Where would Colts be without Samuel Womack III's emergence at CB?

INDIANAPOLIS — Colts cornerback Samuel Womack III has always believed he was meant for more.

Overlooked in the draft because of his size, buried on a Super Bowl contender’s depth chart for his first two seasons, then cut at the end of his third training camp, Womack never lost faith in himself.

When he walked out of San Francisco’s offices on the day the 49ers released him, Womack vowed he’d never get cut again.

“I got this from (All-Pro linebacker) Fred Warner in San Francisco,” Womack said. “'Prepare like you’re the best in the world.'”

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The Colts desperately needed to add a player like Womack to the roster this offseason.

Even if the front office couldn’t see it at the time.

Fresh off a season marred by injuries and inexperience at cornerback, Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard first acknowledged the lack of strength at the spot, then decided to double down, avoiding a major investment from the outside in the position because he believed the young group of cornerbacks he’d assembled was ready to rise to the occasion.

Ballard’s plans went awry almost immediately.

Former second-round pick JuJu Brents, the local product whose rookie season was marred by a rash of injuries, opened the season as the team’s top starter on the outside, only to suffer a significant knee injury in the opener and head to injured reserve.

Brents’ initial replacement, Dallis Flowers, struggled throughout training camp as he returned from a torn Achilles tendon, then struggled so badly in the regular season he was cut after just five games and 89 snaps. Kenny Moore II, the one proven veteran in the room, missed two games with a hip injury and returned to play through pain in Tennessee last week.

If it wasn’t for the afterthought Indianapolis picked up on the waiver wire after San Francisco released him, the Colts would be dealing with an unmitigated disaster at cornerback.

Womack has risen to the occasion.

“The kid came in with a lot of confidence,” defensive backs coach Ron Milus said. “I think it helped, his confidence grew from the fact that it’s similar systems from the 49ers. At the end of the day, it’s really the same system. The words are the same, and he’s come in confident, knowing what to do. He feels like he belongs.”

Never mind that Womack does not fit the physical prototype the Colts typically want in an outside cornerback.

Indianapolis prefers tall, rangy cornerbacks like Brents and Jaylon Jones, players who stand well over 6 feet tall and tower over the 5-9 Womack. The 49ers felt the same way; Womack played just 216 defensive snaps in two seasons in San Francisco despite acquitting himself well when he was forced into action.

Womack never let the lack of playing time affect his preparation or his belief he belongs in the NFL as a starting cornerback.

“That’s just the mentality, how I carry myself,” Womack said. “You’ve just got to stay consistent in this league. As soon as you don’t stay consistent, you don’t do your normal routine or don’t do whatever you usually do, that might be the week.”

The week he gets the opportunity.

The week a team needs him.

Womack’s lack of prototypical size might have blinded the 49ers from seeing why they drafted him in the fifth round in the first place. When he was at Toledo, Womack led the MAC in pass breakups three times, finishing his career with a school-record 39 pass breakups in 41 games.

He can flat-out play football.

“He’s got some speed, too,” Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said. “He can run.”

Womack was timed at 4.39 seconds in the 40-yard dash at his Toledo Pro Day, proving he had NFL-caliber speed even if he didn’t have NFL-caliber size.

But his defining traits are his confidence and the work ethic he learned from Warner in San Francisco.

“Sam kind of reminds me of Casey Hayward,” Bradley said. “Very football-savvy, very smart, high football IQ, studies receivers, studies routes.”

Hayward was a two-time Pro Bowler, a ballhawk who played for Bradley in both Los Angeles and San Diego during his 11-year career. By the time he’d retired, Hayward had 25 career interceptions and 112 pass breakups, leading the league in both categories at one point or the other.

Womack is clearly not on Hayward’s level yet.

He hasn’t had many opportunities. Forced into the lineup by Brents’ injury, Womack has already set a career-high by playing 189 snaps for Indianapolis this season, far more playing time than he’s ever gotten in the NFL.

Womack is making the most of it. The third-year cornerback has broken up five passes, allowed just four completions in 12 targets thrown his way and held opposing receivers to just 2.8 yards per target, according to Sports Info Solutions.

“He’s putting himself in positions to be right,” Milus said.

Womack has always believed he could play like this.

And even though tougher tests are coming, it’s hard to imagine how the Colts would handle those tests without the player everybody thought was an afterthought until he finally got on the field.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Where would Colts be without Samuel Womack III's emergence at CB?