With the combine approaching mock drafts are being turned out at a frantic rate across the internets. The mass of (at least minimally) informed opinions is a great way to get an idea of who is expected to be around when the Colts go on the clock and which prospects fit the Colts scheme and needs. Even the well informed followers of the Colts draft can get some interesting new angles and a general idea of how player stock is moving. Not all of the mocks are great, or even good, but ripping into a terrible pick isn't just fun, it's informative. Almost as important is who does fit, is who definitely doesn't.
Mocks are taken from the last two days of updates at WalterFootball's database.
Matt McGuire (WalterFootball.com)
- OT, Charles Brown, USC My ideal pick. Brown's a fantastic pass blocker who should be good in the run game as he adds weight. Others available: Sean Weatherspoon, Brandon Graham, Corey Wootton, Maurkice Pouncey
- DT, Geno Atkins, Georgia Definitely on the high side of his range, but Geno's a very disruptive undertackle with good size (6' 1 3/8"ths, 286lbs at the Senior Bowl). Others available: Navarro Bowman, Matt Tennant, Javier Arenas, Greg Hardy, Morgan Burnett
stlbluenote (draftdebacled.com)
- C/G Maurkice Pouncey, Florida, Probably more of an early 2nd round guy, but a great interior line prospect. I wouldn't be opposed to him, except for the other players available. Others available: Earl Thomas, Charles Brown, Jermaine Gresham
- MLB, Sean Lee, Penn State, Long injury history and not an elite cover guy Lee doesn't strike me as value or a good fit. Others Available: Daryl Washington, Matt Tennant, Arthur Jones, Greg Hardy
- CB, Brandon Ghee, Wake Forest, Ghee is a guy that could sneak into the late 1st with a good combine or fall towards the bottom of the tight packed CB class. He's strong in run support with man and zone skills. Others Available: Rodger Saffold, Pat Angerer, Kyle Calloway, T.J. Ward
- CB, Amari Spievey, Iowa, Spievey is a great fit for Indy. Experienced in a cover-2 scheme, very strong and eager in run support. Others available: Jared Veldheer, A.J. Edds, Willie Young
- DT, Jared Odrick, Penn State, Odrick's a big athletic tackle. He's got value in this spot, but he duplicates a lot of what Fili Moala is hoped to do pushing him down my wish list. Others Available: Jermaine Gersham, Everson Griffen, Brandon Graham, Corey Wootton, Devin McCourty
- DT, Mike Neal, Purdue, Neal's a big undertackle and late 2nd isn't a terrible reach, but the mock just gave them one of those. What else would you expect from a Dook fan? Others available: Greg Hardy, Javier Arenas, Jon Asamoah, Rob Gronkowski, Koi Misi,
- MLB, Pat Angerer, Iowa, Angerer's a prolific tackler and was a excellent cover guy in Iowa's cover-2. The coverage responsibilities would be a big step up, but if he couldn't handle them he'd still be a great SAM. Others Available: Anthony McCoy, Rodger Saffold, Rennie Curran
C-Morgs21 (draftdebacled.com)
- LB, Sean Weatherspoon, Missouri, The best cover LB in the draft, Weatherspoon has the size and might be strong enough against the run for the MLB spot, but would be a dynamite WILL. OLB with an eye towards the future at MLB is a need and Weatherspoon might be the best value, but he'd be up against a long history of the Colts waiting to address LB in the draft. Others available: Brandon Graham, Corey Wootton, Devin McCourty
- DE, Greg Hardy, Ole Miss, Tremendous talent, but plagued by injuries and there are questions about his effort. Others available: Navarro Bowman, Jason Fox, Jon Asamoah, Morgan Burnett, Rob Gronkowski
- C, J.D. Walton, Baylor, considered the top center in the class by some he's more thickly built and powerful than the other contender, BC's Matt Tennant who is the more athletic player. Others available: Matt Tennant, Pat Angerer, Anthony McCoy, Rodger Saffold, Rennie Curran
Mrhankey8170 (draftdebacled.com)
- DE, Jason Pierre-Paul, South Florida, a freak athlete, he's played just 5 years of football, with only 1 at the FBS level. One year with 14.5 TFL and 5 sacks is nothing to sneeze at, but you rarely see a player level school early following a year like that. Pierre-Paul has the fantastic athleticism to be a 1st round pick despite the concerns about his lack of experience at a high level. Others available: Brandon Graham, Corey Wootton, Maurkice Pouncey.
