Gerri Green A Leader That Teammates Can Rally Around

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INDIANAPOLIS — If you’ve been following our breakdowns of the Indianapolis Colts’ 2019 NFL Draft class then you know that character has been at a premium to Chris Ballard, Frank Reich and their staffs.


This 10-man draft haul is full of leaders, charitable citizens and team captains. The Colts are still working on building their locker room to be the foundation of their team; one that will police itself and hold each other accountable, and the draft was a huge part of its construction.


The Colts got the perfect prospect with those qualities when they selected Mississippi State defensive end Gerri Green with the 199th overall pick in the sixth round.


Green is a reigning Bulldogs team captain and member of the SEC Community Service Team. He also participated in the SEC Football Leadership Council the last two years and was a Wuerffel Trophy nominee in 2018, which is awarded to the college football player “who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement.”


That Green could find a way to stand out with such high-profile teammates around him on the defensive side of the ball — defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, defensive end Montez Sweat and safety Johnathan Abram were all first-round picks this year — speaks volumes.


“I was the captain of the defense and I cherished that role. It was my role but I had guys like Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat. We kind of just helped police the D-line,” Green told reporters during the Colts’ rookie mincamp. “We learned how to respect each other so if one guy said something we could listen. It was a heavy loaded senior class on that defensive side of the ball and it helped everything work.