I'm doing an ongoing series over at Mocking the Draft on which teams improved themselves enough in the draft to move up to the top or stay on top, and which teams didn't. Here's what I said about the Colts and Titans:

AFC South

Yin:

  Indianapolis Colts

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Go ahead and say it. The Colts blogger gives his favorite team props. Oh, who didn't see that coming. I'm sure some of you think that, but if you take the tin foil hat off for a sec you'll notice that many people thought the Colts did well with this draft. OG Mike Pollak, OC Steve Justice, and OL Jamey Richard give them excellent depth on the o-line. DE Marcus Howard will spell Freeney and Mathis as a pass rusher, and RB Mike Hart will help spell Joseph Addai. Colts addressed all their off-season needs in one draft. Solid, all around.

Yang:

  Tennessee Titans

The Titans reached big time for RB Chris Johnson in the 1st round despite having significant holes in their secondary and at DE. Jason Jones helps but he is not enough to stem the loses of both Antwan Odom and Travis LaBoy to free agency. They didn't draft a DB until round 7 despite having horrid safeties and an aging Nick Harper.

Mike Hart compares to Joseph Addai. Photo: via sportswrap.berecruited.com

Bill Polian let some of the air out of the Dom to Indy sails recently:

And the possibility of the Colts bringing back running back Dominic Rhodes, who was released by the Oakland Raiders on Monday, has also not been discussed as of yet.

"We didn’t discuss it [Tuesday]. [Head coach] Tony [Dungy] didn’t mention it. I think we’re pretty full at the position to be truthful with you," Polian said.

This leads me to believe the Colts plan to use newly drafted RB Mike Hart more than we expected, because I do not believe that Dungy or Polian feel Kenton Keith is better than Dominic Rhodes; because if they do they are dead wrong.

Of all the picks the Colts made over the weekend, the "sexiest" was Mike Hart. He's a name everyone in college football knows, and some were surprised he fell all the way to Indy in round 6. I'll be honest when I say I am a big Mike Hart fan. I thought he showed tremendous character after Michigan lost to Appalachia State. He seemed more in control of the Michigan team than his coach was. He carried the team on his back, and transformed the 2007 season for the Wolverines from utter disaster to one of respectability.

If you want to know why Mike Hart fell to the 6th round, the answer is simple: He's slow. He ran a 4.7 at the Combine. However, if you go to NFL.com's Combine site, guess who the scouts compare Hart to:

Compares To: JOSEPH ADDAI-Indianapolis...While Hart has a lot more mileage on his tires coming out of college than Addai did leaving LSU, both players are quick, darting runners with the ability to pound out the tough yardage up the middle or hit the cutback lanes. Addai is a better receiver than Hart, but the Michigan product protects the ball and is a physical blocker who plays with lots of aggression. He's shorter than ideal, but runs at a low pad level and has the leg drive to immediately break arm tackles. Had some injury problems as a senior, thanks to over 1,000 carries during his career, but until then, Hart proved very durable.

Hart is also a player who never fumbles. Ever. Despite all the pounding he took at Michigan, carrying that team on his back in 2007, he never gave up the football. Look for the Colts to use Hart near the goal line. His nasty attitude is something the running game has lacked a bit. While guys like Addai slide away from contact in order to gain extra yards, Hart initiates it, looking to punish anyone who tries to tackle him. This will add another element to the Colts running game, which must get better in the red zone.

If you want a theme for the 2008 draft, it seem pretty clear that Polian and Dungy wanted to get better running the ball in the red zone. Thus, they draft three interior linemen and a RB like Mike Hart. One early thing about Hart: The guy has stones. Check out what number he selected for his Colts jersey:

With the news that Dom Rhodes was cut by Oakland yesterday, it seems logical to assume the Colts will look into bringing him back into the fold. Rhodes was a very popular member of the team. Despite his arrest last year for getting drunk and peeing in his pants, Dom is not known as a trouble maker or a jackhole. I will always remember Dom for how he took Joseph Addai under his wing when Addai was a rookie. Also, Dom did not complain, whine cry, or moan when he was benched in favor of Addai later in the 2006 season. In fact, Dom actually got better, and really dominated in the 2006 playoffs. Dom and Addai are fast friends, and guys like Peyton and Saturday also speak well of Dom.

