Off-Season Roundtable: How should the Colts Approach the Draft?

The Colts off-season is still young and there are still plenty of questions that need to be addressed. Our crew of writers broke down the most pressing questions — presented by Andrew Aziz.

Roundtable members: Andrew Aziz, Jake Arthur, Chris Blystone, Faraz Majid, Stephen Reed, Chris Shephard

Question 5: How should the Colts approach the number 3 overall pick?

Chris Shepherd: What should they do with the #3 pick? That’s a tough question. They should do whatever they decide is best, which seems like an obvious statement but fans have a completely different perspective about the pre-draft process. This includes the players eligible to be drafted, their personal backgrounds, the actual draft, player and positional value, and the value of specific moves that could be made before, during, and after the draft.

For me to say what they “should” do, I can’t really give a complete answer. I follow football and the draft closer than most people I know and the amount of information the Colts front office staff compiles on a single prospect dwarfs the work I put in on the entire draft, and that’s something that I’m not sure most fans understand. This is a full time 40-80 hour a week job that scouts and executives take on and the 1-2 hours a week I spend casually watching DVR’d college football games to get a feel for a guy just isn’t even close to the same thing. For the sake of answering the question, this is what I would do given the limited amount of info I have at this time:

With the 3rd overall pick, I draft Bradley Chubb and I don’t look back. I focus my defense around what he gives me as a pass rusher and run stopper and, depending on the desired scheme, I figure out what kind of players we need to maximize his ability.

But again, I don’t think there is a “wrong” answer, unless Ballard takes Barkley. Then I will absolutely question that move.

Jake Arthur: To keep it relatively short and sweet - gun to my head, I think they need to trade down a few spots. That’s of course assuming the offer from another team is there.

Although Bradley Chubb is who I’d truly want at No. 3, they could still possibly get him by trading down, or they could get Quenton Nelson, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Saquon Barkley or Roquan Smith.

By trading down, they can acquire enough draft capital to either pick up several good players or move back up into other scenarios. The possibilities are endless.

Faraz Majid: I’ll just ditto what Jake said. I don’t have much new to say.

Trade down or draft Chubb. KISS - keep it simple stupid.

Andrew Aziz: While I wouldn’t be upset if they stayed at #3 and took Bradley Chubb or Quenton Nelson, I feel their best option is to trade back a few places, pick up some valuable picks, and still have a chance to take a high value player. This class has a lot of value in the 6-15 overall pick range of the draft with guys like Roquan Smith, Arden Key, Harold Landry, Connor Williams, and even Quenton Nelson being valued in that range.

The Colts have needs at a few positions: edge defender/pass rusher, offensive line (any type of offensive linemen would make sense), running back, and inside linebacker. By picking up additional early round picks, they could do a better job at addressing those positions of need.

Stephen Reed: Again, the obvious answer is trade down to acquire more picks. As I’ve said many times on Twitter, the best possible scenario for the Colts is if the Browns take Saquon Barkley at 1 overall. That drives up the value of the 3rd pick exponentially, like you might see an RG3 style trade for it from a team. Well, not quite to the level of the RG3 trade but I could certainly see a team trading a couple early picks this year and their Round One pick next year to move up ahead of Cleveland at 4, who we all know needs to take a QB with picks 1 or 4.

Assuming trading isn’t an option, I’d say go with NC State pass rusher Bradley Chubb. This is especially true if the Colts switch their defensive scheme, which looks possible based on comments from Ballard and the hiring of a 4-3 defensive line coach.

Chubb isn’t to the same level as Jadaveon Clowney but he’s solidly in the same mold as Joey Bosa, which is a significant upgrade. Add on the premium value you need for pass rushers in today’s NFL and the pick becomes even more of a no-brainer. Chubb is relentless and has a knack for pressuring QBs. He also seems to love playing the game. That, to me, is a great sign. It means he’s not likely to get paid then just not show up, ala Trent Richardson, Philip Dorsett, or any number of first round busts.

So yes, I’d go Bradley Chubb at 3 overall if trading back is not on the table. And if Chubb isn’t available at 3, I’d likely go Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick instead.

Chris Blystone: The Colts find themselves in a great spot at number 3 in a draft where several teams will likely be on the hunt for their future quarterback. What they do with that pick will depend at least a little on what the Browns and Giants do before them, but my preference would be that they trade back to get more picks.

The team I think makes the most sense to investigate trading with is the Jets. I think they might be a viable option to have interest in leapfrogging the Broncos, who may be in the market to take a quarterback at pick 5. This would allow the Colts to stay in the top ten with their first pick while adding more picks in a draft that has a lot of talent in the middle rounds.

Players like Minkah Fitzpatrick and Quenton Nelson would likely still be on the board, and perhaps even Bradley Chubb. That means they could get a guy they might have picked anyway, and get more picks while doing it. Trading back out of the top ten would give me pause, because it means missing out on a true blue-chip player, which this team desperately needs.

If for some reason they simply do not have interest from teams for a trade, Bradley Chubb would be my pick. The Colts have been too long without a premiere pass rusher and Chubb fits the bill. Matt Miller on the Stick to Football podcast talked about how from last year to this year, Chubb’s physique was tightened up and he became more versatile and effective because of that. Hearing that kind of thing gives me major excitement about what an NFL strength and conditioning staff could do with an already very good player.