By David Elfin
For NFLPLAYERS.COM

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Jacob Lacey wasn’t supposed to be preparing to play in Sunday’s Super Bowl, let alone quite possibly starting at cornerback against the New Orleans Saints’ league-best offense.

Lacey started his final three seasons at Oklahoma State, earning second-team All-Big 12 honors as a senior, but he was ignored in the 2009 NFL Draft largely because of his 5-foot-10, 177-pound frame.

And yet, Lacey, who signed with Indianapolis as a rookie free agent in part on the advice of safety Melvin Bullitt, his former teammate at Naaman Forest High School in Garland, Texas, stepped in when veterans Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden were injured. He started eight of the Colts’ final nine games as well as the AFC Championship Game with third-round pick Jerraud Powers’s status for the Super Bowl up in the air with an injured left foot.  

“I pinch myself every day,” Lacey said Tuesday during the Colts’ Media Day session at Sun Life Stadium. “This opportunity’s not given to everybody. It’s really a blessing coming from free agency to the Super Bowl. Everybody expects to get picked, but [not getting picked] opened up an opportunity to play for a quality organization like the Colts.”

Bullitt, who wasn’t drafted in 2007, convinced Lacey that he would get a fair shake in Indianapolis where such reliables as center Jeff Saturday, middle linebacker Gray Brackett and left guard Ryan Lilja had soared from undrafted rookie free agents to starters. If Lacey is in the lineup on Sunday, he’ll be one of six such Colts starters. Amazingly, 20 of 53 players on the Indianapolis roster weren’t drafted.

The Colts are certainly happy that they signed Lacey, who knows how offensive players think after playing quarterback, receiver and running back in high school.

“He’s really smooth athletically and there’s a presence about him, a calmness,” defensive coordinator Larry Coyer said. “When you saw him in camp, the traits jumped right out at you. He’s competitive. Like all young guys, he’s had his ups and downs, but he doesn’t panic. He’s better now than he was at the start of the year.”

Lacey was beaten by Braylon Edwards for an 80-yard touchdown in the AFC title game, but he recovered to help keep the Jets’ passing game in check after halftime.

“I don’t know what the knock was on me [in the draft],” Lacey said. “I just wanted to prove that I can play.”

Still humble despite finishing second on the Colts with three interceptions and fifth with 78 tackles this season, Lacey credited the team’s veteran leadership for his rapid development while admitting that he plays solid man-to-man defense. 

“The veterans do a great job of talking to us, preparing us, telling us what we need to do and how we need to do it,” Lacey said. “They told us, ‘At some point in time we’re going to need you to play so prepare each week like you’re a starter.’”

Hayden, who returned an interception for a touchdown three years ago to help the Colts win the title in his second season, liked what he saw from Lacey almost as soon as training camp broke.

“It seemed like every day he was making a play somewhere, a strip, a nice pass breakup or even a pick,” Hayden said. “The plays kept coming and after a while you just realized that this guy is a playmaker. He bought into what the coaches were saying and he puts in the work. He was thrown into the fire early in the season because of injuries so he’s battle-tested. He’s confident. He believes he can go out there and make plays. That's half the battle right there.” 

Lacey said he earned those stripes while playing in the pass-happy Big 12, then by facing quarterback Peyton Manning every day in training camp or practice.

“I got a chance to see a lot of situations in college,” Lacey said. “Peyton’s a special guy. A lot of guys can’t do the things that he does. To go against a guy like that every day and see where he’s putting balls helps you learn how to defend and play coverage.”

Now, Lacey stands just one victory away from proving he deserves a Super Bowl ring.

David Elfin has covered the NFL for two decades. He is the former President of the Pro Football Writers of America and serves on the selection committee of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.