Stampede Blue: An SB Nation Community

Navigation: Jump to content areas:



Around SBN: MLB Hot Stove: blogging the rumors, trades, signings Bar-right-arrows



2008 NFL Draft: Who is Mike Pollack?

So, there is out team's first round pick. OC Mike Pollack, Arizona State, is yet another of those Bill Polian picks no one saw coming. No one saw the Bob Sanders pick in 2004, and no one saw the Reggie Wayne pick in 2001. So, before we start bashing Bill Polian for passing on Earl Bennett and Cliff Avril, let's settle down and take a look at Mike Pollack.

Here's what NFL.com's Combine page said about him:

Perhaps the strongest and toughest blocker in the Pac-10 Conference, the Sun Devils relied on the leader of their line to stabilize the offense up front...

Plays on his feet and uses his hands effectively to redirect the defender with authority...

All-out battler in one-on-one situations and has a good grasp of the playbook, making all of the blocking calls up front...Good team leader whose work ethic is emulated by the squad's younger players...

Pollack is considered by many to be the best OC in this draft, and at 6'4, 299 is fits the mold of o-linemen the Colts like. Jeff Saturday is 33, and at the end of 2008 his contract is up. Yes, the Colts could re-sign him, or they could go with youth. Pollack is that youth. They essentially did the same thing with Tarik Glenn, and it worked out just fine.

So no, none of us saw this coming, but with Matt Forte, Chris Johnson, Dustin Keller, and John Carlson off the board at #59, the Colts opted for o-line.

The Colts have also shouted from the mountain tops that Pollack will play OG, not OC. I don't buy that because of Saturday's age and contract, but here's what they had to say:

The Colts, with the 28th selection of the second round and the 59th selection overall, chose Pollak, who was generally considered one of the top centers available in the draft.

Pollak will play guard for the Colts, club President Bill Polian said.

"I’m so excited right now," Pollak said in a conference call with Indianapolis media a few minutes after his selection. "I’m so pumped to be coming to be a Colt.

"This is something that sort of really shocked me. It was a big surprise."

Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy told him shortly after his selection he will get a chance to compete for a starting position at guard, Pollak said.

"Mike played center at Arizona State, but really the type of offense they ran you saw him do a lot of the things we ask our guards to do," Dungy said.

Day two of the draft begins at 10am Eastern.

Photo: Getty Images, Otto Greule, Jr.

0 recs | Comment 2 comments

Read Related

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Display:

you say

no one saw this coming. ask nicjohns about that lol

by skywalker on Apr 27, 2008 10:32 AM EDT   0 recs

I missed the 2nd round yesterday

So I was shocked to here we took Pollack. I didn’t know of course that Forte and Carlson were gone, so now it’s a great pick. I’m a little nervous about the position change from center to guard, but if he can pick up the system quickly like Ugoh, he will be the starter and a solid lineman. He’s definitely good enough to start.

coltshomer.blogspot.com

by Colts Homer on Apr 27, 2008 11:47 AM EDT   0 recs

Comments For This Post Are Closed


User Tools

Welcome to the SB Nation blog about the Indianapolis Colts, 2006 NFL Champions!

FanPosts

Community blog posts and discussion.

Recent FanPosts

Atari_small
Ask CincyJungle, a blog about the joyful Bengals!
Small
Hagler injured?
Peyton_rocks_small
From Peter Schrager on Fox
Peyton_rocks_small
Week 14 Power Rankings
Coltsring02_small
Brackett out at least 2 weeks...possibly year
Stampedeblue_small
Robert Mathis named AFC Defensive Player of the Week
Small
Gary Brackett *NOT* IR'ed
Defaultheader1_small
Why Are Plaxico Burress and Marvin Harrison Treated Differently?
Small
Not a good sign for Brackett
Small
Red Zone Defense (from ESPN)

Post_icon New FanPost All FanPosts Carrot-mini


Site Meter