Okereke was also out for that game.

Taylor was out as well

There is no right way or wrong way to build a team. There is just effective and ineffective. The Bucs went FA at the most two important positions and had a great draft and won again this year. We had our recent golden age primarily through the draft. But it was a FA (a trade specifically) in Booger that pushed that team over the top. I’m ok with having whatever theory a GM supports, as long as it is effective.

Ballard and team are top five drafters, so I’m good with it. Grigson was a horrible drafter, that’s why the core of the team went downhill. But there is nothing wrong with complimenting your roster with FA. Everyone liked the Xavier Rhodes signing right? Denico Autry? Houston? It seems the attitude is we don’t need FA’s except when we actually sign one. Unfortunately pass rushers are highly in demand, they go early in the draft, they go early in FA. And I’m not saying blow our cap on FA’s, no one is saying that. But would it hurt to bring in a young pass rusher in case Turay, Lewis, and Banagu don’t work out? Seems a wise precaution.

As for beefing up the run defense. It’s nice, but besides our division rivals, this is a passing league now. We play with five defensive backs the majority of the time, we play with six defensive backs more than our base 4-3. It’s just the way the league is trending. Having a strong run defense almost belongs 30 years ago than now.

Agree with you on everything but think you underestimate the ability to stop the run. Top team are pass heavy right now. It will change Even if it doesn’t making a team one dimensional because they have no choice is valuable. I’m not saying this is the end all, you also need a pass defense. But having a run defense as good as ours is a net positive.

It’s not a bad thing. Especially when you can make a team one dimensional. But we are not great at stopping the pass. So we are actually making teams attack our weakest area and come playoff time we will have to go through several mobile QBs most likely. I didn’t like how we seemed to regress against the pass as the season wore on.

I actually don’t mind it on offense because most defenses now are pass defense defenses, so we are attacking their weakness. I just would like our own defense more complete.

I am glad you acknowledge that Ballard actually does sign quality free agents. Most critics of his free agency approach ignore those.

I try to be fair. It’s also why it’s maddening to me bc generally he makes good decisions on who to sign. He has been in on a lot of the good performers the last couple years but we get outbid. Landon Collins was obviously too expensive. But Allen Robinson might have been worth trying harder for bc we still have a need there.

The batch this year he signed is arguably worse than who they are replacing. But I prefer to see how they perform before making judgement.

Anyone hear Irsay on JMV show yesterday?

He was asked if the priority for the draft was LT or pass rusher and he said it’s tough like asking colts fans who was more important Tarik Glenn or Dwight freeney.

JMV thinks we could go pass rusher then LT

I disagree

A more fair question would be who is more important between Walter Jones and Dwight Freeney, because Freeney was the best pass rusher in the NFL, Tarik Glenn was great but never in the conversation for best LT. It's also an unfair question because no Edge in this draft projects to be as good as Freeney, while I'd argue Teven Jenkins has a solid chance to be better than Tarik Glenn.

I looked at the 2018 DE class recently, considering what was available, the Colts actually couldn't have done much better going after DEs. The only one I found that was even moderately better in production was Sam Hubbard.

One of the ESPN Wonks did a column where he proposed trades for all 32 draft picks (they are all separate trades, so the same pick/guy could be traded in separate proposals).

This is what he proposed for Indy:

21. Indianapolis Colts
Colts get: 1-28, 3-98, 3-105
New Orleans Saints get: 1-21


Would you do it?

I would in a hot second. This seems like classic Ballard, to get two extra picks at the end of the third round to move down just seven spots? With it being a great year for OT, I can see something very similar to this happening.

Zak Keefer
@zkeefer
Draft stat that jumped out at me while researching a story...

Since Chris Ballard became Colts’ GM in 2017 (four drafts) he’s made:

10 second-round picks

Just two 1st-round picks

I feel like at this point you have to accent your strength which is offensive line, solidify the line and we control the games and what are your options if you pass on LT in round 1?

All else fails at pass rush you still have free agents out there so you still have options

I would not mind that deal at all :cool:

Even if trade back to gain a pick, think our first pick will be the BPA who can play left tackle... :cool:

Also, regardless of which LT we take he already has a huge advantage. Gets to play with Big Q.

He’s only stayed at his pick once.

Gotta think it’s LT. If your LT is bad then your QB goes down and you’re done. You can still operate without a pass rush. Kinda have been essentially.

If a LT is not there at 21 that he thinks is BPA, then I think he will trade down (perhaps multiple times), gather picks and then pick a LT that he and the coaching staff are convinced can be a day one starter when BPA and draft position match.

It is his M.O.

I am just hoping that isn't what they are thinking and then try to use Tevi as our day 1 starter!

If Ballard LT of choice will still be there in any trade down scenario, the n it's a no brainer.

