towards OTA’s
T.J. Green Color Rush Jersey , Training Camp, Preseason and the eventual roster cut down. Even though there is still some way to go until..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteStampede Bluean Indianapolis Colts communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsColtsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Colts StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Colts NewsYahoo Colts Team PageYahoo Colts ReportYahoo Colts Depth ChartYahoo Colts TransactionsYahoo Colts PhotosShop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Indianapolis Colts Early 53 Man Roster PredictionNew,90commentsEDTShareTweetShareShareInd ianapolis Colts Early 53 Man Roster PredictionPhoto by Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesWith the end of the NFL Draft and Rookie Minicamp thoughts are heading towards OTA’s, Training Camp, Preseason and the eventual roster cut down. Even though there is still some way to go until roster cut downs it is never too early to look what might happen especially after the draft and rookie mini camp is over now.Trades, surprise cuts, injury designations and even late free agent signings will change the finished product, as we are still a way away from final roster cut downs, but here is my early prediction of the Indianapolis Colts 53-man roster for the 2019 NFL season.Offense (24)Quarterbacks (2)Photo by David Eulitt/Getty ImagesAndrew Luck and Jacoby BrissettProbably the easiest projection in the entire Colts 53 man roster. Luck is the starter and Brissett is the back up. It’s very straight forward. The only slight curve-ball in this is, from out of nowhere, someone trades for Brissett. That seems extremely unlikely, especially after the draft. Notable cuts: Phillip WalkerRunning backs (4)Photo by Tim Warner/Getty ImagesMarlon Mack, Nyheim Hines, Jordan Wilkins and Spencer WareAgain another seemingly straight forward projection. Mack is the starter, Hines the gadget back, Wilkins and Ware will fight it out for the right to first touches after Mack tires, but otherwise this group is set.Notable cuts: Jonathan WilliamsWide Receiver (5)Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty ImagesTY Hilton, Devin Funchess, Parris Campbell, Deon Cain, Daurice FountainThe top of this group is almost set in stone for the 2019 season. Hilton is WR1, Funchess is the current WR2 after being signed in the off-season, Campbell is a second round pick who the coaches are gushing over. After those three, it gets interesting: Deon Cain was last year's training camp standout before he tore his ACL in a preseason game. Depending on his injury status, he either makes the final 53 man roster or could be a PUP candidate. Either way, it looks like the fourth spot is his at this stage. The final spot is in the air and makes for a tasty battle at training camp. There are a few names that will fight for it, but ultimately, I think Daurice Fountain wins the job. Notable cuts: Chester Rogers, Zach Pascal, Marcus Johnson and Penny Hart. Tight Ends (4)Photo by Tim Warner/Getty ImagesJack Doyle
https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Matthias-Farley-Jersey , Eric Ebron, Mo Allie-Cox and Ross TravisThe starters are clear in the tight end group, and are arguably the best tight end duo in the league, so it’s a given Doyle and Ebron make the roster. The rest of the group is dependent on how many tight ends the team decides to keep. Last year the Colts elected to keep four so I will stick to four in my projection. Frank Reich loves using tight ends, so keeping four again seems right. Both Allie-Cox and Travis provide big-bodied targets who can catch and block.Notable cuts: Hale HentgesOffensive Line (9)Photo by Rob Carr/Getty ImagesAnthony Castonzo, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Mark Glowinski, Braden Smith, Joe Haeg, Le’Raven Clark, Javon Patterson and Jackson Barton. The Colts starting offensive line was finally solidified last season and will provide some continuity at the position bringing back the same starting five back again. Castonzo, Nelson, Kelly, Glowinski and Smith are the starters. Haeg is the swing tackle/guard and Clark provides depth behind the left tackle. Patterson and Barton, drafted this year, provide depth along the line. Notable cuts: J’Marcus Webb and Evan Boehm.Defense (26)Defensive Line (9)Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesJabaal Sheard, Denico Autry, Margus Hunt, Justin Houston, Kemoko Turay, Tyquan Lewis, Jihad Ward, Grover Stewart and Gerri Green. The Colts bring back their starting defensive line from last year, sans Al Woods, who was replaced by Hunt after injury. Sheard, Autry, Hunt and free agent addition Houston are the likely starters, Turay and Lewis provide depth, and are starters in a pinch. Stewart is the only big-bodied nose tackle on the roster and Ward was a huge surprise after being signed last year before hit by injury. Notable cuts: Al-Quadin Muhammad and Carroll Phillips.Linebacker (6)Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesDarius Leonard
