Who would you draft?

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by Ironshaft

Stampede Blue released two articles Thursday and Friday that make for an interesting exercise for the draft.

The first one, released Thursday by Zach Hicks, listed his top 200 “big board.” I have no idea who Zach Hicks is but when I read his articles, I agree with them for the most part and he obviously has put in the time to try and study the top xx number of kids heading for the draft. Let’s use that as item number one in our exercise as a realistic look at talent evaluation.

The second article released today by Jake Arthur takes all of the players drafted, signed or retained by Chris Ballard during his time as GM and compares a “minimum” level of physical traits by position group. He then lines up draftee candidates against those minimum criteria and shows who hits them. His minimum number of traits to make his list is half of the category maximum (i.e. if there are 12 traits for a position group, a player must hit 6 of them to be on the list).

Putting those two articles together, I looked at a draft where player value (the “big” board) had to be within 2 spots ahead of our draft position to 10 spots below our draft position (i.e. drafting #34, you can pick players ranked from #32 to #44) along with who had the best minimum trait scores as this would hopefully indicate the type of player Ballard is targeting. I tried drafting mostly for BPA but did acknowledge that I would have to target a couple of spots that I thought the Colts were thin on primarily WR, TE and depth O-Line.

Using that criteria, here the results:

2nd Round, #34 Overall – RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin. #34 on the “big” board; hits 11 of 11 physical traits for RB

Not where I would have gone for team need but Taylor hits this exercise as being at #34 on the “big” board and is the only RB in the draft class to hit on 11 of 11 physical traits of the running backs. He has all the skills to be an elite RB in the NFL and could really take a TON of pressure off Rivers to make aggressive decisions in the passing game. Behind our offensive line, Taylor could be a beast. Pairing him with Mack and Hines with more double RB formations could really create some mismatches as opposing defenses stay in base defense to defend the run and then we flex Hines or Mack out as a slot receiver. BPA in this case really lines up. He is an offensive weapon if not one at the position where we need help most.

2nd Round, #44 Overall – OT Ezra Cleveland, Boise State. #50 on the “big” board; hits 12 of 12 physical traits for OTs

Cleveland is the only OT in the draft class to hit all 12 of the physical traits established by Ballard. He is also a position of “need-ish” in my book because there is no one currently on the roster that could play left OT if something happens to Castonzo. In year one, he can challenge for playing time by either sliding inside to take Glowinski’s spot or show he could hold down right OT and allow Smith to slide inside. A great place where value and need line up, IMO and strengthened and already strong O-line.

3rd Round, #75 Overall – WR Chase Claypool, Notre Dame. #74 on the “big” board; hits 10 of 12 physical traits for WRs

Wow, value is really lining up. Only two receivers hit more physical traits than Claypool (Pittman Jr and Mims). Claypool hits 10 of 12 physical traits along with only one other receiver (Gabriel Davis, UCF) so is a great get here. I love almost everything about Claypool’s game and think that he could be a huge addition to the Colts offense. The added bonus is that it could allow for Campbell to absolutely KILL it in the slot creating mismatches and push Pascal back to the WR4 where his skills are probably much more suited to be a part time performance.

4th Round #122 Overall – NT Raekwon Davis, Alabama. #120 on the “big” board; hits 9 of 12 physical traits for DT

A leader on a stacked Alabama defense, has the physical traits and play ability to be a good starter in the NFL. Maturity is a concern but, hopefully, a good Colts locker room can help shape that. Could end up being the long-term NT to play next to DeForest Buckner going forward. He has all the traits for it.

5th Round #160 Overall – WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty. #162 on the “big” board, hits 9 of 12 physical traits for a WR

[Note: Could also have gone with TE Dalton Keene, Virginia Tech who was #160 on the “big” board but only hit on 7 of 10 TE traits for a lower 70% hit rate rather than the 75% hit rate of Gandy-Golden]

Wow, being able to hit on a player in the 5th round that still aligns to Ballard’s minimum traits 75% of the way is pretty incredible; and at a position of need to boot. He is an excellent lower round prospect who can push everyone above him and really increase the competition in the WR room. Having Claypool, Campbell, Pascal, Fountain and now Gandy-Golden all competing for playing time would make the room much, much stronger.

[b]6th Round #193 – OG Kevin Dotson, Louisiana. #193 on the “big” board; 10 of 12 physical traits for OG]/b]

Okay, this is crazy! Finding a guy at the bottom of the big board that is a position of “need-ish” for offensive line depth and still aligns 83% with Ballard’s minimum physical traits criteria is sort of weird. Dotson was a snub for the NFL combine but was a 4 year starter, named 1st team AP All-American his senior year who has some fundamental issues but a great motor and aggressive mindset. Sounds like a great guy to not ask to start immediately but instead to function as depth for a year or two.

6th Round #197 – LB Jacob Phillips, LSU. #195 on the “big” board; 10 of 10 physical traits for LB

Belay my last. Now we find a kid who aligns 100% with the physical traits Ballard looks for in linebackers at the end of the draft. I don’t know that LB is a big position of need but quality depth is always desired and good special teams play can help. Competing with Speed, Adams and Franklin for depth duties will only make the group grow stronger.

