The first thing that stands out about Justin Walley is his toughness.
The cornerback showed it physically when he went through scouting activities and participated in the NFL Combine with a cast on his then-broken wrist, running a 4.37-second 40-yard dash. He showed it mentally by simply showing up to workouts and drills without a second thought. He got drafted because of it.
"He's freaking good," general manager Chris Ballard said after the Colts selected Walley in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. "He is really good. Let me tell you this, he's got a wrist (injury) right now. He broke his wrist. In a time when people don't want to work out, I mean, we have guys ducking it. He does everything with a wrist and runs 4.37, with a cast on his wrist. He does everything, every drill, and it shows up on tape."
What doesn't necessarily show up on tape, but is just as obvious when you meet him, is Walley's infectious grin and pure love for football.
"If you count how many times I heard 'It's so good to be playing football again' out there, you would be surprised," Walley said with a grin after the first day of practice during Rookie Minicamp on Friday. "Like man, we're really in the NFL. Our whole life, we've been kind of hoping for this, and now it's actually coming true. It's just a blessing."
Walley, along with his fellow rookies, just arrived at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center on Thursday, but they've already gotten to know each other, meet their coaches and learn what the franchise stands for.
"They love football," Walley said. "The vibe around the whole building is we're here to win games, and that's why I love to be here. I want to win some football games."
The Mississippi native already had an idea as to what the Colts stood for before he got in the building, though; he grew up a Colts fan as his cousin, Donte Moncrief, was a wide receiver for the Colts from 2014-17. Moncrief, ironically, was also a third-round pick, drafted by the Colts in 2014.
Eleven-year-old Walley quickly began watching his cousin and the Colts, and he and his family all bought their fair share of Colts gear. When Moncrief left the Colts after the 2017 season, though, they didn't have much use for it anymore. But they kept it anyway, almost like they knew what might be coming.
Now they can wear it all they want, as Walley carries on a little bit of a family legacy.
"It's an honor," Walley said. "I know he's very excited, I'm excited…my whole family's excited."
"Everybody started screaming," he added. "Everybody started recording. It was amazing."
And Moncrief wasn't Walley's only connection to the Colts. As a smaller cornerback, the 5-foot-10 Walley grew up looking for someone like him to emulate and model his game after. Who better than 5-foot-9 Kenny Moore II, who went from being an undrafted free agent to a Pro Bowler who will be going into his eighth year in the NFL in 2025?
Now, Walley won't have to watch games on tape to learn from Moore – he can just talk to him.
"I'm really excited to pick his brain, see what he knows," Walley. "Hopefully he don't get too tired of me."
For Walley, knowing the Colts selected him even with the talent of people like Moore, Jaylon Jones and Charviarus Ward – a Super Bowl Champion with the Kansas City Chiefs and second-team All Pro in 2023 – already in their cornerback room made him even more excited to join the organization.
"It means a lot," he said. "You have a lot of guys in the room who have a lot of experience, a lot of good players in the room, and to still decide to take me in the third round is a blessing. Just to have the mind to know they think that much of me will help me out a lot."
