Tarell Basham was selected by the Indianapolis on Friday night with the 80th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
At the 80th pick, Basham is the highest overall pick since 2009, when Mike Mitchell went 47th overall. Basham is the first Bobcat drafted since 2014, when Travis "T.J." Carrie was selected in the seventh round.
At 6-foot-4, 269 pounds, Basham will be an off-the-edge pass rusher for the Colts 3-4 scheme. At Basham's pro day, he ran an unofficial 4.65 40-yard dash.
Basham finished his senior season as the most accomplished pass-rusher in Ohio history. In his last year, he finished with 11.5 sacks, tied for 11th in the entire Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), and led the MAC. He also earned 16 tackles for a loss.
For his efforts, he was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Basham is the third MAC player taken in this year's draft, which as of Friday night is still going on.
The Colts previously picked Ohio State safety Malik Hooker and cornerback Quincy Wilson with their previous picks in the draft. The Colts are coached by Chuck Pagano, with Ted Monachino as their defensive coordinator.
Basham is now the fourth Bobcat to be on an NFL roster, joining Mike Mitchell, TJ Carrie and Ian Wells.
