State of the roster Draft Day -1

[Kray007]

Quarterback—in the long term, things are looking good. Daniel Jones seems to be recovering well from his injury and I have little doubt that, sometime this season, he’ll be back to 100%. The sometime this season part of that bothers me. We might well need someone to step in and play a few games should Jones’s recovery not go as well as hoped or if he sustains another injury. We have AR, but he seems to be on his way out the door. We also have Riley Leonard who looked promising in his one start, although, to be perfectly honest, I’d feel a lot better if that start had not come in week 18 against a Houston team with nothing on the line. My personal preference would be for them to add a veteran with a few cards left in the deck, someone willing to play on the cheap for the chance to win.

Running Back—Jonathan Taylor is one of the best in the league, but nobody else on the roster is worth a warm barrel of spit. At the very least, expect to hear one called sometime Saturday.

Cornerback—On paper, the Colts have the best Corner duo in the league. Toss in Justin Walley at nickel, and things are looking good. The bench, though, is a tad light on potential, and that might show up if Cam Ward doesn’t make a full recovery. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them open Saturday with a move to shore up the position.

Tight End—probably the deepest position group. Warren is future pro bowl’er, and Alie Cox, Ogletree, and Mallory offer solid support. The only possible reason to bring in more is the recognition that Mo is in the final few laps, going up against an opponent who is undefeated, who always prevails…age.

Offensive Line—All things considered, the only player who stands out as a potential weak link is Goncalves at RG, and his floor seems to be solid starter. There’s always room to shore up the bench, and no one should be surprised to see Ballard turn in that direction sometime on Saturday.

Defensive Tackle—This is a tough position to slot. At their best, Buckner and Stewart are fine. T Buck is an all pro talent who makes everyone around him look better. Stewart is a solid piece who meshes well with him. The addition of Wooden shores up depth and prevents the position from being a black hole should a starter go down. But, the cold fact is that we have 2 starters on the wrong side of 30, and both of them are in the final year of their contracts. With only 7 draft picks, you’re limited in what you can do, but this is an issue that has to be dealt with either this year or next.

Wide Receiver—Pierce and Downs are both pro bowl level players. Westbrook-Ikhine, Dulin, and Treadwell all bring something to the table, and watching them compete in training camp should be entertaining. At their end of the day, though, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ballard add someone, maybe as early as Friday. The other alternative would be to use some of the cap space they have squirreled away to acquire this year’s version of AJ Brown.

Safety—At one spot, Cam Bynum is solid. The other, though, remains a mystery. Nick Cross has exited stage left, leaving Hunter Wohler the inside track. It’ll be fascinating to see if Nassir Adderly can come back from a 3 year long self imposed exile. Beyond those guys, depth is solid, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ballard pull the trigger at the position on someone like Zakee Wheatley or Bud Clark, college players with lots of potential.

Defensive End—Bill Polian always said you never pass on a chance to get someone who can get to the Quarterback, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see one picked at 47. It seems like a good draft if you need help at the position. Right now, they have Laiatu Latu, who they think is poised to break out. Opposite him is the intriguing JT Tuimoloau, backed up by Arden Key and Michael Clemons. Personally, I think that JT, Key, and Clemons add a lot in obvious passing situations when you want to exert max pressure. But, there isn’t a bigger need than a big time talent at the position. The fact that they were in hot pursuit of Trey Hendrickson would seem to indicate that Ballard agrees. Unless they have a deal cooked up with someone like Bosa or a trade for Greenard, I expect to hear either Malachi Lawrence, Gabe Jacas, or R Mason Thomas announced when the Colts pick at 47.

Linebacker—when Jaylon Carlies is your proverbial great white hope, you know you have problems. As far as I’m concerned, in the best of all possible worlds, Jacob Rodriguez would be sitting there at 47; but, alas, he’ll be long gone by the time we pick. Pity. The nice thing, though, is that the draft lineup at the position is deep. A good one should be available in the 3rd round. In any event, one name I’ll be looking for on Saturday is Taurean York. He doesn’t have ideal size, but he can cover anybody.

[ukcolt]

DT depth for me is provided by Adebawore as well.

And to say the only concern on the offensive line is Goncalves, makes me think you have huge confidence in Jalen Travis! I think he is going to be fine, but i liked what i saw from Goncalves, and another off season to continue to learn the Guard position should help him.

The defensive backfield overall for me is fine, we have other holes on the roster that are far more glaring. Bynum as one starter and then Wohler, Thomas, Adderley, Scott, Owens and Lowery fighting for the 2nd and 3rd safety roles is enough for me. The cornerback room looks fine with Gardner, Mooney Ward (hopefully), Walley, Blackmon, Taylor-Britt, Mitchell and Edwards is also serviceable.