Coming off of a strong training camp and preseason, Indianapolis Colts' first-round draft pick Kwity Paye is looking to get off to a fast start in the regular season.
He'll face one of his stiffest tests right off the bat though.
Paye will line up across from Seattle Seahawks' former All-Pro and Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown for roughly 50-60 snaps on Sunday, which will be a steep learning curve for the Michigan product who is still trying to learn the finer nuances of rushing the passer.
Talk about baptism by fire.
In 1,048 snaps in 2020, Brown allowed just two sacks and was called for two penalties, according to Pro Football Focus. Additionally, Brown allowed just 34 pressures and 27 hurries last season blocking for star Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson, capping off a tremendous season for the 36-year-old left tackle.
Paye will have his hands full on Sunday, but it's a matchup he's looking forward too.
"Vet, the vet. So, it’s going to be fun to play against him," Paye said to reporters Friday. "He has a lot of experience. For me, I’m just trying to go out there and do my thing. I’ve been really keying in on his film. Coach (Matt) Raich has sent me so many cutups I don’t even know what to do with them. For me, I’m just watching them every single day just trying to find any weakness I can on him.”
Credit to Paye for truly diving into the tape to try and find any weaknesses on a tackle who enters Year 15 in the league and has consistently been one of the best in the game during his time playing more than 7,700 career snaps.
Along with the steep learning curve Paye will face in his NFL debut against Brown, the rookie added during his media availability that he's excited to get the chance to play against Wilson, who he said will force him to remain disciplined in his pass rush to try and keep the athletic Wilson in the pocket.
“Watching film on Russ (Russell Wilson), you know you can’t abandon your rush lane. If you kind of see him still in the pocket and you end up coming down into the pocket he’s going to step up and then roll out, then you lose contain on him," Paye said. "So he’s a guy where you don’t want to lose sight of him. He’s a short guy so you’ve got to really look for him and whatnot, but he’s Houdini in the pocket. He can escape anything that you throw at him. For us, we just have to really hone in and try and grab him and bring him down.”
Few pass rushers and teams have truly been able to bottle up Wilson over the years, but if Paye can remain disciplined and guys like Ben Banogu, Tyquan Lewis and Al-Quadin Muhammad can do the same on the other side, that should allow the Colts to hem in Wilson throughout the game, giving the defense the best overall chance to succeed and pick up a Week 1 win for the first time in eight seasons.
Have thoughts on Kwity Paye ahead of his Week 1 NFL debut against Duane Brown and Russell Wilson? Drop a line in the comment section below letting us know how you feel!
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