2011 NFL Draft: Colts Reportedly Taking A Look At Nate Solder

First it was Derek Sherrod. Then, Tyron Smith. Now, the Colts are interested in chatting with Nate Solder, left tackle out of Colorado.

From National Football Post's Aaron Wilson:

University of Colorado offensive tackle Nate Solder is scheduled to visit the Indianapolis Colts later this week, according to a league source with knowledge of the situation.

He also visits the Dallas Cowboys this week.

And Solder has previously visited the New England Patriots.

A consensus All-American selection, Solder is one of the top offensive tackle prospects and projected to be drafted in the top half of the first round.

The 6-foot-8, 307-pounder ran the 40-yard dash in 4.96 seconds at the NFL scouting combine.

The Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year bench pressed 225 pounds 21 times and registered a 32-inch vertical leap.

Looks like we have to do a scouting profile on Solder. After the jump, a few notes on the player. Tip to Azrael1987.

From Mocking The Draft, prior to the 2011 NFL Combine:

If Smith isn't the most athletically gifted offensive tackle in this class, it's Solder. He's run the 40-yard dash in 4.8 seconds, registered a 34-inch vertical leap, has a 400-pound power cleans and squats 600 pounds. For a player who is inconsistent on the field, the Combine is a perfect avenue for a player like Solder.

SB Nation's The Ralphie Report, a blog that covers University of Colorado sports, thought that Solder had a rough start to the Combine, but ended up performing well:

Solder got off to a little bit of a rough start last Friday bench pressing 225 pounds 21 times. Solder standing 6-foot-8 1/4 with a 35 inch arm length wasn't expected to put up big numbers on the bench press but 21 could be seen as a small disappointment. Solder is known for his strength in the hang clean which is a much better indicator of strength for an offensive lineman.

But it was pretty much all uphill from there.

Solder impressed during the interview stage. His strong G.P.A in college (3.52) in a extremely difficult major (biology) did not go unnoticed. 

His athleticism and performance in drills did not hurt his stock this past weekend, either. The first look we got of Nate was him destroying the broad jump at 9'2", tying him for third among all offensive linemen. Last year's average for offensive linemen was just over 8 feet. He then followed up that performance with a 5.05 forty, good for fourth among offensive linemen and first overall among tackles.

Solder also finished third in the vertical jump going for 32 inches, fifth in the 3 cone drill (7.44 seconds) and second in the 20 yard shuttle (4.34 seconds)

One of the more important times was his 10 yard split while running his forty. He clocked in at 1.63 seconds, the best of all offensive linemen. Many scouts look at that as a true indicator of speed and power of an offensive lineman.

Solder clearly had the best performance of all the high profiled offensive lineman in the group.

The timed drills are certainly important but Solder also showed well in the position drills.

It seems the Colts liked what they saw in Solder, and are looking to chat with him. Like Sherrod, Solder is likely to be there at pick No. 22.