Jordan
Glasgow.
Jordan
Glasgow.
Michigan
"A walk-on turned Michigan Will linebacker, Glasgow was drafted for his special teams motor and delivered exactly that until an injury closed his short NFL career."Pre-draft read
Glasgow was a former walk-on who finished his Michigan career as the starting Will linebacker in Don Brown's pressure-heavy defense after earlier stints at safety and viper. His primary trait was downhill aggression: he triggered fast against the run, took on blocks with his hands and shed quickly enough to finish in the gap, with Brown using him often as an inside pressure player.
His secondary trait was coverage feel from his safety background, which let him carry backs and tight ends underneath. He was better against the run than in space, where his change of direction was only average. His athletic ceiling was modest, and his signature was relentless special teams effort, the trait that made his NFL case.
Aggressive 4-3 front that uses a run-and-hit Will linebacker behind the defensive line and sends him on interior pressures.
Year 1: core special teams player on all four units. Ceiling: a backup Will linebacker and special teams captain.
A two-gap 3-4 scheme that asks inside linebackers to take on guards head-up and hold the point without help.
Jordan Glasgow | 2019 Highlights
Cut-up of his 2019 season as Michigan's starting Will linebacker.
Jordan Glasgow Interception Touchdown for Maize Team - Michigan Spring Football
Interception return touchdown in Michigan's spring game.
Glasgow projected as a core special teams player and developmental backup linebacker. He was a 6-1, 226-pound hybrid who had moved from safety to linebacker, a tough, instinctive player whose value began on the coverage units and whose defensive role was a bonus.
He redshirted in 2015, then spent three seasons as a reserve defensive back, viper and special teams regular, winning Michigan's Special Teams Player of the Year award in 2017. As a fifth-year senior he started all 13 games at Will and made 89 tackles, seven for loss and five sacks, earning Butkus Award semifinalist honors. The flags were size for an inside linebacker, just one season as a starter and limited range in coverage.
Most boards graded him as a late Day 3 or priority free agent. Indianapolis took him at No. 213 for his special teams resume and toughness, a fair call for a player the Colts viewed as a coverage-unit anchor first and a linebacker second, with his bloodlines adding to the appeal.
- 01
Special teams pedigree
Won Michigan's Special Teams Player of the Year award in 2017 and was a core coverage player in all four of his seasons.
- 02
Run-game trigger
Read keys quickly and attacked downhill, finishing with seven tackles for loss as a first-year starter at Will in 2019.
- 03
Blitz production
Posted five sacks in 2019, including two against Iowa, as Don Brown used him as an inside pressure player on third downs.
- 04
Positional versatility
Played safety, viper and Will linebacker at Michigan, giving coaches a player who understood every level of the defense.
- 05
Toughness and makeup
A former walk-on and four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree who earned Michigan's Blue Collar Award in 2019.
- 01
Undersized frame
At 226 pounds he lacked the bulk to take on guards cleanly and could be washed out by climbing offensive linemen.
- 02
One-year starter
Started only 15 career games, so evaluators had a thin sample of him as a full-time defender at linebacker.
- 03
Limited range
Average change of direction and long speed limited his ability to carry receivers vertically or chase outside runs.
- 04
No ball production
Finished his college career with zero interceptions and three pass breakups despite his defensive back background.
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Michigan | 13 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2017 | Michigan | 13 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | Michigan | 13 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2019 | Michigan | 13 | 89 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Career | — | 52 | 140 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
Per-season lines from Sports-Reference, bowl games included, with zeros confirmed in that table. Michigan's bio confirms 52 games, 15 starts and the 2019 line of 89 tackles, 7 TFL and 5 sacks.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Colts depth linebacker who earned his roster spot almost entirely on special teams.
Colts special teams captain who grew into a productive starting linebacker.
Big Ten linebacker whose NFL value stayed on coverage units before injuries.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Glasgow made the Colts roster as a rookie in 2020 and played 13 games almost exclusively on special teams, logging 268 kicking-game snaps and no defensive snaps. In 2021 he appeared in 12 games in the same role after a stint on injured reserve, again contributing only on coverage units and finishing with 206 special teams snaps. Indianapolis released him with a failed physical designation in June 2022, and his NFL line closed at 25 games without a start.
In hindsight, the Colts got exactly what the evaluation said they were buying: a tough, reliable special teams player who never had the size or range to become a regular linebacker. Two seasons of kicking-game work is a reasonable return on a sixth-round pick, but the injury ended his career before he could build a longer role, and he never became a defensive contributor, which keeps the outcome in the bust category despite the effort and professionalism he brought every week.