Going into Thursday night's NFL Draft the Colts still have needs, but not all needs are created equal. What follows are the needs the Colts have and suggested solutions and rounds to target finding them.
An important diddy: The player grades come from the NFL. Here’s how they work: Players are graded on at 10 point scale. A 10 is Peyton Manning, a once in a generation talent. A 5 is average. The interesting range is 5.3 and up. 5.3s project to being serviceable players. 6s project to being steady starters. 6.5s project as potential Pro Bowlers. The more 5.3s and higher, the greater the pool of talent. The grades are far from being a perfect predictor of future success, but they give you an idea of what’s there.
Another important diddy: The more QBs taken in the first round the better it is for Indianapolis.
The Colts picks:
Rd 1: 15th overall
Rd 2: 46th overall
Rd 3: 80th overall
Rd 4: 121st, 130th, 144th overall
Rd 5: 158th overall
Not needed: Special Teams, Wide Receiver and Quarterback.
- Nathan Peterman (Pittsburgh), Brad Kaaya (Miami) or Chad Kelly (Mississippi) wouldn’t be bad backup QBs for Indy to have, but they’re all probably going to be gone before Indy should even think about picking them.
Area 1: CB, Grades 5.3 and up: 25 Grades 6 and up: 4
Suggested Rounds to Target: 1st player, Rd 1-2. 2nd player, Rd 3-5.
- Just based on the amount of depth, Indy could afford to wait until Rd 2 to grab a starting Corner. Marshon Lattimore (Ohio State) is the highest rated CB and will likely be gone by the time Indy picks at 15. After Lattimore, there are seven CBs that are similar in potential. The chances are good some of those seven will be around in Rd 2. Players like Chidobe Awuzie (Colorado), Tre’Davious White (LSU), Adoree Jackson (USC), Sidney Jones and Kevin King (Washington), could still be in play at pick 46. And if they aren’t, quality options like Cordrea Tankersley (Clemson) will be.
- That said, waiting comes with the gamble that you might miss out of the cream of the CB crop. Indy could just take any of the group previously mentioned or Marlon Humphrey (Alabama) in Rd 1 and be done with it.
- To boost the CB depth, Indy could use one of their three Rd 4 picks to grab another corner, someone like Miami’s Corn Elder.
Area 2: LB, Grades 5.3 and up: 28 Grades 6 and up: 4
Suggested Rounds to Target: 1-2, whichever a CB is not taken. Maybe another in round 4-5.
- This is where I would go in Rd 1. There’s a great chance that either Reuben Foster (Alabama, a.k.a. the guy who got kicked out of the combine) or Hassan Reddick (Temple) will be there at 15. Both could be game changers at ILB and let Spence and Bostic battle for the second ILB spot. If you don’t get one of those two, then Indy shouldn’t worry about ILB until maybe grabbing Kendell Beckwith (LSU) in either Rds 4 or 5.
- There are a lot more options at OLB. Takkarist McKinley (UCLA) or Derek Barnett (Tennessee) would be a viable Rd 1 pick. Then a cadre of pass-rushers could be found in Rd 2-3: Tim Williams and Ryan Anderson (Alabama), T.J. Watt (Wisconsin), Tyus Bowser (Houston), Jordan Willis (Kansas State) and Carl Lawson (Auburn).
Area 3: Safely, Grades 5.3 and up: 18 Grades 6 and up: 3
Suggested Rounds to Target: 3-4.
- There’s quality depth at this position, it would be foolish to rush into picking one early unless a stud Safety (LSU’s Jamal Adams or Ohio State’s Malik Hooker) falls to you. John Johnson (Boston College), Desmond King (Iowa) and Tedric Thompson (Colorado) would all be guys worth targeting in Rd 3.
Area 4: Offensive Skill positions
A: RB, Grades 5.3 and up: 20 Grades 6 and up: 4
B: TE, Grades 5.3 and up: 17 Grades 6 and up: 3
Suggested Rounds to Target: 3-5.
- Indy would be greedy to address either TE or RB. Neither are pressing needs but they would be huge pluses if Indy could add a quality player at either spot.
- RB might be the least urgent to address with a high pick. Great RBs can be found anywhere. Jordan Howard for the Bears was the NFL second leading rusher in 2016. He was a seventh round pick. A player like Donnel Pumphrey (San Diego St.) is a replica of Christian McCaffrey and could be had in the fifth round at a quarter of the cost McCaffrey will require. If you want to grab a guy with explicit three-down potential, D’Onta Foreman (Texas), Alvin Kamara (Tennessee) or Samaje Perine and, gulp, Joe Mixon (Oklahoma) could all be available in Rd 3.
- TE is like a copycat of RB. Good ones can be found anywhere. If you look at arguably the three best TEs in history (Tony Gonzalez, Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Gates) they were drafted in Rd 1, Rd 2 and Undrafted, respectively. If Jake Butt (Michigan) fell to Indy in Rd 3 that would be amazing. Butt’s rehabbing an injury. But well-graded players like Jordan Leggett (Clemson), Michael Roberts (Toledo) or Robert Tonyan (Indiana St.) could all be available in Rds 4 or even 5.
Area 5: DE, Grades 5.3 and up: 32 Grades 6 and Up: 8 Grades 7 and Up: 1
Suggested Rounds to Target: 4-5
- 3-4 DEs need to be big, of a similar size to a 4-3 DT. Plenty of options will be available in the later rounds: liEjuan Price (Pittsburgh), Dawuane Smoot (Illinois), or Deatrich Wise and Jeremiah Ledbetter (Arkansas).
Area 6: O-Line depth, Grades 5.3 and up: 28 Grades 6 and up: 4
Suggested Rounds to Target: 4-5
- If you address this you’re looking for a versatile lineman that can play either tackle or guard. Someone like Collin Buchanan (Miami-Ohio) or Will Holden (Vanderbilt).
Area 7: NT, Grades 5.3 and up: 4
Suggested Round to Target: 5
- Pickings are slim. Jaleel Johnson (Iowa), D.J. Jones (Mississippi), Jarron Jones (Notre Dame) and Stevie Tu’ikolovatu (USC) are among the few bigger than 310, with Tu’ikolovatu being the only one bigger than 320. Maybe take him in Rd 4 or if you could wait until Rd 5 that would probably be best.