Christine Michael Sr Jersey , Anthony Walker, Ben Banogu, Matthew Adams, Bobby Okereke and EJ Speed.DROY Darius Leonard and Anthony Walker are your starters at WILL and MIKE linebacker, with SAM linebacker a bit up in the air. Adams was the eventual starter last season and played well, but after drafting Banogu to play a hybrid SAM linebacker/defensive end role, Banogu could end up being the starter. Draft picks Okereke and Speed round out a much deeper group this year.Notable cuts: Skai Moore and Zaire Franklin. Cornerback (6)Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesPierre Desir, Kenny Moore, Quincy Wilson, Nate Hairston, Rock Ya-Sin and Marvell Tell. This group has been transformed from a perceived weakness at the start of last year to a solid, deep group. Desir and Moore are the starters, with quality depth in Wilson, and this years highest draft pick Ya-Sin. Draft pick Tell makes the successful transition from safety to cornerback, and Hairston’s ability to play nickel and boundary corner along with special teams play wins him the final spot in a crowded cornerback group. Notable cuts: Chris Milton and Jalen CollinsSafety (5)Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty ImagesMalik Hooker, Clayton Geathers, Matthias Farley, Khari Willis and George Odum.Hooker and Geathers are the starters, Farley and Willis are quality depth who can both start in a pinch if needed. Odum is a special teamer with depth upside. Pretty straight forward group here.Notable cuts: Derrick KindredSpecialist (3)Photo by Peter Aiken/Getty ImagesAdam Vinatieri, Rigoberto Sanchez and Luke Rhodes.GOAT Kicker in Vinatieri, good young punter in Sanchez and solid long snapper in Rhodes, enough said. Notable cuts: None Depth Chart Projection:QB - Luck Brissett RB - Mack Hines Wilkins Ware WR - Hilton Funchess Campbell Cain FountainTE - Doyle Ebron Cox TravisOT - Castonzo Smith Clark BartonOG - Nelson Glowinski HaegC - Kelly Patterson DE - Sheard GreenNT - Hunt StewartUT - Autry Lewis WardDE - Houston Turay WLB - Leonard Speed MLB - Walker OkerekeSLB -Banogu AdamsCB - Desir Wilson Ya-Sin Tell NCB - Moore HairstonFS - Hooker Farley Odum SS - Geathers WillisK - VinatieriP - SanchezLS - Rhodes 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 to Mock Draft Face Off with Elliot and..." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesHorizontal - WhiteStampede Bluean Indianapolis Colts communityLog In or Sign UpLog InSign UpFanpostsFanshotsColtsShopAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 322 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Colts StoriesScheduleRosterStatsYahoo Colts NewsYahoo Colts Team PageYahoo Colts ReportYahoo Colts Depth ChartYahoo Colts TransactionsYahoo Colts PhotosShop About Masthead Community Guidelines StubHub ✕Stampede Blue’s Mock Draft Face Off New,17commentsEDTShareTweetShareShareStampede Blue’s Mock Draft Face Off Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty ImagesIn 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 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. Each week we will both be mocking draft picks to the Colts and analyzing them. We will now be mocking the first three rounds of picks by the Colts, then building up to include the other rounds and picks as we get closer to the draft.Elliot’s Round 1 Pick 26Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY SportsTJ Hockenson - TE - IowaYes, a tight end with the first pick in the draft. Hear me out: First, TJ Hockenson is a top offensive prospect in this draft. Along with his college counterpart
Pat McAfee Color Rush Jersey , Noah Fant, they are the top two tight ends in the draft. Hockenson is a do-it-all tight end who can catch and block, and the end result of both are always good. He’s the jack of all trades, Swiss Army knife tight end that I’m sure the Colts will love to have on their offense. Add in the fact that both Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle are free agents at the end of the year, and this pick makes all the more sense for the future. Elliot’s Round 2 Pick 34Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY SportsTaylor Rapp - Safety - WashingtonThe need for a safety for the future is evident. Clayton Geathers is the presumed starter next year after re-signing on a 1 year deal but after that, the position is up in the air. Taylor Rapp is the perfect safety for the Colts. He’s a versatile safety who works best when plays in the box and in a two high system.That's exactly what the Colts play and it's presumably how the team would use him. Rapp is a strong tackler who is effective in run support, can cover tight ends and plays zone well. Rapp fits what the Colts look for in a safety very well, and would be a perfect partner for Malik Hooker Elliot’s Round 2 Pick 59Winslow Townson-USA TODAY SportsZach Allen - DL -Boston CollegeZach Allen is the epitome of a hard worker. The tape shows just that, he wins from hard work, motor and technique. This is a player with fantastic instincts, who plays very effectively against the run and offers upside rushing the passer. Allen would likely play base 4-3 end and can kick inside to 3 Technique defensive tackle during passing downs, similar to how Tyquan Lewis was used last year. With his initial quickness and play strength, Allen could play defensive tackle full-time and maximize his strengths. Elliot’s Round 3 Pick 89Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY SportsJoe Jackson - EDGE - MiamiThe Colts need pass rushers and Joe Jackson is exactly that. Jackson gets after the quarterback by any means necessary and has proven to be very effective,getting constant pressure and production. Jackson bulked up around 30lbs and it has helped tremendously with his strength. He projects to be a defensive end in the Colts scheme. Reed’s AnalysisAs a whole, I agree with most of Elliot’s picks. Getting Hockenson at 26 would be an absolute steal but might be unpopular with some Colts fans in the same way Reggie Wayne was an unpopular pick when he was drafted. Hockenson can do it all, though, and would flourish in Reich’s offense. Picking Hockenson would also give the