Player
Kwity Paye
EDGE · Colts
Kwity Paye: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
The 21st pick has gotten better every year — except 2025, when the Latu effect kicked in.
TrendKwity Paye regular-season defensive line by year
| Year | Sacks | TFL | QB Hits | Tackles | Asst |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 12 | 16 |
| 2022 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 31 | 13 |
| 2023 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 20 | 21 |
| 2024 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 12 |
| 2025 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 24 |
Sacks per season
| Season | Sacks |
|---|---|
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 7 |
| 2025 | 4 |
The rookie 3-sack year (in 14 games) turned into 6 → 8 → 7 — a steady, slightly boring ramp toward starter-grade production. The 2025 dip to 4 sacks is the first year of his career that didn't move forward — but the assists column jumped (24, a career high) and the QB hits stayed steady (9). The pressure was still there; the finishes weren't.
The Laiatu Latu draft transferred his sack production — but his pressure rate is unchanged.
SplitPaye vs Latu, 2024 (Latu rookie) and 2025
| Year | Paye Sacks | Latu Sacks | Paye QB Hits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7 | 4 | 12 |
| 2025 | 4 | 7 | 9 |
In 2024, Latu's rookie year, Paye was clearly the alpha (7 sacks to 4). In 2025 those numbers flipped — Latu took the lead and Paye's sack rate dropped. The QB hits and tackles tell the more honest story: Paye is still producing pressure, the closing reps are just going to the other edge. The Colts' edge room has become a true duo, not a 1A/1B split.
He cleared 25 career sacks in 71 games — sustained production from a top-25 pick.
MilestonePaye career totals (reg. season)
| Sacks | TFL | QB Hits | FF | FR | Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 37 | 50 | 4 | 5 | 71 |
28 sacks, 50 QB hits, 4 forced fumbles, 5 recoveries through five seasons. The 0.39 sacks-per-game career rate is starter-grade-but-not-elite — solidly in the 'rotational EDGE+' band. The 9 forced or recovered fumbles is the underrated piece: he creates turnovers as often as some safeties at his career stage.
His pressure ceiling came in 2024, but the QBs got away — 12 hits, 7 sacks.
AnomalyHits-to-sacks ratios by year
| Year | QB Hits | Sacks | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10 | 3 | 3.33 |
| 2022 | 10 | 6 | 1.67 |
| 2023 | 9 | 8 | 1.13 |
| 2024 | 12 | 7 | 1.71 |
| 2025 | 9 | 4 | 2.25 |
2023 was his most efficient finishing year — 9 hits, 8 sacks (a 1.13 ratio is elite). 2024 was actually his highest *pressure* year (12 QB hits, a career high) but only 7 sacks; 2025 has been worse on the conversion side (2.25 hits per sack). If the conversion rate from 2023 had held in 2025, he'd already be sitting on 8 sacks instead of 4.
4 career 2-sack games — never 3 in a single outing.
ComparisonTop single-game sack performances
| Year | Wk | Opp | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | vs ARI | 2 |
| 2024 | 11 | vs NYJ | 2 |
| 2023 | 13 | vs TEN | 2 |
| 2022 | 1 | vs HOU | 2 |
Paye's career has four 2-sack games — and zero 3-sack games. He's the volume edge: consistent every week, almost never the headline-night performer. The 2022 opener vs Houston (rookie 2-sack game) and the 2025 Week 6 vs Arizona (his most recent multi-sack outing) bracket his best signature performances.
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