The bottom line is if Dom wants to come back here, the team would love to have him. But, the price must be right.

The other possible addition, one that Bill Polian has said the Colts are looking into, is acquiring former Patriots LB Rosevelt Colvin. Colvin visited Indy this past Saturday. The concern on Colvin is his health. All throughout his career, he's been hurt. One of the reasons for this is Colvin just isn't very durable. He could stay healthy if he were a part-time pass rush specialist, which the Colts will likely use him as if they sign him. The other issue with Colvin is he's kind of acted like a jerk when he's played the Colts. Remember, he was the jerk who spiked the football on the mid-field Horse Shoe after New England beat Indy in the regular season last year. Shortly afterwards, Colvin got hurt hurt (again), was placed on IR, and, at the end of the season, got cut.

Note: Never, ever, mess with The Shoe.

Still, despite all that, if Colvin is healthy he would make a great addition. Colvin and recently drafted DE Marcus Howard would solidify the Colts' pass rush. Should Dominic Rhodes return, it will provide Indy with the same RB depth they had when they won it all in 2006. Add to this Mike Hart, and the Colts have three quality backs (and likely Kenton Keith will be looking for residence again in Canada). If Colvin and Rhodes are signed, it would add the finishing touch on a very strong draft for the Colts.

There have been some great analysis stories done already by BBS and by Bullard47 on the draft, so I'll try to touch on some things these guys didn't talk about.  By the way, you'll notice my new avatar next to my name.  It was submitted by the aforementioned Bullard47 here.  He'll get to give us his excellent opinion on the main page for a day.  The picture is fantastic, as I wasn't expecting the Golden Dome to be worked in.

Back to the draft...I think we got excellent value for almost every pick we made.  Pollak seems to be a great steal for Polian and Co. at #59.  The crop of Interior Lineman wasn't very good up top this year, with Brandon Albert and Chilo Rachal as the only 2 Interior Lineman to get picked before Pollak.  He seems very excited to be joining the Colts (who wouldn't?), and said this yesterday:

"I couldn't have asked for a better way for it to work out," said Pollak, who has a chance at the first string because Indianapolis lost Jake Scott in free agency. "I'll get to learn from all of the older guys. When I spoke with coach (Tony) Dungy and (general manager Bill Polian), they told me they felt that my game was perfect for what they have there."

We picked 2 Tight Ends, and 1 WR, which I thought we'd do.  We really only had 2 TE in Clark and Fletcher, and we are dangerously thin at WR, especially with the health of Harrison still up in the air.  I think the thought is that if either Marvin isn't back yet, or one of the main 3 WR gets hurt, Clark can step in and play the slot receiver.  I'm also really excited to have a speedster to return punts and kicks in Pierre Garcon.  Watching the video posted below gets me excited.  I really can't remember the last guy the Colts had that, when he caught the ball on a return, you expected him to take it to the house.  I hope Garcon makes me feel that way. 

As much as it pains me to say as an ND grad, I'm very glad Mike Hart fell into our laps at pick 202.  Running backs always seem to make an immediate impact in the NFL, and I definitely see Hart playing a big role in 2008.  He NEVER fumbles the ball .  Maybe he can teach KK how to hold onto it.  Michigan has always loved running the slow progressin g, off tackle run, and Hart always seemed to find a sliver of daylight and burst through, just like Addai does now.  This will be a great asset running the stretch play.  He's used to long handoffs and running outside off-tackle, or further.  He's a great fit.

We all loved the Marcus Howard  pick.  We all know everything about him.  Great pick, especially for the 5th round.  I also liked the Philip Wheeler selection.  He is a head hunter, much like #21.  Some people mentioned we may move him to DE, which makes some sense, although he's never played on the DL before.  For right now, he seems like a 3rd down pass rusher, most likely as a 5th DL.  We'll have to see what happens in training camp.

I have to confess:  in the poll below, I gave the Colts a C, but only because Polian loves those C grades.  Overall I give the Colts a B+.  They back filled areas of need, but seemed to go too heavy at one certain position.  Also, without a first round pick, there doesn't seem to be, for this moment in time, that superstar pick.  Hopefully one of these guys becomes that.  Great job by the Polian, Coach Dungy, and the rest of the staff!

