The Colts picked up a major need player last night in Jerry Hughes. For years, they've been looking for a third rusher to spell Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Now, they have their man in Hughes. However, this does not get Indy off the hook in terms of acquiring a left tackle, which is a position of great need heading into Rounds Two and Three of the 75th NFL Draft.
Lots of very good players are still dangling out there, from USC's Charles Brown to Maryland's Bruce Campbell to Indiana's Rodger Saffold. While Bill Polian might not have considered any of these young men "first rounders," what they most certainly offer is a better option at left tackle for the Colts over Charlie Johnson and Tony Ugoh. Also, since Bill Polian seems to have made it his off-season mission to re-build the Colts o-line, if the Colts exit Round Two without one of those players, the Colts will have some serious question marks on the line heading into 2010.
With the 63rd pick in Round Two, it's very likely all three tackles will be gone by the time the Colts select. If that happens, the drop-off between these men and players like Kyle Calloway of Iowa is significant. I personally like Calloway and I think he offers something as an NFL player. He is NOT as good as Charles Brown, Bruce Campbell, or Rodger Saffold. That is just the reality of the situation.
Because of this, I think there is some pressure for the Colts to make a trade and move up in Round Two. The last time they traded and moved up in Round Two, they took Tony Ugoh in 2007. That was a disaster. That said, guys like Brown, Saffold, and Campbell do not seem to have some of the character flags Ugoh had coming out of Arkansas. So, moving up to get one of those guys does not seem to carry the same risk the trade to get Ugoh did in 2007.