I wonder why they didn't have PK in NY covering the draft. Oh well. Here's his take on the Colts picks:
Indianapolis. I know why Bill and Chris Polian took Jerry Hughes over Rodger Saffold at 31; Hughes has the size and speed to rush the passer like the classic fast rushers the Colts have in Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, and those guys are aging, so it's a good pick. But I think this team has a crying need for a left tackle of the future. I would have gone with Saffold.But the thing about Colt drafts is they pick guys they know who will fit their scheme, like blocking tight end Brody Eldridge of Oklahoma; he was in Jermaine Gresham's shadow, obviously, but the Colts know he'll be able to be the goal-line and short-yardage tight end they've been looking for.
Polian made it pretty clear on Thursday night that they did not grade Saffold as a first rounder. Had Hughes not been there, the Colts would have likely traded out of the first round, and possibly taken Saffold in Round Two.
The only problem with doing that was Saffold was snatched up by the Rams with the first pick in Round Two. After Saffold, the Colts didn't have high grades on any other tackles.
It remains to be seen whether or not Charles Brown of USC (who the Colts passed on twice) will pan out. If he does, that's a knock on Polian. Drafting a back-up linebacker (Pat Angerer) over a potential starting left tackle is simply not acceptable, especially if that left tackle pans out for the team that beat the Colts in Super Bowl 44: The Saints. It was the Saints who scooped up Brown immediately after the Colts passed on him again.