Where Do the Indianapolis Colts Offensive Players Rank in Bleacher Report’s NFL 1000?

Bleacher Report’s NFL1000 is a scouting exercise done by their writing team every season. They go through the tape and grade each player based on individual components of their game, as well as their overall performance. It’s a good way for fans to get to know players they have not been able to keep an eye on throughout the league year.

Of course, as with any grading system, the eyes that are watching the film will have their own biases, and it’s clearly not a perfect way of determining the productivity of players, but it is a handy supplement to use nonetheless. Let’s look at where some of the Indianapolis Colts’ offensive players ranked throughout the league.

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QUARTERBACKS

Jacoby Brissett

Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Rank: 34 out of 47

Percentile: 28%

Accuracy: 15/25

Arm: 15/25

Under Pressure: 12/20

Decision-Making: 11/20

Position Value: 10/10

Overall Grade: 63/100

The Colts acquired Jacoby Brissett in a trade with the Patriots right before the season started, and Brissett quickly became the team’s starter, given Andrew Luck’s injury and the ineffectiveness of Scott Tolzien. Despite minimal time to get ready, Brissett played fairly well. He showed some of the flaws you might expect from a young quarterback learning a new system, and he will need to speed up his decision-making going forward. But Brissett has both the arm strength and the play strength that endeared him to the Patriots in the 2016 NFL draft.

AVERAGE POSITION PERCENTILE: 28%

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RUNNING BACKS

Robert Turbin

Rank: 83 out of 84

Percentile: 1%

Inside Running: 13/25

Outside Running: 14/25

Receiving: 13/20

Blocking: 11/20

Position Value: 7/10

Overall Grade: 58/100

Turbin entered the NFL as a raw and undeveloped talent with great athletic traits. Now he’s finished his sixth season, he hasn’t developed much from his rookie year. With Gore and Mack on the roster, it was always going to be hard for Turbin to take away snaps from either back and he only had 23 carries for 53 yards at 2.3 yards per carry this season.

Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports

Marlon Mack

Rank: 37 out of 84

Percentile: 56%

Inside Running: 15/25

Outside Running: 17/25

Receiving: 16/20

Blocking: 14/20

Position Value: 7/10

Overall Grade: 69/100

Marlon Mack was one of the few exciting young talents on the Colts offense. He has a nice blend of speed and quickness that makes him tough to catch in the open field. He gave the Colts a jolt early in the season as a nice change of pace from Frank Gore, but the offensive line had the same issues blocking for Mack as they did for the lead back. Mack was a strong receiving option out of the backfield too, which is something the Colts should look to utilize going forward.

Frank Gore

Rank: 26 out of 84

Percentile: 69%

Inside Running: 18/25

Outside Running: 17/25

Receiving: 14/20

Blocking: 16/20

Position Value: 7/10

Overall Grade: 72/100

Frank Gore is a model professional in every sense. Even at 34, he still ran with excellent technique, keeping his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage and his pad level low as he chose the correct paths. He instinctively reads the game well and rarely makes a poor decision with his cuts. He was still a viable option out of the backfield as a receiver too, though he wasn’t asked to do that as often. The Colts offensive line didn’t open many lanes for him this year, but that didn’t stop him from competing hard every week.

AVERAGE POSITION PERCENTILE: 42%

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OUTSIDE WIDE RECEIVERS

Chester Rogers

Rank: 103 out of 108

Percentile: 5%

Route Running: 11/30

Hands: 10/25

YAC: 10/20

Blocking: 8/15

Position Value: 8/10

Overall Grade: 47/100

Rogers was the fourth receiver on a team without good weapons at the position. He returned punts and showed some ability to gain yards after the catch. He second-year man made a couple of nice grabs but dropped a bunch of balls also. He needs to work on getting off press coverage to evolve as a route-runner.

Kamar Aiken

Rank: 93 out of 108

Percentile: 14%

Route Running: 12/30

Hands: 11/25

YAC: 9/20

Blocking: 9/15

Position Value: 8/10

Overall Grade: 49/100

Aiken played all three spots for the Colts, as they tried to move around their more important receivers. He didn’t get many opportunities in seven starts, but he also didn’t help himself by dropping a good portion of his chances. He’s a depth player on most teams.

Donte Moncrief

Rank: 53 out of 108

Percentile: 51%

Route Running: 15/30

Hands: 16/25

YAC: 11/20

Blocking: 8/15

Position Value: 8/10

Overall Grade: 58/100

He’s big and athletic, but that only takes 6’2”, 216-pound Moncrief so far. He still doesn’t run great routes to gain separation. If it’s not a comeback route, the Mississippi product will have a defensive back on his hip. While he makes some nice catches with full extension, he’ll often make grabs harder by turning his hands the wrong way or facing the ball instead of letting it fall over his shoulder. He’s a powerful runner who doesn’t make defenders miss. The 24-year-old is a big-play No. 3 receiver.

