Let's Talk Draft

then get a KR/PR

after that I dont care.

Polian finds sime help along the O-Line. Another pass rusher would be nice as well

Here is how I see it going: (I am assuming no CBA)
UFA Brackett will be resigned. ($4.8 million/year)
RFA Charlie Johnson will be signed to a 1st round tender. ($2.2 million)
RFA Bethea will be resigned long term. ($3.5 million.) Tender would be 1st and 3rd.
RFAs: Hagler, Bullitt, Muir, A. Johnson will be resigned but not a qualifying offer.
FAs: Jackson, Baskett, Jennings, Keiaho, Federkeil, Rushing, Francisco, Stover will not be resigned. (Maybe Rushing if they can’t find a KR.)

That leaves biggest needs as two OL, depth at CB, SS, KR, DT, ROLB depth.

Draft:
Rd1. Maurkic Pouncey C/OG Florida.
I would love to get Charles Brown OT USC in order to move Johnson inside, but I don’t think he falls that far. Pouncey is probably not quite a 1st rounder, but very versatile and we are desperate on the O-line. Hopefully Pouncey will be the player Pollack was supposed to. Starting RG and eventual replacement for Saturday.

Rd2. Kyle Calloway OT Iowa.
Calloway is strictly a road grader RT. I have been a big Ryan Diem supporter for a long time, but it’s time to put that horse out to pasture. He was a liability last year.

Rd3. Larry Asante SS Nebraska.
Really want a CB here like Javier Arenas or Kyle Wilson, but I think they come off the board a little before this. Asante should push Bullitt for playing time and provide good depth at Safety.

Rd4. Syd’Quan Thompson CB California
I think Thompson falls a bit because of a slow 40 time. Should be fine in our zone coverage scheme and we need a CB with Jennings and Jackson both leaving.

Rd5. Rico McCoy LB Tennessee
He’s not a SAM and may never see the field as a starter. He’s fast and undersized like we like. Could be a special teams ace if nothing else.

Rd7. Brandon James KR Florida
This late, maybe it’s time to take a flier on a kickoff guy. See what he can do.

as far as the punt returner we signed the future contract of RB Devin Moore already. They clocked him the week before the super bowl and is the 2nd fastest on the team. He lacks size but has good hands and speed. Check him out on youtube devin moore -wyoming

Round 1-Trade down if we can’t get Charles Brown (OT USC). Or trade up to get Bruce Campbell (OT Maryland). We should go into round two with either Campbell or more picks. I like Pouncey too, but we could get more value with another 2nd rounder.

Round 2-Perrish Cox, CB Oklahoma State. He’d fix CB depth and he’s a good return guy. Two birds, one stone. Plus he’s bigger than most of our CBs to deal with those pesky Vincent Jacksons, Marques Colstons and Randy Mosses of the league. If we have another 2nd rounder from a trade out of the first round, take Rob Gronkowski (TE Arizona).

Round 3-Austen Lane, DE Murray State. Yeah, he’s huge (6’7 270), and I know we don’t like ‘em too big, but damn…he’s a helluva pass rusher. He’ll get attention at the combine may not be available here. If Jason Fox is available (LT Miami) you can’t pass him up, even considering the injury questions. The only other guy I like in this range is Daryl Washington (ILB, TCU) but he probably won’t be available either. Trade down?

Round 4-Myron Rolle, S Florida State. We really need a Silva upgrade, and Rolle is a beast. Again, he’s probably a little too big, physical and perhaps slow for our system, but you can’t say he’s not smart (he’s literally a Rhodes Scholar). The other guy I like here is Ed Wang (OT Virginia Tech), but only if we couldn’t secure a tackle earlier.

