INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts weren't done adding at the quarterback position.
In March, the team acquired new starter Carson Wentz in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles. Then, on Saturday, the Colts used a sixth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to select standout Texas quarterback Sam Ehlinger.
Ehlinger will now get the chance to compete for the backup job with the team's two other quarterbacks: 2020 rookies Jacob Eason, a fourth-round pick by the Colts, and Jalen Morton, who went undrafted last year and signed a reserve/future contract with Indy in February.
"I had a lot of great meetings with them, just talking ball," Ehlinger said of his pre-draft contact with the Colts. "It was a great process and I really enjoyed talking with everybody. I'm just blessed to be a Colt, and I can't wait for what's to come."
Ehlinger had a decorated career at Texas, where he guided the Longhorns to 27 wins — the fourth-most in school history — and became Texas' seventh two-time team captain ever. A true dual-threat standout, Ehlinger played in 46 games with 43 starts, and completed 923-of-1,476 passes (62.5 percent) for 11,436 yards with 94 touchdowns to 27 interceptions. He also added 554 rushing attempts for 1,903 yards (3.4 avg.) and 33 scores on the ground.
Along the way, Ehlinger earned the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award in 2020, and was a Second Team All-Big 12 selection his senior year and honorable mention All-Big 12 pick his sophomore year. He also earned an invitation to the 2021 Senior Bowl, where the Colts got a solid look at his skillset while he absorbed NFL coaching.
"They don't come much tougher than Ehlinger at the position, and his intangibles are as good as you could ask for," NFL analyst wrote of Ehlinger in his NFL.com draft profile.
For his part, Ehlinger isn't expecting to come in and compete for a starting job right away with the Colts. But he does have a couple goals in mind for when he gets to Indianapolis and starts to work on his rookie season.
"I think, first off, just learning as much as possible. Learning what it takes to be successful at the next level," Ehlinger said. "Obviously, going into my rookie year there's going to be a lot of learning curves, and getting great coaching and learning as much as possible is my main objective. And doing whatever it takes to help the team be successful. I mean, at the end of the day, I'm going to do whatever it takes to make everybody in the organization better."
Ehlinger is also eager to not only learn from the likes of head coach Frank Reich — himself a former longtime NFL quarterback — but also Wentz, Eason and Morton.
"It's such a blessing to be able to work with (Reich)," Ehlinger said. "You know, I'm just trying to soak in the moment and grow as much as possible. Like I said, I'm just trying to learn as much as possible and grow as a quarterback. … So to be able to learn under him, I can't wait."
