National Football League

Checking in on Hoosiers in the NFL

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The NFL is through 4 weeks now with an abundance of former Indiana Football players getting opportunities. How are they fairing this season?

Football school? Not quite, but some of the standouts from Indiana’s Football program are getting their opportunities of late. In total, there are eight former Hoosiers on current NFL rosters across the league. Here is how they are doing so far:

Jordan Howard, Running Back – Chicago Bears

Jordan Howard has been an extremely pleasant surprise in his rookie year with the Chicago Bears. Drafted in the 5th round this year, Howard was overlooked by an abundance of other teams in the NFL. The struggles the Bears faced after an 0-3 start to the season in combination with nagging injuries to Jeremy Langford and Kadeem Carey paved an opportunity for Jordan Howard to start on Sunday.

Oct 2, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard (24) leaves the field after beating the Detroit Lions 17-14. at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-USA TODAY Sports

Howard took that opportunity and ran with it, literally.

The rookie running back posted 111 yards on the ground in 23 attempts while catching 3 passes for 21 yards in the Bears route to their first home win in almost a calendar year. Howard had the chance to get on the field in the first few games but nothing to the magnitude of week 4.

Coach John Fox said post-game, “We noticed pretty early on. Jordan is a big back and we knew that when he came out of Indiana University. The thing we didn’t know is the quickness of his feet and the vision he has. I think he’s outstanding and we will ride him pretty good going forward.”

Howard was the first running back to post 100 yards or more since Matt Forte in Week 1 in 2015 against the Green Bay Packers.

Tevin Coleman, Running Back – Atlanta Falcons

Second year running back Tevin Coleman had an impressive career at Indiana, leading the team in rushing in his junior year with 2036 yards on the ground before being drafted in the 3rd round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Coleman played in 12 games in his rookie year but struggled for the better part of the 2015 campaign. He fell on the depth chart to Devonta Freeman who had a breakout year for the Falcons.

Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports.

2016 has been a year of new opportunities for Tevin Coleman though, who stepped into a dynamic role with Freeman. The two backs have combined for 693 yards on 114 attempts with 6 touchdowns. 4 of the 6 touchdowns coming from Tevin Coleman.

Coleman has shown major improvement in being able to catch the ball out of the backfield, opening up plenty of opportunities for quarterback Matt Ryan to expand on the offense. The diverse transition from Freeman being the main back to a dynamic duo of Coleman and Freeman has served well for the Falcons as they are off to a 3-1 start.

Tevin Coleman might not play this week against the Denver Broncos though. He carries the sickel cell trait which a unique blood disorder that can cause complications when under extreme physical and environmental conditions. With the Broncos playing nearly a mile above sea level, it can become a very tricky situation for the running back and the team. We will continue to monitor his situation as it develops.

Jason Spriggs, Offensive Tackle – Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers have been known to invest in their young guns, especially on the offensive side of the ball. It becomes no different when they decided to move up in the 2nd round of the 2016 NFL Draft to select All-American Jason Spriggs with the 48th pick.

Spriggs in large part was one of the most successful tackles Indiana has ever produced, giving the offensive reason to be noted in last year’s bowl run.

The Packers seemed so devoted to allowing their rookies, especially Spriggs, have opportunities to develop that they released 3-time Pro Bowler Josh Sitton right before the fourth pre-season game this season. It has left unanswered questions as to who might step up for the Packers line.

Spriggs has played in all four games so far this season and will continue to see a starting role until further notice. Being the guy that Aaron Rodgers relies on to give him time in the pocket could serve extremely beneficial for Spriggs progression. I see plenty of Pro Bowl potential in Jason Spriggs as he continues his NFL career.

Darius Latham, Defensive Tackle – Oakland Raiders

Darius Latham went into the 2016 NFL Draft with high expectations, hoping he would get the shot to continue his career as a dynamic defensive back in the NFL. After the first 5 rounds, his name was uncalled. Another 100 picks went by without hearing his name called. He later signed a contract with the Oakland Raiders and made the opening day roster.

A great turn around for a player who seemed to be avoided in the draft because of his March DUI arrest. Latham has proven on the field that he has the talent to be a quality defensive back and help improve a already quality Raiders defensive. While Latham has not recorded a tackle yet in 2016, he has 4 assists in the first 4 games.

Cody Latimer, Wide Receiver – Denver Broncos

A standout season in his junior year with Indiana back in 2013 sent Cody Latimer straight to the NFL draft. 1096 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns was good enough for him to be selected in the 2nd round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Unfortunately, it has been difficult for Latimer to see any playing time in his first three seasons in the NFL. He backs up behind two stand out receivers in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders who see the bulk of the targets. Interestingly enough, Latimer is listed as the third receiver on the depth chart, but seemingly Josh Norwood has been seeing more targets than Latimer.

One bright side to Latimer is that he has been able to play with one of the best quarterbacks to ever step on the field in Peyton Manning in his first two seasons. He learned the ropes of how to be a successful wideout from Thomas, Sanders and could play a key role moving forward.

Let’s not forget he also has a Super Bowl ring at the age of 25. Not too shabby.

Tracy Porter, Cornerback – Chicago Bears

Tracy Porter is a veteran of the NFL playing in his 9th season with his 4th team. Drafted in 2008 in the 2nd round to New Orleans Saints he has become an essential part of the Chicago Bears defense.

Porter signed a one year deal last year with the Chicago Bears and then a three year extension after quite the impressive showing. While the Bears have been desperate for talent in the cornerback position, Porter provides veteran leadership to a defense filled with new faces.

Other notables: Nate Sudfeld, Quarterback – Washington Redskins; Rodger Saffold, Guard – Los Angeles Rams