The Colts continue to interview college players:
Ed Thompson of ScoutNFLNetwork.com reports Oklahoma offensive tackle Phil Loadholt told Scout.com that he had a formal interview with the Indianapolis Colts at the NFL Scouting Combine.While the Colts currently have Tony Ugoh, who is entering his third NFL season, anchoring the left side of their offensive line, Ryan Diem is the incumbent at the right tackle position. Diem will turn 30 this summer as he enters his ninth NFL season, and the team could use some added depth at the position.
Diem is getting up there, and he has battled injuries since 2005. In 2006, he missed significant portions of the season, and had to be replaced in the Super Bowl. Last year's irony was that Diem was the only offensive lineman to start every game.
Oklahoma's Loadholt (an excellent name of a tackle) is considered a first round prospect, and if Indy wants any chance of getting him they will likely need to trade up in the first round to get him. Mocking Dan at Mocking the Draft ranks Loadholt as the fourth best tackle in this year's draft (I can't imagine that after Andre Smith's disastrous Pro Day that he is ranked higher than Loadholt):
A mountainous offensive tackle who is in surprisingly good shape for a man weighing more than 330 pounds. Could probably get bigger if he wanted to. Great kick slide that allows him to quickly take up a lot of space. Powerful drive blocker in the run game. Can neutralize bull rushes fairly easily due to his size and strength. Does a nice job extending his arms and pushing opponents out of a play.
This means we will certainly do a profile on Loadholt. Player profiles for the draft start next week. In the meantime, here is some video of Loadholt (he's highlighted in the video):