National Football League

Colts continue stocking defense during 3rd day of NFL draft

Published Apr. 30, 2016 9:18 p.m. ET

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) The Indianapolis Colts spent the first two days of draft weekend finding help for Andrew Luck.

Saturday was all about stocking the defense.

General manager Ryan Grigson used his two fourth-round picks on Texas defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway and Florida linebacker Antonio Morrison, giving coach Chuck Pagano some inside help to stop the run.

''I'm tough and I'm physical. I love the contact part of the game, that's why I play the game,'' Morrison said. ''I just love hitting people. I love contact and I just love the bond you build with people for a common goal and that's winning.''

Pagano has been trying to instill that mentality in his defense for four seasons.

But now it appears the Colts are committed to building from the inside out - even if Saturday's selections carry some risk with three more selections later in the day.

At 6-foot-3, 314 pounds, Ridgeway is considered a big run-stuffer with plenty of potential to provide an interior pass rush. Last season, as a fourth-year junior, Ridgeway finished with 36 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks and 6 1/2 tackles for loss. Indy took him with the 116th overall selection.

''I feel like that's my game coming from a defensive end, getting bigger, I've got a little bit more quickness than some of the bigger guys that started playing defensive tackle,'' Ridgeway said. ''That's helped me with my pass rush, and I do feel like that's part of my game.''

The knock on Ridgeway is that he has struggled with injuries and plays with inconsistent effort.

There are more questions about Morrison, a 6-1, 229-pound linebacker chosen at No. 125 overall.

He's a good athlete capable of chasing down plays, but has twice undergone knee surgery since 2013 and compared his most recent injury - suffered in the Gators' 2014 bowl game - to the same one that dropped the draft stock of Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith.

Morrison also missed the NFL's annual scouting combine in Indianapolis because of a staph infection.

Still, Morrison played in 14 games last season following the second surgery and finished with 103 tackles and 2 1/2 sacks.

Another potential problem is the off-the-field transgressions. Morrison was arrested twice during a five-week span in the summer of 2013, once for allegedly punching a bouncer and later for resisting arrest and barking at a police dog.

Morrison received deferred prosecution on a simple battery charge in the first case while the charges on the second arrest were dropped within days of the second incident. He later apologized for the incidents and acknowledged he's moved on.

''That's in the past. I was 18 years old when all those things happened. I'm 21 right now. All that stuff is behind me,'' Morrison said. ''What's done is done. I'm just looking ahead.''

Grigson took center Ryan Kelly, safety T.J. Green and offensive tackle Le'Raven Clark with their first three picks.

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Online:

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

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