Breaking News: Colts are the 3rd best drafting team in NFL

This evaluation is a bit more brutal:

2006- Addai, Bethea, and CJ are all very reliable starters. Two of them are Pro Bowlers. A truly excellent draft.

2007- Gonzo (never consistent, chronically injured), Ugoh (bust), Dante Hughes (gone after three years, never started), Brannon Condren (gone after one year), Clint Session (reliable starter who is likely gone this season), Roy Hall (hardly ever played), Keyunta Dawson (horrible reserve tackle and semi-decent reserve end with zero pass rushing skills). Only one starter emerged from this group, and he was a linebacker (a position the Colts turnover pretty regularly). A truly awful draft class, especially when you factor in that the Colts do not spend money on veteran free agents.

2008- Pollak (a terrible starting offensive guard, has no business starting anywhere), Philip Wheeler (lost his starting job multiple times), Jacob Tamme (excellent special teamer and reserve TE), Marcus Howard (gone after one year), Tom Santi (reserve, gone after two years), Pierre Garcon (excellent value pick) and Jamey Richard (occasional starter who consistently stinks at his job). Only one real starter from this draft class, and that’s Garcon. I don’t count Pollak because calling Pollak are starting-caliber guard is a big stretch.

2009- Donald Brown (never a starter, unless injury to Addai; lost his reserve job to Dominic Rhodes late in 2010 season; now little more thna team’s third or fourth RB), Fili Moala (starter, but hasn’t been very productive), Jerraud Powers (starter, excellent pick), Austin Collie (we should consider him a starter, and he was an excellent pick), Terrance Taylor (didn’t make 53-man roster that year, awful pick), Curtis Painter (HA!), Jamie Thomas (never started, hardly ever seen the field), and Pat McAfee (excellent pick, new punter and kickoff man). Unlike the last two draft classes, Powers, Collie, and McAfee provide excellent production as starters. Moala isn’t anything worth celebrating, and Brown close to being another first round bust. If not for this draft class, which is very heavily flawed considered the lack of production from top picks Brown and Moala, the Colts are likely not a playoff team.

2010- Hughes (So far, terrible pick, 6 total tackles for a DE in 2010 cannot be justified or defended), Pat Angerer (decent back-up), Kevin Thomas (injury prone in college, got hurt in his first practice; so far, completely wasted pick), Jacques McClendon (never saw the field in 2010), Brody Eldridge (solid blocking TE, reserve), Ricardo Mathews (semi-decent reserve tackle), and Kavell Conner (intriguing potential starter). The only potential starter we may have out of this group is Conner, a 7th rounder, who will likely replace Session (drafted only five years ago). That’s poor value overall, especially when picks 1-4 are not starting caliber players. And yes, Pat Angerer is NOT a starter. He’s a middle linebacker, and Indy already has a ton of brad invested in Gary Brackett. Angerer is not a reliable starter at SAM or WILL. If he were, our run defense would have been better.

So, in five drafts, the Colts have managed to only gain seven true starters, a couple guys on the fence (Conner, Moala), and a few other players who are starting because the area is just THAT devoid of real talent (Pollak). Take 2006 out of the equation, and only four true starters have emerged in the last four drafts.

Meanwhile, the rest of the starters on the roster were drafted prior to 2006, or were players who went undrafted.

Manning- 1998
Wayne- 2001
Clark- 2003
DeVan- undrafted, signed 2009
Saturday- undrafted, signed 1999
Diem- 2001
Freeney- 2002
Muir- undrafted, signed 2008
Mathis- 2003
Hagler- 2005
Hayden- 2005
Bullitt- undrafted, signed 2007