5 round mock draft over on NFL.com by Chad Reuter
1-15 Haason Reddick - LB, Temple
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Bottom Line Injuries limited Reddick to just four games over last two years of high school, forcing him to walk on at Temple. The Owls staff helped him unlock his explosive athletic traits on the field, which resulted in three forced fumbles, 9.5 sacks and 21.5 tackles for loss in 2016. Reddick's speed and athleticism might give him a greater shot at impacting the game as a 3-4 inside linebacker or a 4-3 WILL rather than trying to bulk up and play the edge. An ascending prospect with a high-end potential if he can continue to hone his craft.
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I love the concept of using him all over the field sort of like the Texans do with J.J. Watt. ILB on run downs and hand in the dirt pass rusher from anywhere on passing downs.
2-14 Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC
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Sources Tell Us "I didn't expect him to have the year he did in coverage. I saw ball skills and coverage ability that I didn't see last year. Those interceptions and return touchdowns will push him into the early second. That's my guess." -- South area scout for AFC team
NFL Comparison Johnathan Joseph
Bottom Line There are two things teams love -- ball production from cornerbacks and return men who can play meaningful snaps on every down. Jackson fits those criteria. His lack of size and length are concerns, but he has the athleticism to step right in as a slot corner on the next level. His combination of coverage and return talent could make him an early impact player.
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Lack of talent at CB would allow him to take whichever position he can earn on the field (CB2 or Slot) and he could impact the return game in positive ways. Good pick.
3-16 D'Onta Foreman, RB, Texas
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Sources Tell Us "I think he would have benefitted by staying in school another year. He's awful in pass protection. Our coaches won't put him out there if they think he'll get the quarterback killed. He has ability as a runner but I think it's going to take awhile for him to become a factor." - NFC Scouting Director
NFL Comparison Jonathan Stewart
Bottom Line Former three-star recruit who turned that a chip on his shoulder into a 2,000-yard junior season. Foreman has outstanding foot quickness and wiggle for a back his size, but will need to run behind his pads and with more aggression on the next level. Teams could be split on his draft value as some may covet his size and athleticism while others will be concerned about a lack of third down value. Ultimately he has the talent to be a good NFL starter, but he's still a work in progress.
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Hate the pick. Not good in pass protection? Only had 7 pass receptions for the year? One trick pony which is NOT what the Colts offense needs. Don't mind picking a RB with the 3rd round pick if it is the RIGHT running back but I don't think Foreman is that guy.
4-15 John Johnson, S, Boston College
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Sources Tell Us "He's really caught my eye out here. Had to go look him up with one of our scouts to find out more about the kid. Way more athletic than a lot of the safeties you see out at this game." -- NFC secondary coach
NFL Comparison Aaron Williams
Bottom Line Ascending defender with the experience, athleticism and ball skills to play as a high safety or in man coverage. Johnson is well above average as a ball-tracker and has the soft hands to finish at the catch-point against receivers. He has decent size but won't be a banger as a tackler, however, his ability in coverage has NFL personnel men buzzing as a potential early starter in the league.
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Love that he has experience playing FS and Nickel CB. Sounds like a young Darius Butler honestly. Mix and match where to play him based on package; young players with that type of versatility are worthwhile.
4-31 Sean Harlow, G, Oregon State
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Bottom Line Lacks the length and athletic ability to play tackle at the next level and will have to kick inside. Shows some power at the point of attack, but needs to play with better bend after initial contact. Will be a little limited in space and his anchor problems as a left tackle will have to be vetted in pre-draft workouts after he kicks inside. Could be a serviceable backup with swing ability between center and guard.
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Not positive where he fits in the thinking of the guy making the draft. We already have A LOT of "acceptable" options at OG including Schwenke, Haeg, Good and Blythe. If we were going to add someone to the interior of the O-Line, we need a "GOOD" option and not another acceptable option. I guess he is thinking that any additional O-Lineman is an improvement but I would have rather seen this pick at TE than O-line to get just another body.
4-38 Deatrich Wise, DE, Arkansas
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Bottom Line Slow-twitch power player with rare physical attributes but a lack of functional athleticism to chalk up a stat sheet. Might have been miscast as a 4-3 defensive end considering his lack of quickness and rush talent. But his length and power at the point of attack could make him an attractive Day 3 (Rounds 4-7) draft option for 3-4 teams looking for a two-gapping defensive end with the traits to bounce back from a disappointing senior season.
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At the DE position, the Colts currently have Anderson, Langford, Ridgeway, Hunt and McGill. We have room for another young body whom can help close down run gaps and force an opposing offense into passing the ball.
5-14 Elijah Lee, OLB, Kansas State
No NFL.com Draft Profile to pull from. I pulled this from a pretty good video draft profile from a Washington Redskins fan (located
here).
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Elijah Lee was one of the best defenders in the BIG-12 this past season. He’s an athletic rangy linebacker with sideline to sideline ability. Lee was used as both an inside and outside linebacker while as Kansas State and the answer as to whether he should be used inside or outside will likely differ on the team evaluating him. Lee can make plays from either position. I hesitate to project him as an edge rushing LB in the NFL because his strengths don’t really lie in beating offensive tackles off the edge with his speed or pass rush moves. Lee does excel as a run defender plugging gaps and using his athleticism to shoot through them and make a play. Lee didn’t get a combine invite but he has said his offseason focus is to put on weight and show his athletic ability.
Elijah Lee is an intriguing player that you could play outside or inside but as I’m noticing with most of this year’s mid-round linebackers he has some issues that need to be corrected before he can be thrust out into a starting role. For Lee, it starts with filling out his frame as much as he can without affecting his athleticism (he is 6'3", 228 pounds). Not only does Lee need to add muscle mass he needs to add strength. I think a lot of Lee’s subsequent issues actually stem from that physical standpoint.
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Sounds like a poor man's Hasson Reddick. Sounds like a kid whom you can get to play different assignments depending on how you need him (inside on run downs, pass rush on passing downs). Needs to bulk up without slowing down but could see a lot of snaps as a rookie on ST.
In the end, the Colts end up with 2 picks in the secondary, 2 picks at LB, a RB, an OG and a D-Lineman. I don't like the RB or OG picks but I like everyone else.
If Ballard ends up with this type of haul, I would not be disappointed.
Cheers,
