round pick, but he didn’t show enough in training camp and the preseason to earn a spot.

Ultimately, management obviously felt that they were capable of winning even without these three newcomers.

The Colts finished 9-8 last season but narrowly missed the playoffs, a significant improvement over their 4-12-1 record in 2022. If that improvement continues, no one will regret the decision to release three of their nine 2024 draft picks before the season.

However, if this improvement does not continue, the Colts will be in the spotlight at the 2025 draft.