Former Penn State DT Robert Windsor looking forward to the chance to make the Colts’ roster
Robert Windsor could feel the nervousness in the room during the 2020 NFL draft. He sat down to watch the three-day event with his parents and one of his brothers at his family’s home in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, with all three waiting to hear the former Penn State defensive tackle’s name announced.
By the time he heard his name called on day three, when the Indianapolis Colts selected him in the sixth round at pick No. 193 overall, Windsor was overwhelmed with a sense of relief and excitement. That excitement spread to his mother, who couldn’t contain the energy she was feeling.
“It was just a celebration,” Windsor told the Centre Daily Times. “My mom started dancing. It was just a huge relief and a very exciting time.”
Windsor wasn’t expecting to hear his name called early in the draft, but thought he had a chance to go late in the second day based on some of the grades his agent told him about. Even then, he knew the “sweet spot” was likely early on the draft’s final day.
Still, he could feel his nerves taking over as the draft unfolded.
“Going into day three not being picked yet, I was a little anxious,” Windsor said. “I had no idea (what to think) and thought, ‘Am I even going to be picked at all?’ So it was a huge relief when the Colts picked me.”
The defensive tackle watched four of his teammates hear their names called, with two, Yetur Gross-Matos and K.J. Hamler, coming on the second day and the other two, John Reid and Cam Brown, coming earlier on day three.
Even when he heard their names called, there was no jealousy from Windsor, just joy for his former teammates.
“I was just happy for them,” he said. “I was just happy for my teammates that they got picked. Seeing them getting picked didn’t make me any more nervous, I was just nervous already.”
The process leading up to the draft was a unique one for this particular class, including Windsor and the other former Nittany Lions.
None of them were able to participate in a Pro Day in the months leading up to the draft because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. They weren’t able to have the usual schedule of team visits, either, because team facilities were shut down and visits were banned.
Instead of a hectic process involving Pro Day preparation, visit scheduling and everything else that comes in the six weeks leading up to the draft, Windsor found himself with nothing to do.
“(There was) a lot of anticipation,” he said. “A lot of being patient and waiting. ... I was kind of expecting to go in and be busy nonstop going into the draft and just kind of always be occupied and having to go and visit teams and work out. ... A lot of it was just waiting. Just sitting there waiting, which caused a lot of anticipation.”
Now that the draft is over, Windsor knows where he’ll begin his career and has set a goal of making the Colts’ 53-man roster in his rookie season and contributing to the team.
Colts’ area scout Mike Derice, who scouted Windsor, thinks the former Nittany Lion has the versatility to play either spot along the interior, but thinks he’s more ready for one than the other in his first season.
“So, at Penn State he was a three-technique the majority of his junior year,” Derice said. “(In 2019) he played more one-technique. For us, he can do either/or. We probably initially see him as a one-technique but he has the flexibility to play both inside positions. He has get-off, he has speed off the ball and he knows how to win early on the down to be disruptive in the vertical pass-rush game or a vertical disruption type of guy. His effort will get him to close out to the quarterback.”
Windsor’s information that he was graded higher by some teams than where he was picked may have been true.
“We had a high grade on this guy,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said on Sirius XM Radio. “He kind of fell to us. We had him a little bit higher than here so we are really excited. He is very disruptive. We feel very good about getting him.”
The defensive tackle will have plenty of talent in Indianapolis to learn from, especially at the top of the depth chart. The Colts traded the No. 13 overall pick for 2019 second-team All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner this offseason, and Windsor is looking forward to learning from the star lineman.
“It’s another great opportunity,” Windsor said. “I have a great situation here. The Colts need some depth at defensive tackle, which is why they picked me. So it’s a great situation for me on top of that. I get to learn from one of the best defensive tackles in the league.”
Windsor has already begun to look ahead to his NFL career, but he won’t be forgetting his experience with the Penn State football program any time soon.
His college career is now in the past, but Windsor said he wouldn’t be where he was without his five years at Penn State, and struggled to pick one way in which the football program helped him grow the most.
“The whole experience was growth,” he said. “I came in a boy and I left a man.”
He said he’ll miss being a Nittany Lion, and the defensive tackle knows the bond he had in his time at Penn State is unlike any other he’s likely to experience. That’s what he’ll miss most about his experience in college football.
“I’m going to miss the brotherhood,” he said. “Hands down. Just being around there with my guys, playing jokes on each other, those are my brothers for life. I’ll definitely miss those guys. “
This story was originally published May 2, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