Paul M. Banks and Peter Christian (TheSportsBank.net)
- DE, Ricky Sapp, Clemson, Sapp is probably the 3-4 LB prospect best suited for coverage, but that's a tallest midget situation. He'd be a DE in Indy. That's not a pressing need and he isn't tremendous value. Sapp isn't out of the question on draftday, but with the other players available in that spot, I'd say he should have been when the pick was made. Others Available: Charles Brown, Jermaine Gresham, Jared Odrick
- CB, Brandon Ghee, Wake, The first repeat pick, but a round higher here. The CB class is tightly packed in the late 1st through 3rd round range. Ghee and several other CBs will show up anywhere from the late 1st to early 4th round. The combine should start to sort them out. Others Available: Matt Tennant, Morgan Burnett, Rob Gronkowski, Jason Fox
Dan Wernery (nfldraft101.com)
- CB/RS, Kyle Wilson, Boise State, Wilson's stock is high enough to justify a late 1st rounder, but the biggest knock on his game is in an area the Colts stress, run support. Others Available: Everson Griffen, Jermaine Gresham, Sean Weatherspoon, Maurkice Pouncey, Corey Wootton.
- DT, Arthur Jones, Syracuse, Jones is a force inside, but two major injuries the last two years have seriously dropped his stock. Jones is a great run defender with pass rushing moves. He's got the skills to play in several schemes, but would appear to fit best with Indy as a 1 tech (NT). Others Available: Matt Tennant, Javier Arenas, Jason Fox, Jon Asamoah, Greg Hardy
oldkingcole (draftdebacled.com)
- RT, Trent Williams, Oklahoma, he was disappointing in pass pro at LT last year meaning he'll likely be relegated to the right side in the pros where his pass blocking skills would be above average. He's got RT size and showed some strength in the run game to go with his excellent athleticism. Others Available: Maurkice Pouncey, Corey Wootton, Devin McCourty
- LT, Roger Saffold, Indiana, an athletic tackle who gets a boost in my mind for being the LT in the only game of the 2nd half of the year in which Adrian Clayborn did not have a sack. Others Available: Javier Arenas, Matt Tennant, Greg Hardy, Jon Asamoah, Chad Jones
- OG, Mitch Petrus, Arkansas, ok, I know I wanted OL, but this is a bit much, especially since a pick at an OT spot effectively upgrades a guard spot as well since both Charlie Johnson and Ryan Diem have started at guard for Indy in the past. Petrus came into school as a TE, played 2006 for the Razorbacks as a fullback, before finally moving to guard. He's an elite athlete for the position, but is relatively inexperienced on the line and needs to continue to add strength. Others Available: Austen Lane, Jason Fox, Pat Angerer, Willie Young
- DT, Vince Oghobaase, Duke, a big talented guy with some injury issues, and who has let to fully utilize his gifts. Strong against the run and athletic enough to pursue. Against the pass he's quick but mostly relies on the bull rush. Might be strong enough for the 1 tech, though he's not thickly built at 6'5" ~300lbs. Others Available: Amari Spievey, Micah Johnson, Anthony McCoy
Fat White Guy (fwgnfl.com)
- OT, Bruce Campbell, Maryland, has all the tools to be a great LT, but inconsistent and inexperienced starting just 17 games at the college level before leaving school early for the draft. Campbell is the rare, boom-bust O-lineman. He's a big value pick at 31, but he scares me. Others Available: Mike Iupati, Charles Brown, Jermaine Gresham, Everson Griffen, Jason Pierre-Paul
dp1007 (draftdebacled.com)
- RT, Kyle Calloway, Iowa, REACH! I'm a fan of Calloway as a RT, but not this early. His career ended on a bit of a sour note, struggling at RG in the Orange Bowl after being kicked inside by stud freshman Riley Reiff, but he was a very good RT for Iowa. He's not a 1st round pick though. Others Available: Jermaine Gresham, Jared Odrick, Sean Weatherspoon, Corey Wootton, Devin McCourty.
