2008 Colts Draft Pick: LB Philip Wheeler
![]() |
Right after the Colts made Philip Wheeler their 3rd round draft choice, I received this email from David Halprin, head writer over at Blogging the Boys telling me that the Colts had "drafted his guy." David is a huge Philip Wheeler fan, and I got the sense he was hoping Dallas might have a shot at him. And why not? At 6'2, 245 pounds, Wheeler made his name in college football as a devastating blitzing LBer. This kind of backer is perfect for the Cowboys, Browns, or even the Patriots.
So, why did a team like Indy, who NEVER blitzes their LBers, draft Philip Wheeler?
At first, I thought they drafted Wheeler with the intention to play him down on the line, like they are doing with Marcus Howard. However, when Bill Polian did his press conference after the draft, he made it clear that Wheeler is staying at LBer. Translation: Tyjuan Hagler better have a monster camp to keep his job.
Leading up to the draft, I did profiles on LBers I thought would fit the Colts' scheme. These were guys who tackled well, played well in zone coverage, hit hard, and had ball hawking skills. Players like Gary Brackett, Freddie Keiaho, and Hagler fit this mold. With Wheeler, when you look at his Scouting Combine report, it's as if Polian totally broke away from the mold:
Adequate worker in the offseason and needs to be monitored in the weight room...Although he can make plays on passes he has a shot at, he lacks natural ball skills or hands...Poor playmaker in zone coverage...
Wheeler is not the second coming of Keith Brooking. He is an efficient blitzer who does a nice job of keeping plays in front of him, but he is too inconsistent in reading keys and his penetration skills might be better suited for the outside. However, he lacks the range to make plays in long pursuit, is a bit stiff in his hips and can be exposed when he comes out of his backpedal. He has some decent value forcing the run, but he fails to use good punch or hand placement vs. tight ends and is marginal in coverage. If some team can be happy with a two-down player, Wheeler might fit their needs, but he's not an every-down contributor based on his play in 2007.
When you read this, you have to wonder if Polian did not accidentally draft the wrong guy. This does not sound like a Cover 2 LBer at all. Yet, the Colts make no bones about it: Wheeler is playing LBer, and, as a 3rd round pick, Wheeler better be starting a LBer soon. Otherwise, this was a wasted pick; pure and simple.
Now, saying all that, there must have been something in Wheeler the Colts saw that led them to think he can play LBer in Indy's Tampa 2 scheme. Wheeler will certainly be the biggest LBer Indy had, but his issues playing in zone coverage better get corrected. Wheeler is an explosive hitter and a dynamic force as a tackler. Maybe, with certain defensive packages, Indy will use Wheeler as a surprise blitz backer.
We will see. Colts.com has good article up on Wheeler here.
0 recs |
2
comments
| Add your comment
Read Related
Comments
Wheeler needs to develop into an every down LB
I don’t think it will be possible, especially early on, for any blitz by Wheeler to be a “surprise” by the opposing team. That’s what he did in college, and that’s what he’s good at. If and when Wheeler becomes an every down player, he most definitely will be used as a blitzing LB; it just will be more of a “surprise” than it will early on. We found out last year that the key to being successful against elite QBs is to get pressure in their face. I think Wheeler can do this consistently.
Wheeler also should be a monster on special teams. He hits people hard. He’s also relatively quick for his size, which is a big plus.
I’m not sure if Polian has done this in the past, but do you think this pick was partially to keep him away from a 3-4 defense? It seems dumb to build your team playing keep away from others, but there is a slight possibility that this may have occurred here, since he doesn’t fit the “mold” of a Cover 2 LB.
by mgrex03 on
May 5, 2008 3:09 PM EDT
reply
0 recs
New Era Scouting was saying
that his issues in zone coverage were more lack of experience than ability, that he wasn’t asked to play zone very often, so didn’t learn it well/get comfortable playing it. They also liked his athleticism better.
While he gets use to playing zone, he’ll be a beast on special teams and could be a rush end and play near the goal line, where the Colts could send him on a run blitz like they do with the current LBs occasionally.
my blog http://shakennbaken.blogspot.com
by shake n bake on
May 5, 2008 11:22 PM EDT
reply
0 recs










