NFL Draft 2015 Prospect Profile: Offensive Tackle Ereck Flowers

The 2015 NFL Draft will be held on April 30 through May 2 in Chicago, and it is a time where the 32 NFL teams will look to add some pieces to improve both this year and in future years.  The Indianapolis Colts currently have nine picks in the Draft, including at least one in each round, and therefore they should be active on Draft day.  Who might they target?  We're taking a look at a number of different prospects, and today we take a look at Florida offensive lineman Ereck Flowers.

Background

The 6-6, 324 pound offensive lineman started four games at right tackle in his freshman 2012 season, and then was Miami's starting left tackle in each of his final two seasons with the team, starting all but one game over his last two years.  He suffered a knee injury in the middle of the 2014 season but missed just one game.

Pros

A very strong run blocker who displays toughness and the techniques that you look for in an offensive lineman, along with having great size.  He played both right and left tackle in college, so teams will likely like that versatility as well - and some teams even might picture him as a guard.

Cons

With him suffering a knee injury last year that reportedly required a surgical procedure, there could be some questions about how healthy he is, though he only missed one game last year.  Not great in pass protection, so he still needs to work on a number of things in that area.

Big Board Rankings

NFL.com (Mike Mayock) - number 2 offensive tackle

CBSSports.com - 16th overall, number 2 offensive tackle

Mocking the Draft - 34th overall, number 5 offensive tackle

Mock Draft Predictions

Stephen Reed's most recent mock draft:  selected by Jacksonville Jaguars, 36th overall (2nd round)

Josh Wilson's most recent mock draft:  selected by Detroit Lions, 23rd overall

How Would He Help the Colts?

CBS Sports had an interesting player comparison for Ereck Flowers, as they listed the comparison as Colts' lineman Jack Mewhort, who is entering his second season as the Colts' starting left guard.  If the Colts were to draft Flowers, they would likely use him in a similar way as they used Mewhort.  When the Colts drafted the lineman last year, he came in as a projected backup but was thrust into the starting left guard role despite playing tackle in college, and Mewhort played well in his role with Indy a year ago.  With Flowers, he has the skills to play guard or tackle in the NFL, and it's likely that he would enter the league as a backup for the Colts.  With that said, however, he would be a key backup who could step in and start at right guard or right tackle if needed at either of those positions, and then he would likely be viewed as the long-term replacement for either Todd Herremans at right guard or Gosder Cherilus at right tackle.

So that's where Flowers would likely end up if drafted by the Colts, and unlike some of the other linemen we've looked at so far, there's certainly a real chance that he could be available when the Colts pick in the first round, though there's also a real chance that someone will draft him before that.  I'll say it again here that I think the Colts' top priority needs to be defense and not offensive linemen, and I'm not sure that Flowers is the lineman who would be an exception to that.  I like him and I think he'll be a good player, but I think there will be better players available at more crucial positions of need in the first round.  Therefore I wouldn't expect the team to add Ereck Flowers in the draft, though doing so would certainly be an interesting selection that could end up similar to that of Jack Mewhort a year ago.