Dominic Perilli (SportsAgentBlog.com)
- DE, Jason Pierre-Paul, first repeat first rounder. Perhaps popular as he'd have time to learn/adjust behind Freeney/Mathis that would be hard to find elsewhere. Others Available: Brian Price, Dan Williams, Charles Brown, Trent Williams
- S, Morgan Burnett, Georgia Tech, a well rounded safety prospect with good zone skills and the size (6'1" 210) and willingness to support the run. A prime target if Bethea gets a 1 year RFA tender rather than an extension. Others Available: Brian Price! Jason Fox, Kyle Calloway,
- CB, Dominique Franks, Oklahoma, a fast CB with good size and experience in man and zone. Franks wasn't a big factor in run support and his secondary gave up more big plays than their talent should have. Others Available:Javier Arenas, Devin McCourty, Brandon Ghee, Rennie Curran, Rodrick Muckelroy, Pat Angerer
- OLB Dekoda Watson, Florida State, Good in coverage and on the blitz, but doesn't get off blocks well. Speedy LB seems well suited to play WILL. Others Available: Jared Veldheer, AJ Edds, Vince Oghobaase, Micah Johnson.
JayGabriel (DraftDebacled.com)
- MLB, Brandon Spikes, Florida, Spikes is a excellent prospect, but at 255lbs without great speed that deep drop in the Tampa-2 would be a major issue for him. He's not a bad cover guy, but a T-2 needs a great one at the MLB spot. Would be a great OLB in the scheme, but the 1st round is early for that. Others Available: Mike Iupati, Jermaine Gresham, Everson Griffen
- OT, Selvish Capers, West Virginia, After a horrific performance at the Senior Bowl I have major concerns with Capers, despite his athleticism and experience. Others Available: Devin McCourty, Jake Fox, Javier Arenas, Morgan Burnett, Rob Gronkowski
- DE, George Selvie, South Florida, another among many concerns about Jason Pierre-Paul was the presence of an established pass rusher in Selvie at the other end spot. The undersized end racked up 28.5 sacks in his 4 year career at South Florida. Selvie had a down season as teams remained focused on him despite JPP's arrival and will be taken well after his flashier teammate because of it. Others Available: Anthony McCoy, Amari Spievey, Pat Angerer, Rennie Curran, Rodrick Muckelroy.
- CB, Jerome Murphy, South Florida, Seems to be more of a fit in man than zone, but has good size/speed and is a eager run supporter. Others Available: Matt Tennant, Geno Atkins, Vince Oghobaase
Micheal Gaulin (DraftDebacled.com)
I included this one just because it's interesting. The scenario isn't at all likely, but sometimes it's cool to see an out there narrative. You can skip his explanation of the Colts 2nd rounder though as it's got more Pats Fan cliches about the Colts (complete with "Polian changed the rules") than draft analysis. The Colts/Peyton hate even spills into other teams' explanations.
- Traded to STL (allowing them to jump NO for Navarro Bowman) for their 2nd round (#33) 6th (#193) and 7th round (#211) picks. Pick #33, along with the Colts 3rd (#97) and 4th (#129) round picks for Glenn Dorsey and the Cheifs 4th rounder (#100). The trades amount to Indy's 1st, 4th and sliding back a few picks from their 3rd for Glenn Dorsey, early 6th and early 7th. Dorsey was a top 5 talent whose issues could reasonably be attributed to poor scheme fit in the Chiefs new 3-4. Not sure I'd do it, but if I was the GM I wouldn't hang up laughing. Available at #31: Jermaine Gresham, Devin McCourty, Corey Wootton, Maurkice Pouncey.
- RT, Kyle Calloway, Iowa. Calloway would let them kick Diem inside for a pretty well improved right side. LT would still be a serious concern though. Others Available: Javier Arenas, Matt Tennant, Jon Asamoah.
Coherent (DraftDebacled.com)
- OT Bryan Bulaga, Iowa, A wet dream of a pick for me, and more than likely any of you who saw Bulaga in 2008 or in the Orange Bowl. He was derailed for most of '09 by a thyroid issue, but the word is he will need no long term meds and shouldn't have any recurring issues from it. Bulaga is a powerful run blocker with all the tools and already much of the technique of an elite pass blocker. Others Available (like they'd even consider anyone else, HA!):Sean Weatherspoon, Jared Odrick, Devin McCourty,
- DT, Vince Oghobaase, Duke, a Colts 4th round pick in a previous mock, he could be an athletic 1 tech or big 3 tech. Others Available: Navarro Bowman, Chad Jones, Kyle Calloway, Greg Hardy,
- OLB, Dekoda Watson, Florida State, again a repeat, and again a scheme fit, this time at WILL. Others Available: Javier Arenas, Matt Tennant, Amari Spievey
Jules Pilla (Inside the Eagles)
and we'll end with a laugher....
#1: Looks like a Colts DT
