Colts reportedly close to landing CFL pass-rush standout, but is he too small?

The Indianapolis Colts are looking far and wide to improve their defense, and they might be going north of the border to help do so.

According to reports, the Colts might be close to signing BC Lions pass rusher Alex Bazzie to a contract now that he’s been let out of his CFL deal early.

The Colts worked Bazzie out in December, and he was set to become a free agent Feb. 14 before his early release. The Cincinnati Bengals also worked him out the same week.

Bazzie, 26, had 11 sacks (tied for fourth-most in the CFL this season) in 18 games for the Lions and added 31 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. After playing his college ball at Marshall, Bazzie hit double digits in sacks two of his three seasons in Canada.

But the question isn’t Bazzie’s production — it’s his size. At 6-1 and less than 230 pounds, he’d be among the lightest (and shortest) pass rushers in the NFL. Even for a team such as the Colts that doesn’t obsess over measurables in its scouting, that would be asking a lot.

Shutdown Corner spoke to a CFL personnel evaluator via text who had his suspicions about how Bazzie might hold up in the NFL.

“{Bazzie] would have to be a 3-4 OLB [outside linebacker} and would be a light one at that. High motor player [with] very good quickness. I don’t know enough about his dropping [into coverage] skills to definitively say if he can do that in the NFL, but there is no way he can last in the box at that level at his size,” the scout wrote.

Told he was expected to sign with the Colts, the scout cast serious doubt on how the signing might work out: “I’d be surprised if Bazzie is in the NFL next year.”

Robert Mathis is retiring from football, and Trent Cole, Akeem Ayers and Erik Walden have not produced the pass-rush results the Colts were hoping for. They could use help, so it will be interesting to see if Brazzie has a chance as an edge rusher in their system.

One of Bazzie’s college highlights was laying out then Florida International’s T.Y. Hilton on a kickoff in the Beef O’Bradys Bowl in 2011. Yes, the same Hilton who led the NFL in receiving yards for the Colts in 2016.

Bazzie’s Lions teammate, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Anthony Gaitor, signed with the New Orleans Saints this week, joining two other former CFL players — Lions linebacker Adam Bighill and Ottawa Redblacks defensive back Forrest Hightower — on the roster there.

The CFL has produced plenty of players who later made it in the NFL, including some notable quarterbacks such as Hall of Famer Warren Moon, Joe Theismann, Doug Flutie and Jeff Garcia. The most famous pass rusher to migrate to the NFL is Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake, but Brazzie might have a size obstacle in his quest to become the next Wake in this league.

– – – – – – –

Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @Eric_Edholm