Recap:

2nd round #34 – RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin. 11 of 11 RB physical traits (100% match)
2nd round #44 – OT Ezra Cleveland, Boise State. 12 of 12 OT physical traits (100% match)
3rd Round #75 – WR Chase Claypool, Notre Dame. 10 of 12 WR physical traits (83% match)
4th Round #122 – NT Raekwon Davis, Alabama. 9 of 12 DT physical traits (75% match)
5th Round #160 – WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty. 9 of 12 WR physical traits (75% match)
6th Round #193 – OG Kevin Dotson, Louisiana. 10 of 12 OG physical traits (83% match)
6th Round #197 – LB Jacob Phillips, LSU. 10 of 10 LB physical traits (100% match)

3x offensive play makers, 2x offensive line, 2x defensive front-7.

Other than finding tight end or safety depth, that draft is music to my ears!

Interesting exercise. What do you think?

I could live with that draft. It's not a strong TE or corner draft. And I know they have liked some RB's in the last couple drafts. Christian McCaffrey, and Josh Jacobs last year. So a RB doens't completely surprise me, especially if they think he can be great. I have been reading some buzz about the Ohio St RB and that some teams like him also. Keeps showing up in game film making plays when studying other guys.

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

I could live with that draft. It's not a strong TE or corner draft. And I know they have liked some RB's in the last couple drafts. Christian McCaffrey, and Josh Jacobs last year. So a RB doens't completely surprise me, especially if they think he can be great. I have been reading some buzz about the Ohio St RB and that some teams like him also. Keeps showing up in game film making plays when studying other guys.

J.K. Dobbins or Clyde Edwards-Helaire at 75 would make me very happy.

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by Dam8610

J.K. Dobbins or Clyde Edwards-Helaire at 75 would make me very happy.

I would be ok with that.

Also Mims and Claypoole have been working their up the board. If either is available at 34, that may be the only point we see them available.

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

I would be ok with that.

Also Mims and Claypoole have been working their up the board. If either is available at 34, that may be the only point we see them available.

Mims at 34 is fine with me.

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by Dam8610

Mims at 34 is fine with me.

I agree. He seems to be the next Reggie Wayne.

[YDFL Commish]

Originally Posted by Ironshaft

Stampede Blue released two articles Thursday and Friday that make for an interesting exercise for the draft.

The first one, released Thursday by Zach Hicks, listed his top 200 “big board.” I have no idea who Zach Hicks is but when I read his articles, I agree with them for the most part and he obviously has put in the time to try and study the top xx number of kids heading for the draft. Let’s use that as item number one in our exercise as a realistic look at talent evaluation.

The second article released today by Jake Arthur takes all of the players drafted, signed or retained by Chris Ballard during his time as GM and compares a “minimum” level of physical traits by position group. He then lines up draftee candidates against those minimum criteria and shows who hits them. His minimum number of traits to make his list is half of the category maximum (i.e. if there are 12 traits for a position group, a player must hit 6 of them to be on the list).

Putting those two articles together, I looked at a draft where player value (the “big” board) had to be within 2 spots ahead of our draft position to 10 spots below our draft position (i.e. drafting #34, you can pick players ranked from #32 to #44) along with who had the best minimum trait scores as this would hopefully indicate the type of player Ballard is targeting. I tried drafting mostly for BPA but did acknowledge that I would have to target a couple of spots that I thought the Colts were thin on primarily WR, TE and depth O-Line.

Using that criteria, here the results:

2nd Round, #34 Overall – RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin. #34 on the “big” board; hits 11 of 11 physical traits for RB

Not where I would have gone for team need but Taylor hits this exercise as being at #34 on the “big” board and is the only RB in the draft class to hit on 11 of 11 physical traits of the running backs. He has all the skills to be an elite RB in the NFL and could really take a TON of pressure off Rivers to make aggressive decisions in the passing game. Behind our offensive line, Taylor could be a beast. Pairing him with Mack and Hines with more double RB formations could really create some mismatches as opposing defenses stay in base defense to defend the run and then we flex Hines or Mack out as a slot receiver. BPA in this case really lines up. He is an offensive weapon if not one at the position where we need help most.

2nd Round, #44 Overall – OT Ezra Cleveland, Boise State. #50 on the “big” board; hits 12 of 12 physical traits for OTs

Cleveland is the only OT in the draft class to hit all 12 of the physical traits established by Ballard. He is also a position of “need-ish” in my book because there is no one currently on the roster that could play left OT if something happens to Castonzo. In year one, he can challenge for playing time by either sliding inside to take Glowinski’s spot or show he could hold down right OT and allow Smith to slide inside. A great place where value and need line up, IMO and strengthened and already strong O-line.

