Stampede Blue’s Mock Draft Face Off

We are back! In this series, we will look at mocking viable and realistic options to the Colts each week, and analyzing each pick in how they fit the Colts.

Welcome back to Mock Draft Face Off with Elliot and Stephen! The offseason is officially here and the NFL draft is arguably the league’s biggest offseason event, although a different one this year. Each week we will both be mocking draft picks to the Colts and analyzing them. We will be mocking the first three rounds of picks by the Colts, which will be the Colts first three picks, then building up to include the other rounds and picks as we get closer to the draft.

Elliot’s Picks:

Round 2 Pick 34 - Ezra Cleveland, OT - Boise State

Round 2 Pick 44 - Michael Pittman, WR - USC

Round 3 Pick 75 - Jalen Hurts, QB - Oklahoma

Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

Elliot’s Analysis:

Colts have a not many glaring needs heading into the 2029 draft which sets the up nicely to go best player available. They do exactly that with their first pick in my mock by grabbing a highly athletic developmental left tackle prospect in Ezra Cleveland. Cleveland has the movement skills, flexibility and functional athleticism you want in a left tackle but is still raw with his fundamentals. Cleveland would learn behind Anthony Castonzo for a few years before eventually taking over as the Colts franchise blindside protector.

Next up is probably the most ideal receiver the Colts could draft, Michael Pittman. Pittman, 6’4” and 223lbs, is a big bodied wide receiver who would fit the Colts offense perfectly across the way from TY Hylton. He is a team captain, shone at the senior bowl, showed high end production against high end teams in college, played special teams and did i mention he only had 5 career drops.

Last but not least the Colts finally go and grab their quarterback of the future in Jalen Hurts. Hurts is a highly athletic and strong character with great leadership traits on and off the field. Hurts is a 3 year starter at both Alabama and Oklahoma where he showed great mobility and a rocker for an arm. He does have his limitations in his accuracy and touch but that’s why he’s available mid second round. Giving him a mentor in Philip Rivers and a Coach like Frank Reich would be the perfect landing spot for any quarterback to learn and Hurts gets exactly that.

Stephen’s Analysis:

I really like the pick of Cleveland here. OT is not an immediate or obvious need but Cleveland has all the traits and needs a year or so in an NFL training regime to become a solid contributor. He has the ability to be the long-term successor to Castonzo though. Pittman is an ideal fit for the Colts. He checks all the boxes. I agree with Elliot here so much that I independently had Pittman to the Colts at 44 as well. I don’t love Hurts in the Colts offense but I get it. I think he could be a more mobile version of Jacoby Brissett and for a RD3 pick, that’s not bad value. My issues with Hurts is he misses a lot of throws because he waits for the WRs to come open rather than throwing them open. It’s the same problem I have in Brissett but again, at 75, that’s pretty good value.

Stephen’s Picks:

Round 2 Pick 34 - Jordan Love, QB - Utah State

Round 2 Pick 44 - Michael Pittman, WR - USC

Round 3 Pick 75 - Bryce Hall, CB - Virginia

Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

Stephen’s Analysis:

Love has the highest ceiling of any QB in this draft but he also has one of the lowest floors. This is why having Frank Reich is key. If Reich can develop Love, this is a steal. People may say Love won’t slip this far and he might not. However, with teams not being able to bring him in for a workout or sit down with him in person, I wouldn’t be surprised if he slid. He’s already gone from top 10-15 pick to possibly being picked in the mid to late 20s. Love needs the right situation to fulfill his potential and Indy is the perfect spot.

Pittman is such a perfect pick for the Colts. Pittman checks all of Ballard’s boxes. He is an explosive athlete for his size. He’s a hard worker. He was a team captain at USC. He competed well in the Senior Bowl. He played special teams. He’s a Ballard guy. On the field, he’s a savvy route runner with great hands. He’s not a burner but he offers enough nuance in his route running to get open and has reliable hands. Overall, Pittman is one of my favorite WRs to mock to the Colts.

Hall is one of “my guys” at the CB position. He’s got great length with long arms and is incredibly intelligent. Similar to Pittman, Hall was a team captain. My guess is he would have gone to the Senior Bowl, if not for his season ending ankle injury. He’s great with the ball in front of him and can bait QBs into making poor decisions. Had he not gotten injured, we’re likely talking about him as a RD1 CB, right behind Okudah. If healthy, Hall is a perfect fit for Eberflus’s defense.

Elliot’s Analysis:

A combination of Jordan Love, an offensive mastermind in Frank Reich and a mentor in Philip Rivers is the perfect set up for a player like Jordan Love. Love is a high ceiling player who could end up being a Mahomes like player in the right situation. The right situation is giving him time to develop under a veteran QB.

I love the Michael Pittman pick. He really is the perfect wide receiver for the Colts. Also getting him at 44th overall is amazing value too.

Bryce Hall is a Ballard cornerback too a tee if there ever was one. He’s tall, long arms, works well in zone and press coverage and has the great ball skills to go with it. Not surprised he’s one of Stephen’s guys he’s a heck of a cornerback and heck of a football player. The major knock on Hall is the injury and it’s an understandable knock as due to the injury Hall missed nearly all his senior year because of it. Hall also was unable to participate in testing because of his injury.

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