Breaking Down Every Colts Player

Training camp has officially begun, so here’s a breakdown on each Colts player currently on the roster. Each player will be separated into different tiers and listed in alphabetical order.

Superstars (1)

Andrew Luck -- The highest paid man in football has a ton of pressure on him this year. Luck will have a new and improved offensive line, solid weapons at receiver and a strong coaching staff, so if he doesn’t perform, the blame is on him.

Elite Talent (3)

Vontae Davis — Davis is one of the best cornerbacks in the game and he’s going to be an important piece on defense for years to come.
T.Y. Hilton — Hilton has turned from a deep threat to an all around threat and he’s Andrew Luck’s number 1 target. Having him will be huge for the offense.
Pat McAfee — McAfee is one of the top 3 punters in the NFL and is a key special teams contributor (kickoffs and potentially long field goals).

Above Average Players (10)

Mike Adams -- The old man still has a lot left in the tank and should be a big contributor for the Colts this season.
Dwayne Allen — It’s rare that you get a tight end who can catch well and block even better!
Henry Anderson — His knee injury will cause some concerns, but when healthy and on the field, he’s a beast!
Anthony Castonzo — Castonzo has established himself into a reliable, solid left tackle. He must stay on the field this year!
Frank Gore — Even at the age of 33, Gore keeps chugging along and will have a chance of breaking 1000 rushing yards this year.
Kendall Langford — Langford was productive last season and proved to be a good signing for the Colts. Hopefully, the 30 year old keeps it up this season.
Jack Mewhort — Perhaps the most consistent offensive lineman, Mewhort seems to be comfortable at guard and looks to be a good long-term asset for the Colts.
Donte Moncrief -- Moncrief took a big step forward last season and must take full control of the #2 receiver spot this season.
Matt Overton — Overton has been one of the best long snappers in the league the past few seasons.
Adam Vinatieri — He’s still performing even at the old age of 63 43

Average Players (18)

Darius Butler — Butler, if playing in the slot, is a productive, impactful player. If not... oh boy.
Trent Cole -- He can still rush the passer, but it’s obvious that father time has caught up to Cole. He’s probably the most versatile outside linebacker on the Colts.
Phillip Dorsett — Well... we’re waiting!
Jack Doyle — It has been said that a team with 11 Jack Doyles on the field is an unstoppable team.
Clayton Geathers — Geathers will be thrust into a starting role this season. He has the talent, but can he be a productive safety?
Denzelle Good — Good may not be a Week 1 starter, but he proved last season that he does have an adequate amount of talent.
Nate Irving — The experienced inside linebacker will have to replace Jerrell Freeman, who left a huge hole after departing for Chicago.
D’Qwell Jackson — Jackson is getting up there in age, but he can still be a tackling machine. Coverage, however, will always be his weak spot.
Arthur Jones — He’s a talented player, but he just can’t get on the field. He needs to avoid injuries and avoid the PEDs.
Zach Kerr — Kerr has been a productive member for the Colts and he’s expected to get a lot of snaps early on in the season with Jones suspended and Anderson injured.
Robert Mathis — The old man will be used only as a pass rushing specialist and anything above 7 sacks would be a surprise. He’s still a legend though.
T.Y. McGill — I watched him win the game for the Colts at Sun Life Stadium against Miami, so he gets my approval! Very good backup to have along the defensive line.
David Parry — I debated putting him in the “Below Average Players” section but he showed enough flashes to merit a spot in this group.
Joe Reitz — Reitz has had his ups and downs, but he’s a good versatile player to have on your team.
Patrick Robinson — He’s experienced, he’s coming off a great year in San Diego and he’s coming to a system that will fit him pretty well, but can he make the switch back to the outside spot?
D’Joun Smith — I have absolutely no idea how good an NFL player he is, but we’ll stick him in here for now.
Hugh Thornton — Thornton has had his ups and downs with the Colts, but nevertheless, it seems like he’ll have a good chance of starting this season.
Erik Walden — While many dislike Walden (for whatever reason), he has been a steady contributor on defense, and has done a solid job setting the edge and defending the run.

