FanPost

2010 Offensive Line: One Guy's Opinion

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via www.colts.com

So it's the end of day two. Polian and crew pass up several highly rated Offensive Tackles to address other needs.

"the board spoke to them" and said... You need a 3rd fast/ undersized DE, a backup linebacker, and a sleeper Corner from a big school."The colts still have 5 more late round picks plus all the free agents they can sign to address our biggest need. Offensive Tackle. But who do they take?

When projecting Offensive Tackles in the NFL you have Right Tackles and Left Tackles (obviously),But how do you know how a prospect is going to pan out left or right? Rarely do you have a guy who is successful at both.

In this guy's opinion, one measurable to look at is Arm Length and the other is footwork. A left tackle in the colt's scheme must be athletic latterly also known as having good feet. The Right Tackle must be athletic too but not to the same extent.

You will also notice that short armed guys seem to project out Right Tackles. This is because having long arms can help negate a speed rush and help a tackle play bigger than they are. Allowing the tackle to weigh less and have better feet.

Now I don't claim that this works all the time. It is just a tool for measuring the remaining prospects for Left Tackle in the draft. Take this article for what it's worth. Arm Length

But if it is possible that this is a priority that the colts look at in a LT. Then who would be available/ desirable in the remaining rounds?

Lets take a look at the top 8 remaining Tackles by arm length and footwork.

Elite Arm Length

Bruce Campbell

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via static.nfl.com

  • Height: 6'6" (good length)
  • Weight: 314 lbs. (good size)
  • Arm Length: 36 1/4 in. (elite length)
  • College: Maryland

Obviously Bruce Campbell who is a physical beast. Boiling over on all measurables known to man.

But why is he still available? The obvious one is that he lacks experience and production. Two traits that the colts seem to covet in my experience. The other which is kind of a wild card, is health. Bruce has struggled with durability including some kind of a brain issue. (I'm not a Dr.) The last is he has been described as a bit lazy with his techniques possibly from being so physically gifted with is a fairly common problem with highly bustable prospects in my opinion.

You might say, Yeah he had too many unknowns to be drafted highly.. but man what a late round flier he would be.

And you could be right.

Tony Washington

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via static.nfl.com

Tony Washington OT From Abilene Christian.

Height: 6'6" (nice length)

Weight: 311 (heavy but not RT heavy)

Arm Length: 35 1/2 in. (that is elite size)

Tony is another developmental Tackle that has a high ceiling and he could be available for us.

He has the physical tools but needs to sharpen his techniques and he doesn't have the injury history to worry about.

Played at the Division II level and did not consistently line up against formidable competition. Must improve his lower body strength and overall balance. He is still new to the game and struggles run blocking in the second level and on screen passes.

The Rest:

Good

Selvish Capers OT West Virginia 34 inch Arm Length. Good

Chris Scott OT Tennessee 34 1/8 inch Arm Length. Good (Bad Agility and footwork though)

Sam Young OT Notre Dame 34 1/2 Inch Arm Length. Good (marginal speed, projected right tackle)

Jason Fox OT Miami 34 1/2 inch Arm Length. Good (marginal foot work and speed)

Average

Adam Ulatoski OT Texas 33 1/4 inch Arm Length. Average

Kyle Calloway OT Iowa 33 1/4 Inch Arm Length. Average

Conclusion:

It looks as though there are 3 possible Left Tackles that would be interesting according to our parameters. Bill Polian is a master at finding Un-drafted Free Agents and late round draft picks that can produce at a high level. So I'm sure that there are probably 10 guys that no one has even heard of that are on his radar.

Food For Thought:

If we don't get a great Offensive Tackle in this draft or free agency our Offensive line is already better than it was last year.

How?

Bill said recently that this draft is not as deep as everyone thinks on the offensive line. He also said that while he did criticize our offensive line's play in the super bowl, that he never said that he was looking to get bigger on the line. Ryan Lijia's Agent is the one that said that. What if, Lijia was let go because of failing a physical for the colts. Bill mentioned something along that line the other day. Jim Irsay also mentioned something about getting better on 3rd and short, but I don't recall him saying that we are planning on getting bigger, just more physical. I don't have any links for these and I could just be having a crazy spell but that is what I remember.

But my point is this....

What if we've already made our changes on offensive line? Now I know you all think I'm crazy. With Mudd leaving there is a changing of the guards of sort. Maybe our new left tackle is Tony Ugoh? Nobody has ever had problems with his physical gifts. His problem has always been between his ears. What if the Crass and Old school Mudd wasn't reaching him. Maybe Pete believes he can do a better job. If Tony goes back to Left Tackle then that would free up the hard working Charlie Johnson to move to Left Guard. Saturday stays in the middle. and you have a open competition for right guard with all the guys on the squad. Diem stays Right Tackle. My opinion on Diem is that he's been playing right too long and wouldn't excel if moved. So you're thinking.. ok crazy guy how does that help our line that was terrible on short yardage last year? Adam Terry. You line Adam up as a tight end/ 3rd tackle and run to his side. Look it up. The Ravens did the same thing with him two years ago.

Go Colts!

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.