T.Y. Hilton

Patrick McDermott-USA TODAY Sports

Rank: 22 out of 108

Percentile: 80%

Route Running: 25/30

Hands: 16/25

YAC: 13/20

Blocking: 7/15

Position Value: 8/10

Overall Grade: 69/100

Hilton is one of the most dangerous receivers in the NFL due to his incredible speed and deep-ball tracking. Not only does he run by defenders, but he also tracks the ball so well and makes such good, slight course corrections that poor passes appear accurate. Using his speed to back off defenders, Hilton runs his routes with more space than most but has gained experience in the area. The 28-year-old would rather body-catch than extend, but most of the time he has that luxury to catch and fall without being hit. This affects his opportunities for yards after the catch, but when he gets the chance, he’s an elusive runner. However, he can be brought down once a hand is on him.

AVERAGE POSITION PERCENTILE: 37.5%

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TIGHT ENDS

Darrell Daniels

Rank: 84 out of 87

Percentile: 3%

Route Running: 11/20

Hands: 12/25

YAC: 11/20

Blocking: 9/25

Position Value: 7/10

Overall Grade: 50/100

Rookie Darrell Daniels was used as a move tight end when he played. He was targeted just 13 times and only caught three passes. He couldn’t adjust to off-target passes and had some drops.

Brandon Williams

Rank: 62 out of 87

Percentile: 29%

Route Running: 13/20

Hands: 16/25

YAC: 12/20

Blocking: 8/25

Position Value: 7/10

Overall Grade: 56/100

The Colts used Brandon Williams sparingly even though he appeared in 14 games. He was targeted just 17 time but caught 13 passes. He looked like a bottom-of-the-roster special teams guy, as he didn’t fill that athletic tight end role typical of the Colts.

Jack Doyle

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Rank: 5 out of 87

Percentile: 94%

Route Running: 14/20

Hands: 22/25

YAC: 10/20

Blocking: 17/25

Position Value: 7/10

Overall Grade: 70/100

Jack Doyle was the Colts’ leading receiver on the year with 80 receptions. His 8.6 yards per catch should tell you what you need to know. He’s a trustworthy option with good hands, but Doyle isn’t scaring defenses with his speed or athleticism. He’s often running short routes after chipping/blocking and catching a third-down target.

—NFL1000 AFC wide receivers-tight ends scout Joe Goodberry

Limited as he was by the Colts’ tenuous quarterback situation in 2017, Doyle showed a consistent ability to use his 6’6”, 262-pound size to get open with legal pushoffs and subtle movements in coverage. He’s not an explosive receiver, but his tape shows more promise than his statistics. He’s a plus-potential player in a minimal offense.

—NFL1000 lead scout Doug Farrar

AVERAGE POSITION PERCENTILE: 42%

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RIGHT TACKLES

Joe Haeg

Rank: 31 out of 49

Percentile: 37%

Pass Protection: 17/25

Run Block: 15/20

Power: 15/25

Agility: 13/20

Position Value: 8/10

Overall Grade: 68/100

Joe Haeg started 15 games for Indianapolis and was adequate at right tackle. The second-year man out of North Dakota State showed promise as an edge protector. The Colts were in many obvious pass situations where defenders pinned their ears back to rush the passer, and although Haeg did not surrender many sacks, he had numerous close calls. As a run-blocker, Haeg was able to strike and leverage to get movement at the point of attack, though he did run into some issues securing and sealing the edge.

AVERAGE POSITION PERCENTILE: 37%

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LEFT TACKLES

Anthony Castonzo

Rank: 24 out of 45

Percentile: 47%

Pass Protection: 18/25

Run Blocking: 16/20

Power: 14/20

Agility: 15/25

Position Value: 9/10

Overall Grade: 72/100

Castonzo was a veteran fixture on a young Colts offensive line. He’s a functional starter, but his pass-protection ability has declined from past years. However, the 29-year-old is still a good run-blocker and plays with good explosion and violent hands.

AVERAGE POSITION PERCENTILE: 47%

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GUARDS

Jeremy Vujnovich

Rank: 83 out of 83

Percentile: 0%

Pass Protection: 12/25

Run Block: 9/25

Power: 15/20

Agility: 14/20

Position Value: 7/10

Overall Grade: 57/100

Jeremy Vujnovich isn’t close to being ready to be relied on as an NFL offensive lineman. His hand technique is all over the place, and his approach as well as his ability to establish leverage in the run game need to be addressed before he sees the field again.