The Oakland Raiders, despite having proven veteran RB Justin Fargas, promising youngest Michael Bush, and playoff veteran Dominic Rhodes decided to (rather stupidly) draft Arkansas RB Darren McFadden on Saturday. This was stupid for them because DT Glenn Dorsey went to their hated rivals, the Chiefs, with the next pick.

However, for us Colts fans, it might have been a blessing, because today Oakland cut Dom Rhodes. When Rhodes was with Indy in 2006, he was paired with then-rookie Joseph Addai and the two formed a formidable RB duo. Rhodes rushed for over 100 yards and a TD in Super Bowl 41 that season.

Since Kenton Keith seems like an idiot (and he can't catch either), Stampede Blue gives its full endorsement that Mr. Polian bring Dom back to where he belongs: Wearing the blue shoe.

With the draft right around the corner, I'm trying to overload on information, and read as much analysis as possible.  I really haven't read too many things, other than here, so I was interested in hearing some different perspectives.  I came across this article by Alex Marvez of Fox Sports, ranking teams on how they've done over the past 5 seasons.

I'll get to his analysis in a second, but I wanted to run down what the Colts have done the past 5 seasons , so we all know what we are comparing against (I really wanted to try out this new table feature, so here goes...):

My analysis first:  The top line of this table as absolutely fantastic, and is not matched by any other team in the NFL.  And just remember, the two previous years first picks were Reggie Wayne and Dwight Freeney.  It is unbelievable to think how good the top of the draft has been for the Colts, and it is all thanks to the Brain Trust of Bill Polian and Tony Dungy (like we all didn't know that already).  Once you get past the first line, however, it is very hit and miss:  Either the guy became a pretty good player, or he was out of the league within 2 years (the exception being Gilbert Gardner, as he is not a good player , and is still in the league).  There are some great late round picks (Mathis, June, Scott, Hagler, Bethea), but a lot of "who the hell is that guy?".  This list also does not include Gary Brackett or Ed Johnson, both undrafted but signed during this time period, and both huge parts of the Colt's defense.

On to the analysis of Marvez.  I'm not quite the homer that BBS is, but I'm still a homer at heart.  Marvez picks the Chargers as having the best drafts over the past 5 years.  I took a quick glance at their draft history, and they have done quite well.  I was all ready to start bashing away, but I don't think I can.  Marvez's opinion on their best pick:

Best pick: Eli Manning. Trading Manning to the New York Giants in 2004 netted fellow quarterback Philip Rivers and draft choices used for Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman and kicker Nate Kaeding. Rivers reached the AFC Championship game in just his second season as a starter.

They've done this before with Michael Vick.  They traded the pick to the Falcons, and ended up with Tomlinson and Brees, which is obviously a huge upgrade over the locked-up Falcon.  I tend to think he gave the nod to the Chargers based solely on this pick, as they have just as many "who?" players as the Colts do.  They only have one "steal" pick, which was Michael Turner.  Also, their 2005 draft was pretty awesome, with Merriman, Luis Castillo, Vincent Jackson, and Darren Sproles. 

Overall, however, I just don't see how you can rank them higher than the Colts, who Marvez had at #2.  Many of the players drafted over the past 5 years were instrumental to winning the Super Bowl, especially everyone on that top line (excluding Gonzalez, obviously).  Marvez's opinion on the Colt's best pick is a no-brainer:

Best pick: Safety Bob Sanders (2004/second round) was voted the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year.

A couple other comments from the article:

Front office: Polian earned the contract extension he recently received from team owner Jim Irsay. Polian has done an exceptionally good job surrounding quarterback Peyton Manning with talent and identifying players who can shine in Tony Dungy's cover-two defensive system.

Comment: A+. Polian excels at recognizing which picks may ultimately leave in free agency. He then drafts replacements that can be groomed for several seasons beforehand.

I also learned that A.J. Smith, Chargers GM, worked under Polian at a previous job, which explains why they are equally as good at the draft as Polian has been.  Overall, Marvez does a good job ranking all the teams, and has good explanations for each of them.  I'd agree with the Patriots being #3, and the Dolphins being #32.  They let their head coach take a friend's son over the face of a franchise, which is extraordinarily stupid, and cost said head coach his job after 1 win.