Cameron Ball is a full-grown man entering the NFL. He spent five years at the University of Arkansas, is 23 years old, and 6'5" and 325 pounds, and the 2026 undrafted free agent could very well be the starting nose guard for the Indianapolis Colts sometime in 2026.
He certainly has his supporters. One of those is Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic (subscription required), who recently said that of all of Indy's undrafted free agent class, Ball is the best fit and could potentially have the biggest long-term impact.
Baumgardner wrote, "A good run defender with quick hands and fast feet, Ball, a team captain at Arkansas, had some promising flashes at the Senior Bowl. I’m not sure he can play three-tech in the NFL, but he’s a worthy nose prospect."
Cameron Ball could turn out to be a hidden UDFA gem for the Indianapolis Colts
While positional flexibility is a fantastic aspect, it is one that Ball doesn't truly need in Lou Anarumo's defense. What Indy's defense needs is an anchor in the middle, taking up space and eating up blockers, which frees up the edge rushers to see more one-on-one blocking, at least, in theory.
At Arkansas, Ball was able to get a surprising amount of interior quarterback pressure. In 2025, he had 21 total pressures, though he didn't have a sack. He also had 17 run stuffs, after having 27 the year before. Even better, Ball doesn't whiff on many tackles.
The QB pressure part is telling. The lack of sacks indicates that Ball has the strength to get past interior offensive linemen, but doesn't have the quickness to run down quarterbacks once he is through the line.
This, of course, feeds the idea that at the NFL level, he will be a two-down player tasked with stopping the run. He likely can be successful at that, especially as his run-defense technique appears league-ready. He doesn't miss assignments, and he isn't called for unnecessary penalties. In the last four years of his college career, Ball was flagged only three times. None last season.
As far as missing potential tackles, he whiffed on seven total in the past three years. While his massed tackle percentage was 9.7 in 2025, which isn't awful, he missed on just 5.1 percent in 2024 and 6.9 percent in 2023.
Cameron Ball will need to prove he is worth a roster spot with his play in training camp, of course. As a UDFA, he won't get the same chances at making mistakes that a high-round draft pick would. If Ball can make a few powerful stops of running back Jonathan Taylor, he should earn his spot.