"Ideal" Colts mock draft actually does not seem too ideal

With all of the mock drafts taking place, Sporting News decided to take a slightly different angle (but not really) for their most recent mock: which player is the ideal fit for each team in the first round?

hough they describe the picks as the ideal ones for each team, it ends up simply being another mock draft.  And in this case, the title makes the pick for the Colts at number 18 overall make even less sense.  Sporting News has the Colts' ideal pick in the first round being Ohio State tackle Taylor Decker.

Get used to Buckeyes going in bunches in this draft. Decker is the answer to how the Colts can best upgrade their pass protection for Andrew Luck. Decker is probably better suited to play right tackle, and that's OK with Anthony Castonzo, a keeper on the left side.

The pick is not an abnormal one whatsoever, as we've seen a lot of mock drafts suggest the same thing.  But to suggest that it would be the ideal pick for the Colts makes little sense - because it's not true.

To begin with, there are several other players left on the board in this mock draft that could easily be more ideal picks for the Colts.  Here are a few of the names still available in the mock draft when the Colts' pick comes around: Eastern Kentucky pass rusher Noah Spence, Georgia outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, Clemson cornerback Mackensie Alexander, Alabama defensive tackle A'Shawn Robinson, Baylor defensive tackle Andrew Billings, Alabama defensive tackle Jarran Reed, and Alabama center Ryan Kelly.  Obviously, not every one of those players needs to be considered a more ideal pick than Decker, but it does give you a sense of the talent-level still avaialble for the Colts to choose from in this mock draft.  For some reason, many mock drafts seem to limit themselves to only picking an offensive lineman tackle for the Colts, and while Indy could very well wind up selecting a lineman, to suggest that the best lineman left on the board is the ideal pick isn't always true.

Furthermore, tackle isn't one of the Colts' biggest needs.  One could always make the claim that adding a talented offensive tackle makes the entire line better (which is true) and that it would allow Joe Reitz to move to guard (which would also be true), but it fails to consider the Colts' high hopes for Denzelle Good, their weakness up front being at the center position, and their own admission that they need to address the interior of the line (particularly center).  The Colts could wind up drafting an offensive tackle, but based on everything we know right now, it wouldn't seem like tackle is their ideal selection.

If Sporting News had simply decided to do another mock draft, then picking the Colts to take Taylor Decker would fit right in among the rest of the mock drafts - but that absolutely doesn't mean that the pick would be the ideal one for Indianapolis.  Rather, with the top center, arguably the top pass rusher, and arguably the top cornerback still left on the board at the Colts' 18th overall pick, it would be strange to see them grab a tackle anyway.  The biggest need for the Colts up front is their center position - that's the one that owner Jim Irsay has said they still hope to address, while head coach Chuck Pagano also admitted that the interior of the line is the focal point.  Irsay, Pagano, and general manager Ryan Grigson have all mentioned Denzelle Good as a possibility at right tackle, too, meaning that the team seems to be ok with Good and Joe Reitz competing for the starting spot there while the Colts focus on improving the interior.  Even more, there's a strong argument to be made that offensive line isn't even the team's biggest need, as it would be easy to argue that pass rush is instead.  Mocking Taylor Decker to the Colts is one thing, but suggesting he's the ideal pick at number 18 is a huge stretch and inaccurate.

The article is a good discussion starter, however, as it raises the question of who the ideal prospect is that the Colts should be hoping to take in this year's draft.  What are your thoughts?