3rd Round, #75 Overall – WR Chase Claypool, Notre Dame. #74 on the “big” board; hits 10 of 12 physical traits for WRs

Wow, value is really lining up. Only two receivers hit more physical traits than Claypool (Pittman Jr and Mims). Claypool hits 10 of 12 physical traits along with only one other receiver (Gabriel Davis, UCF) so is a great get here. I love almost everything about Claypool’s game and think that he could be a huge addition to the Colts offense. The added bonus is that it could allow for Campbell to absolutely KILL it in the slot creating mismatches and push Pascal back to the WR4 where his skills are probably much more suited to be a part time performance.

4th Round #122 Overall – NT Raekwon Davis, Alabama. #120 on the “big” board; hits 9 of 12 physical traits for DT

A leader on a stacked Alabama defense, has the physical traits and play ability to be a good starter in the NFL. Maturity is a concern but, hopefully, a good Colts locker room can help shape that. Could end up being the long-term NT to play next to DeForest Buckner going forward. He has all the traits for it.

5th Round #160 Overall – WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty. #162 on the “big” board, hits 9 of 12 physical traits for a WR

[Note: Could also have gone with TE Dalton Keene, Virginia Tech who was #160 on the “big” board but only hit on 7 of 10 TE traits for a lower 70% hit rate rather than the 75% hit rate of Gandy-Golden]

Wow, being able to hit on a player in the 5th round that still aligns to Ballard’s minimum traits 75% of the way is pretty incredible; and at a position of need to boot. He is an excellent lower round prospect who can push everyone above him and really increase the competition in the WR room. Having Claypool, Campbell, Pascal, Fountain and now Gandy-Golden all competing for playing time would make the room much, much stronger.

[b]6th Round #193 – OG Kevin Dotson, Louisiana. #193 on the “big” board; 10 of 12 physical traits for OG]/b]

Okay, this is crazy! Finding a guy at the bottom of the big board that is a position of “need-ish” for offensive line depth and still aligns 83% with Ballard’s minimum physical traits criteria is sort of weird. Dotson was a snub for the NFL combine but was a 4 year starter, named 1st team AP All-American his senior year who has some fundamental issues but a great motor and aggressive mindset. Sounds like a great guy to not ask to start immediately but instead to function as depth for a year or two.

6th Round #197 – LB Jacob Phillips, LSU. #195 on the “big” board; 10 of 10 physical traits for LB

Belay my last. Now we find a kid who aligns 100% with the physical traits Ballard looks for in linebackers at the end of the draft. I don’t know that LB is a big position of need but quality depth is always desired and good special teams play can help. Competing with Speed, Adams and Franklin for depth duties will only make the group grow stronger.

Recap:

2nd round #34 – RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin. 11 of 11 RB physical traits (100% match)
2nd round #44 – OT Ezra Cleveland, Boise State. 12 of 12 OT physical traits (100% match)
3rd Round #75 – WR Chase Claypool, Notre Dame. 10 of 12 WR physical traits (83% match)
4th Round #122 – NT Raekwon Davis, Alabama. 9 of 12 DT physical traits (75% match)
5th Round #160 – WR Antonio Gandy-Golden, Liberty. 9 of 12 WR physical traits (75% match)
6th Round #193 – OG Kevin Dotson, Louisiana. 10 of 12 OG physical traits (83% match)
6th Round #197 – LB Jacob Phillips, LSU. 10 of 10 LB physical traits (100% match)

3x offensive play makers, 2x offensive line, 2x defensive front-7.

Other than finding tight end or safety depth, that draft is music to my ears!

Interesting exercise. What do you think?

I'm sorry, I hate your draft.

[Ironshaft]

Originally Posted by YDFL Commish

I'm sorry, I hate your draft.

That's fine but why?

What are you hoping more for? CB? QB? What are you looking for.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[YDFL Commish]

Originally Posted by Ironshaft

That's fine but why?

What are you hoping more for? CB? QB? What are you looking for.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

RB is not a need. I'm not sold on Dobbins. Ezra Cleveland is a developmental player. I don't hate the Claypool pick there though. Davis in no way fits into our scheme. I don't hate Golden at that spot. LB is the last of our needs on this team.

[apballin]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

I agree. He seems to be the next Reggie Wayne.

Whoa, I’ll go check this dude out again but I haven’t seen that

[Dam8610]

Anyone watched/have any thoughts on Anthony Gordon? I'd dismissed him as an air raid system QB, but his performance at the Senior Bowl was surprising in a very positive way. Looking at a few of his games, his ability to extend plays and get out of the pocket was reminiscent of Russell Wilson and his ball placement, accuracy, and arm strength were all reminiscent of collegiate Drew Brees (remember that Brees did not have the arm strength to make certain NFL throws in the first few years of his NFL career). I'm not saying that he'll be as good as those QBs, but I like the intangibles, and I think an NFL team willing to get him in an intensive strength and conditioning program and invest in a lot of film study and coaching, they could get a quality starting QB out of him. To me, the intangibles and many of the physical tools are already there, and taking him in Round 5, for example, would be a better option to me than taking Jalen Hurts or Jake Fromm in Round 3.