Round 5-Joe Pawelek, ILB Baylor. With no cap, the Colts should long-term Brackett, but if they franchise him, Pawelek is the only other rookie LB I see the Colts drafting who could replace him soon (besides Washington). He’s got a similar skill-set to Washington, and is not a huge step down, talent-wise, but he’ll be available a lot later. If they draft Washington instead of a pass rusher in the 3rd, I’d like to see a pass rusher here, like George Selvie (DE South Florida).

Round 7-Either another CB to fill out the roster, a DT or a kicker (I think they’ll cut Vinatieri). The CBs are deep this year. Sherrick McMannus out of Northwestern (they like Big Ten D-backs) could be available, and he’s big and can cover a little. There will be no shortage of undersized, fast DTs, like Randy Earl from Minn St.-Mankato. Small school, but he could play all along the D-line in our weird system.

-Charles Brown is an absolute perfect fit for the Colts O-Line. He’s a ZBS kinda guy and is extremely athletic, which should allow him to get outside for stretch plays and move to the next level to extend runs. He’s a great pass protector and pretty good run blocker. The only knock on him is his weight, which hovers around 300. If he bulks up another 10 or 15 pounds, he could become something special. He’s my pick for the Colts at 31.

-I was one of the bigger Philip Wheeler sympathizers during the season, but I just haven’t seen enough out of him to think that he can take the job next season. So I’m hoping the Colts have a shot at TCU’s Daryl Washington in the second round. He’s more of a WILL in our system, but he’s athletic enough to play either side. He’s a tackling machine and usually doesn’t let anything get by him, and the speed and range are all there. Possibly could even switch to the middle down the road.

-If Washington isn’t there in round 2, then maybe S Nate Allen is. He’s a great ball hawker and has the size and tackling-ability to play either SS or FS. Our safety depth is non-existent beyond Bullitt, so I’d love for the team to take a one early and secure the position.

In no particular order:

Golden Tate - return man, You get the best of both Reggie Bush and Percy Harvin here, and he could be used as a receiver on certain downs as well.

Toby Gerhart - love Mike Hart, but we need a bulldozer type back for short yardage situations. Addai, Brown, and Gerhart would be the ultimate triple threat backfield. A lot, and I mean a LOT, of pressure will be taken off Manning if this somehow happens (plus get some new run blockers).

Myron Rolle - A great safety at FSU who was a projected first day draft pick last year before he decided to attend Oxford. Smart, good young man and a great safety. Could be a steal late in the draft.

Daryl Washington - the guy is just a hard nosed hard hitting linebacker from an outstanding defensive team. If this guy falls past the second half of the second round, he will be a HUGE steal.

ANY offensive linemen projected in the first two rounds - our run blocking has GOT to improve next year. We have the backs, now give them some f***ing room.

Most of those guys will be drafted in the first two rounds, so here is the liklihood of us drafting them. Tate – 20%; will get him if he’s still around, but I feel that he wants to be a full time receiver rather than just an x-factor and return man, and think he will be drafted early on by a team who wants to fill that need. Gerhart – 25%; we will get him if he’s available past round 2, IMO. No way mgt uses another early round pick on an RB. Rolle – 70%; he’ll surely slip into the middle rounds, and with us being thin at safety, and him being a character guy + excellent at the position makes this a no brainer. Washington – 70%; Brackett will re-sign, but won’t be here forever, we are thin at LB, and this guy is good enough to start right away at WILL. O-linemen – 99%; either by draft or free agency, this is an obvious need to fill.

Best fit on the board when we pick. Not sure how it will fall. Charles Brown sounds good then I think we have to go with a CB that is bigger than usual and look at DE. All good suggestions listed above. Special teams KR could use a boost but I don’t think Polian will pick specifically for that position.

he’ll take care of our needs.
That being said lets hope he upgrades the O-Line, maybe get a DE, We need a MLB with Bracket being a FA even if he resigns it wont be long term. We might need a depth CB. Finally and most importantly we need a damn KR and PR. Im tired of seeing Rushings call for a fair catch, and i want to see some better field position for Manning and Co.