Below Average Players (18)

Josh Boyce — Experienced young receiver who should have a very good chance of being the #4 receiver.
Quan Bray — Great returner, but weak receiver.
Jalil Brown — Brown is hanging on to the 5th cornerback spot by a thread. He’s shown he’s capable of playing in a relief role.
Winston Guy — Guy’s been around for a few seasons, but he will have serious competition for the backup job.
Jonotthan Harrison — He’s had his moments at the center spot, but will have a tough road in making the Colts roster.
Amarlo Herrara — He’s been a practice squad player the last couple of years, so we’ll see if he’s ready to make that big step this year.
Josh McNary — Very good special teams player who is a decent backup at inside linebacker.
Tevin Mitchel — Former Arkansas player who’s had injuries derail his career.
Sio Moore — He’ll have his chances this year so let’s see what he can do.
Earl Okine — He’s switching to a new position, so it will be interesting to see how he does.
Kelcy Quarles — Even with the suspension of Jones and the injury to Anderson, Quarles will have a tough time making the roster.
Dezmen Southward — Southward was on the practice squad last season and will have a chance of being a backup safety this season.
Erik Swoope — The former basketball player will finally have a legit chance to make the active roster.
Jordan Todman — Played well in a special teams, emergency running back role with the Steelers last year and could see a similar role with the Colts this year.
Scott Tolzien — I was very surprised that Tolzien got a nice deal with the Colts, because personally, I don’t believe he’s a very capable backup quarterback. Hopefully, we won’t be seeing much of him.
Robert Turbin — He couldn’t keep his hands off the ganja, so he may not have a legit chance at making the roster.
Brian Tyms — Experienced receiver who will have a chance of making the roster.
Tyler Varga — Versatile Canadian who was a star in the CIS!

Camp Fodder (29)

All of these players have essentially the same description: they’re players with a very low chance of making the roster and most (if not all) are expected to be cut.

Danny Anthrop
Sterling Bailey
Daniel Davie
Tay Glover Wright
Kevin Graf
Darian Griswold
Emil Igwenagu
Edwin Jackson
Marcus Leak
Ricky Lumpkin
Stefan McClure
Mekale McKay
Mike Miller
Chris Milton
Stephen Morris
Kitt O’Brien
Adam Redmond
Chester Rogers
Winston Rose
Delvon Simmons
Joshua Stangby
Junior Sylvestre
Ron Thompson
Mitchell Van Dyk
Jeremy Vujnovich
Darius White
Frankie Williams
Trey Williams
Andrew Williamson

2016 Draft Picks (8)

Trevor Bates — He may actually have a chance to be a rotational player with the little depth at outside linebacker.
Austin Blythe — He will provide good depth along the offensive line.
Le’Raven Clark — You probably won’t see him much this year (unless there are injuries), but he has very good potential.
T.J. Green — He’s a project, but he’ll be a key special teams contributor in year 1 and a potential starter in year 2.
Joe Haeg — Another versatile offensive lineman who will provide good depth.
Ryan Kelly — He’s most likely an instant starter and while many young centers struggle during their first year, he should still have a good impact in his first year.
Antonio Morrison — He should be a good special teams contributor and he provides good depth at linebacker. He’s a thumper so I expect some big hits on special teams.
Hassan Ridgeway — Ridgeway was a talented player at Texas and while he may not be an instant starter (even with Anderson and Jones out for the early portion of the season), he should definitely get his fair share of snaps.

Undrafted Players With a Chance (3)

Josh Ferguson — I was a big fan of Ferguson in college and based on recent reports, he’s going to have a very good chance of making the roster thanks to a weak running back group.
Curt Maggitt — A talented but troubled pass rusher, Maggit will have a good chance of making the roster thanks to a weak pass rushing group.
Tevaun Smith — Smith was an under-utilized receiver at Iowa, but when given a chance, he showed a lot of promise. He’ll have a good chance of making the roster because of the very little depth at receiver.

Please make sure to comment If you know the Phillip Dorsett reference or if you just feel like insulting me!

Also, if you’re interested in learning more about a particular player, I strongly recommend checking out Josh Wilson’s breakdowns that he’s been posted over the past couple of weeks.