Maybe it's not a coincidence the team Robert Mathis had the most sacks against in his career – 18.5 – was the Houston Texans.
Longtime Colts scout and current Colts senior player personnel scout Todd Vasvari spent months scouting Mathis, from watching grainy VHS tapes of his games to showing up to SWAC games to watch Alabama A&M play in person. Ultimately, Vasvari put a third-round grade on Mathis ahead of the 2003 NFL Draft – Mathis' relentlessness and athleticism popped, but his size did not.
So when draft day rolled around, Vasvari thought the Colts could take Mathis in the third round, he explained in the latest edition of "Colts Declassified." No luck, the Colts took cornerback Donald Strickland in the third round.
In the fourth round, when the Colts drafted guard Steve Scuillo, Vasvari thought the player he invested so much in and believed so much in was going to slip through his team's fingers.
"I'm ready to jump off the bridge," Vasvari said.
But then the Texans came calling. They didn't have anyone they wanted to draft in the fifth round, and were offering pick No. 138 in exchange for a 2004 fourth-round pick. The Colts accepted the trade and drafted Mathis.
Behind those 18 1/2 sacks, the Colts went 18-6 against the Texans with Mathis on the field. Some things just work out the way they're supposed to.
Watch the entire edition of "Colts Declassified" – with more untold stories about the scouting, drafting and development process for Mathis – in the video above.