I’m thinking it’s Cosmi

Here were a few OT / DE tidbits from Al Breer this week from an article and a Q+A mailbag:

Article link:
https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/04/19/mm...rkout-squabble

Mailbag link:
https://www.si.com/nfl/2021/04/21/nf...falcons-trades

Wow, whoever wrote that hasn't watched Teven Jenkins or Jaelan Phillips. Not even mentioning Jenkins among the tackle class is crazy to me, and one of the biggest pluses about Phillips is his technical soundness and that he rushes with a plan. The whole retirement thing on Phillips is overblown, too, he was forced to retire by UCLA.

I hope it is not Phillips. He 'retired' because UCLA docs wouldn't clear him to play. He has had 3 diagnosed concussions. Those can end badly.

If Ballard wouldn’t touch Sweatt, people having the colts pick that dude in any mock have no clue what they’re talking about. No fuckin way Ballard would take a guy with concussion issues in the 1st round if at all

UCLA has a policy on concussions that if you get three, you're forced to retire, it's not about them not clearing him medically. He played all of 2020 with no injury issues, and if you look at his injury history, he's kind of had a lot of bad luck, like he was run over by a car while riding a scooter.

You act as if they just pulled 'if you get 3 concussions you cannot play' out of their ass. Getting three concussions were the reason he wasn't cleared to play. It puts him at increase risk. It is sound medical reasoning. To many of the heroes of my youth have been fucked up big time thru repeated head trauma. I don't think winning is worth that. So I prefer he find another way to make a living and certainly don't want my team drafting him. Before anybody has a shit fit I agree it is his right to do whatever he wants with his life. Would prefer the Colts don't get involved.

Has the NFL disqualified him? If not, he could be drafted by some team. I think using a first or second would be taking a big gamble.

What are the odds he suffers another concussion playing a game where you NEED to wear a helmet?

You are between 3-9 times more likely to have a concussion after you have had three. The real question is what are the odds of getting CTE. You are correct about the legality and that, from a football standpoint, it may be a good gamble. The 'gamble' is with a mans future intellectual function. I don't want us to be part of that gamble, that's all.

Ballard ended his press conference saying “maybe we’ll be talking early Thursday who knows”

I was thinking the same thing. He is the best athlete and the concerns that Jenkins is a RT.

There are also laziness rumors around Darrisaw.

A developmental pick is the OT out of Northern Iowa. He is 6’9 and a really good athlete. He might be too tall though.

Definitely. Especially if there are still multiple OTs left that are high on the draft board.

Here's my PFF draft simulator results (did not make any trades):

21. Teven Jenkins (T) Okl St.
54. Payton Turner (Ed) Hou.
127. Tay Gowan (CB) UCF
165. Jamar Johnson (S) IU
206. Jonathan Adams Jr. (WR) Ark. St.
248. Whop Philyor (WR) IU

FWIW PFF gave me a B+

Colts Draft Contest

Posting my picks here for now since no thread has been started. Many of these players I expect to go earlier than i have in my mock, but I full expect Ballard to trade back at least twice in this draft.

Round 1 Pick 21
A: Jalen Mayfield OT, Michigan
B: Azeez Ojulari EDGE, Georgia
C: Jaelen Phillips EDGE, Miami

Round 2 Pick 22
A: Liam Eichenberg OT, Notre Dame
B: Eric Stokes CB, Georgia
C: Hunter Long TE, Boston College

Round 4 Pick 22
A: Trill Williams CB Syracuse
B: Milton Williams DT, Louisiana Tech
C: Patrick Jones II EDGE, Pittsburgh

Round 5 Pick 21
A: Quinn Meinerz OG, Wisconsin Whitewater
B: Dwayne Eskridge WR, Western Michigan
C: Tylan Wallace WR, Oklahoma State

Round 6 Pick 23
A: Tre Norwood CB, Oklahoma
B: Tony Poljan TE Virginia
C: Jaylen Twyman DT Pittsburgh

Round 7 Pick 21
A: Jaret Patterson RB, Buffalo
B: Sam Ehlinger QB, Texas
C: Tuf Borland LB Ohio State

I wouldn't take Cosmi over Jenkins, but I'll hope for whichever one Ballard drafts to be the best in the class.

Johnathan Ogden was 6'9", and he had a pretty good career as long as he wasn't facing Dwight Freeney.

If at 21 the 2 BPA are LT and Edge and the grade is close. You take the Edge rush There are like 2 maybe 3 good ER in this draft. After Sewell and Slater there are about 5-7 OT's in this class that will grade about the same and be available in the 2nd round.


I'd also say that there are going to be a lot of good players that will grade out better than many of the OT's that will be available at 21

So I agree with him

I am finishing my list and the ranking I have them at and will post before the draft.

I usually don't do this much but have been intrigued with the variety of talent that is coming in.

I'll do my top 50-60 players. We'll see how close I am.

I'm glad you mentioned Freeney's shear dominance over Ogden.

This is a weak EDGE draft compared to most. Some 1st round projected players have very little production and are being slotted by the pundits based on athletic traits alone.