How does Khaled Holmes fit in with the Colts?

I'll get over my dislike of USC (I'm a die-hard Notre Dame fan) for this one, because this was a real good pick for the Colts. With the 121st overall pick in the Draft, the Colts took center Khaled Holmes from USC.

Holmes is a good center who is athletic, versatile (he can also play guard), and very smart (and not just on the field - he has a Masters Degree in Communication from USC). He started at guard as a sophomore but then spent his last two years starting at center and snapping to Matt Barkley. Colts' coach Chuck Pagano had expressed interest in Holmes before the draft, including attending his pro day.

The questionable part of this pick is not the player but the position. The Colts already have Samson Satele and A.Q. Shipley at the position, and while neither are great players, they are both capable players. Satele has potential but didn't show it much last year, while Shipley played much better than Satele did a year ago. I must say, however, that I thought that center was a big need for the Colts, so I can't complain too much. I just didn't think that the Colts thought the same, but it looks like they did.

This pick then raises the question of what happens at the position next year. Many will just go ahead and question whether Samson Satele will be back next season, and I think that is a legitimate question. There is a real chance that he is released, but allow me to at least suggest another potential option: moving Khaled Holmes to guard. He played guard for a year at UCS, and some people have wondered whether he would move away from center due to his athleticism and style of play. I have no idea what the Colts intend to do with Holmes or with the center position, but the options right now seem to be: 1) keep all three players at center; 2) keep Satele and Holmes but release Shipley; 3) keep Shipley and Holmes but release Satele; 4) keep Satele and Shipley at center but move Holmes to guard. I highly doubt they release Shipley, and keeping three centers seems unlikely (although they may very well take all three into training camp).

I will be very interested to hear how the Colts use Khaled Holmes. After hearing that, I think we can better evaluate this selection.