Josh and I didn't like the Colts' 2014 draft haul. Like us, no one else really cared for Ryan Grigson's draft decision-making.
We'll start with the best grades first and slowly descend into darkness.
Matthew Fairburn, SB Nation.com
Grade: B-
The Mewhort choice in the second round was a bit odd considering the amount of better offensive linemen still on the board. He does give Indianapolis some versatility, but is that what you want out of your first pick in the draft? Moncrief was a steal in the third round. He’ll start as a vertical receiver as he develops his route running. Newsome and Jackson are decent backups. Jackson flashed early in his career at Western Kentucky but never seemed to get better after his freshman season.
Indianapolis picked Jack Mewhort at No. 59. That was a fine choice, but why wasn't another selection used on a center? And why wasn't the defensive backfield improved? Donte Moncrief was a solid value selection in the third round, but he won't help this year. Why not draft a player for the secondary who can?
It's difficult to like what the Colts came away with. This draft class won't improve their roster very much, if at all.C- Grade
Indianapolis Colts: They didn't have a first-round pick because of the trade for running back Trent Richardson, which drops the grade down. I really love third-round pick Donte Moncrief, a receiver from Mississippi. Grade: C
Overall, and underwhelming haul. D+
And finally, Mel Kiper, Jr. ESPN (behind a pay wall)
Needs: C-
Value: DSummary: Unfortunately, the Trent Richardson trade factors hugely into this draft, and that pretty much kills the grade. Think about this: we just went through the second year in a row where a RB wasn't drafted in Round 1, and this year it wasn't even close. Bishop Sankey came off the board at No. 54, and Sankey is a good player and filled a clear need. And don't say I just made up my mind on this after Richardson struggled. I was pretty clear on it then. So the Colts have little to show for Round 1. In Round 2, they get Jack Mewhort, but they need him to change positions, and a very good center, Marcus Martin, was available. Donte Moncrief is a fabulous athlete, but the tape is merely OK, and he wasn't even the best receiver on his own college team. Hopefully Mewhort works out, but safety is still an issue, and the pass rush didn't get any help, so hopefully Bjoern Werner takes a big step this season while Robert Mathis continues his greatness. The big hope is Richardson discovers some magic and makes this draft look better.
So, yeah.
This draft sucked.