Colts take Brody Eldridge in the fifth round, a 265 pound tight end out of Oklahoma. The interesting thing about him at Oklahoma is that he was sort of a "jack-of-all-trades" along the offensive line. He played some center and guard his senior year. He didn't catch that many passes playing behind OU phenom tight end Jermaine Gresham. But pass catching doesn't seem to to be his thing. This guy is a blocker:
Eldridge caught a total of 13 passes for 98 yards and one score during his four-year career, but his value lies nearly entirely in his blocking ability. He is big, strong, powerful and has an excellent work ethic. His biggest negative is a lack of speed, which not only inhibits his ability to be a receiver, but also can make him slow off the line and give him occasional trouble blocking quicker defenders. Durability is also a concern.
Interesting that the Colts would go for a blocking tight end here. It's the type of person they really don't draft. Perhaps this pick is a result of new offensive line coach Pete Metzelaars' influence in the War Room. Metzelaars was a tight end as a player.
His speed was clocked at 4.75, which is pretty slow for a tight end. But, again, this guy seems to fit the mold of a blocking tight end or, perhaps, a (gasp!) fullback! If that's the case, he's an interesting pick here.
From NFLN's Mike Mayock:
The Colts just picked the best blocking TE in the entire draft. Eldridge started games at center, guard, tight end this season for the Sooners. In fact, he was an all-conference FB as well. He's nasty, he's tough and he will upgrade the Colts' run game and be a tremendous compliment to Dallas Clark.
Welcome to the Colts, Brody Eldridge!