Joe Haeg

Rank: 47 out of 83

Percentile: 43%

Pass Protection: 16/25

Run Block: 14/25

Power: 14/20

Agility: 15/20

Position Value: 7/10

Overall Grade: 66/100

Joe Haeg could be well-rounded down the line, but he hasn’t developed one skill he is adept in to this point. His best trait is his versatility, as he has experience swinging from tackle to guard and vice versa, but that’s about it. His hand technique isn’t where it needs to be yet, his play strength is just under what you want inside, and his footwork isn’t polished enough to defend his outside hip against edge-defenders either. He’s a tweener, and his best bet from a tools standpoint is to drill down his footwork and swing out to tackle.

Jack Mewhort

Rank: 27 out of 83

Percentile: 67%

Pass Protection: 17/25

Run Block: 14/25

Power: 16/20

Agility: 15/20

Position Value: 7/10

Overall Grade: 69/100

Jack Mewhort needs a fresh start. One of the most promising young interior lineman in the league two years back, Mewhort has had back-to-back injury-plagued seasons. When he tried to fight through his injuries this season, his supporting cast was of no help, and he was not equipped to handle the onslaught being thrown at him in terms of having repeated extended pass sets. He’s a strong player, but asking him to cover a lot of ground when he was banged up did not work out well, and opposing gap-shooters figured that out quickly.

AVERAGE POSITION PERCENTILE: 37%

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CENTER

Mike Person

Rank: 28 out of 40

Percentile: 30%

Pass Protection: 16/25

Run Block: 15/25

Power: 15/20

Agility: 15/20

Position Value: 6/10

Overall Grade: 67/100

Person did an admirable job filling in for Ryan Kelly and Deyshawn Bond throughout the year. He lacks play strength, but the 6’4”, 300-pounder is smart and has good hand placement. He’s also one of the safer depth options available this offseason.

Ryan Kelly

Rank: 22 out of 40

Percentile: 45%

Pass Protection: 15/25

Run Block: 15/25

Power: 17/20

Agility: 15/20

Position Value: 6/10

Overall Grade: 68/100

After grading out as the NFL1000’s No. 2 center for 2016, Kelly had an injury-plagued 2017 and his dominant flashes were not as prevalent as a result. That said, he was consistently squeezed out of extending his set due to his teammates’ lack of spatial awareness. His linemates often seemed late on twists in his direction, and he had a QB behind him in Jacoby Brissett who held on to the ball way too long. Kelly is a great example of why context is needed in offensive line evaluations.

AVERAGE POSITION PERCENTILE: 37.5%

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CONCLUSION

The average percentile throughout the entire offense stands at 38.5%. That is clearly far from ideal, but with a list like this, there are a lot of outliers. For that reason, let’s put together a starting lineup based on these rankings:

QB – Jacoby Brissett, 28%

RB – Frank Gore, 69%

RB – Marlon Mack, 56%

Outside WRs – Donte Moncrief, 51%; T.Y. Hilton, 80%

TE – Jack Doyle, 94%

RT – Joe Haeg, 37%

OG – Jack Mewhort, 67%

C – Ryan Kelly, 45%

OG – Joe Haeg, 43%

LT – Anthony Castonzo, 47%

Average: 56%

Haeg is listed twice because the only other option at guard was Vujnovich, who was the worst rated player in the league at his position. This would’ve created a serious outlier, and literally any player that’s on the team next year will be an upgrade over what he brought to the table. Also, the overall average rises about 20% when excluding players that are filling out the bottom of the roster.

This still is not the number of an elite offense, but there are some points to consider.

The skill positions are at least somewhat productive. Doyle at 94% and Hilton at 80%, are no surprises, while Marlon Mack should be expected to make a big rise in 2018. If we remove future backup, Jacoby Brissett, from the list the overall average rises to 59% and the skill position (RB, WR, TE) average stands at 70%.

It’s no surprise, the offensive line is really holding this unit back. Sure, the second receiver position could be upgraded, and a replacement for the overly seasoned veteran Frank Gore is needed, but the line stands at a 48% mean, and this is with one player playing 2 positions.

Overall, it seems that the Bleacher Report scouts did a fantastic job of nailing the limited strengths of the Colts and hammering home the dire improvements that GM Chris Ballard needs to make this off-season. To put it bluntly, Ballard has a lot of work to do during the 2018 off-season on the offensive side of the ball, particularly in the trenches. Good news is the blue and white are flush with cash and own a top 3 pick.