Colts some insurance if Jack Doyle or Eric Ebron were to walk after the season. Taylor Rapp is my favorite safety fit for the Colts. He’s a perfect pairing with Malik Hooker and would fill the box safety role perfectly. Zach Allen is a high-motor type of defensive end who is solid all the way around. He doesn’t have the speed or athleticism some might desire as an edge defender though. Jackson is an interesting pick up in the third round. To me, he seems more like a 3-4 DE than an EDGE rusher. His size and strength would make him a solid DE in the base 4-3, but he doesn’t have the initial quickness or flexibility to be a consistent pass rusher from the outside. If he’s moved inside to DT, he may be able to collapse the pocket with a simple bull rush.Reed’s Round 1 Pick 26Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty ImagesAndre Dillard - OT - Washington StOh, Elliot wants to surprise people with a controversial pick at 26? Challenge accepted! Dillard is a perfect pick for the Colts here. He’s an athletic left tackle prospect that excels in pass protection. Given his time in Washington State's passing-oriented offense, he’ll need some time to work on run blocking. Dillard could learn behind Anthony Castonzo for a year then immediately take over if the Colts don’t extend him. Think this idea is crazy? Chris Ballard said in his interviews at the Owner’s meetings last week that he really like the OL in this class so don’t be surprised if they look for a long term solution for life after Castonzo.Reed’s Round 2 Pick 34Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesJerry Tillery - DT - Notre DameTillery is the perfect fit for the DT position in the Colts speed-based defense. He has the power and explosion to shoot the gaps and collapse the pocket. He’s strong at the point of attack, and gets his hands up to cause tipped balls. He does need to be coached up in a few areas but, overall, he’d be a perfect fit.Reed’s Round 2 Pick 59Photo by David Purdy/Getty ImagesHakeem Butler - WR - Iowa StHakeem Butler is my favorite WR in this class.He’s been mocked anywhere from top 20 to thethird round so the jury really is out on him. He could fall, however, based on his inconsistent hands and limited route tree. Butler does have trouble getting off of press coverage, as well. That said, with the right coaching, Butler can be an absolute game changer. He’s got a massive catch radius (which Frank Reich mentioned at the Owners meetings he likes in his pass catchers)
https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Jack-Doyle-Jersey , and huge hands. Butler can just physically maul DBs once the ball is in his hands, and he’s deceptively fast with his long strides. To be fair, this might be the Colts pick at 34, but they very well could get him here, too.Reed’s Round 3 Pick 89Photo by Donald Page/Getty ImagesJachai Polite - EDGE - FloridaThe slide for Polite’s disastrous pre-draft experience stops here. On tape, Polite is one of the best pass rushers in this class. He’s got it all. A fantastic first step, the ability to bend around the edge, and he's adequate against the run. Polite’s basically a blank canvas of secondary pass rush moves to develop, too. Unfortunately for him, Polite’s stock has plummeted from a likely top 15 pick to a Day 2 pick because of massive maturity concerns, poor athletic testing and rumored terrible interviews. If Chris Ballard and Frank Reich think they can help Polite mature, this could very well be the biggest steal of the draft. I wouldn’t be opposed to taking Polite at 59 if the front office were comfortable with it.Elliot’s AnalysisWow I think Reed wins the shock/surprise factor with his first round pick. An offensive lineman round 1 would be a stunner! Andre Dillard is a beast of a left tackle, though, and could be just the tackle the Colts need to be Castonzo’s eventual successor. Don’t forget that Castonzo is a free agent at the end of the upcoming year, so Dilliard could be a good, cheaper option at left tackle for the future. Great pick, good value, but I just can’t justify an offensive lineman in the first round with such quality defensive talent atop this years draft class. I’d be upset but I’d get over it knowing what I know of Dilliard. Jerry Tillery is exactly the type of defensive tackle the Colts love, an attacking one. I saw someone liken Tillery to Chris Jones of the Chiefs and I can see why, both have that constant attack mode whether it be in the run game or pass rushing. Don’t forget Chris Ballard was in Kansas City when they drafted Jones, Tillery could end up being his Indianapolis counterpart. Hakeem Butler is flying under the radar at the moment but he shouldn’t be. His incredible catch radius and physical traits make him exactly the type of receiver the Colts need for Luck to just throw it up and let Butler come down with it. The biggest knock against him (as Reed mentioned) is his hands, as he has been prone to drops. Time with Luck and Reich will shore that up in no time, though. With the knocks on him I do think this is a good range for Butler but I could see him slip further and he could be had with the Colts third rounder instead. Polite would be an absolute steal here. Yes, his testing sucked. Yes, his pro day sucked. You know what didn’t suck? His tape! Just put his tape on and you’ll see a dominate player who is a great pass rusher and holds up well against the run. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Ballard grabs a falling Polite, providing he checks out interview-wise.
10th July 2019
With the end of the NFL Draft and Rookie Minicamp thoughts are heading
