Now What?

With the 31st pick in the NFL draft the Indianapolis Colts selected defensive end, Jerry Hughes, and I absolutely love the pick. I was a little bit surprised that Hughes was not gone by the time the Colts were on the clock, but I knew that once he became available he was the man for the Colts. Hughes fits perfectly into this defense, and he will be able to learn from two of the best pass rushers in the game. He brings the speed, talent, and high-motor that Colts fans have come to expect from their defensive ends, and he has already drawn comparisons to Dwight Freeney. However, now the Colts must figure out what direction they will be going in the second and third rounds of the draft. 

So far the draft has gone perfectly for the Colts. They got their defensive end of the future, but even more importantly, there are a plethora of offensive tackles, cornerbacks, linebackers, and defensive tackles still left on the board. All of these positions have been picked as areas of need for the Colts, and there is still plenty of talent left on the board for the second and third round. Roger Saffold, Charles Brown, and Edwin Veldheer are three very talented prospects who are not as polished as Bryan Bulaga, Russell Okung, or Trent Williams, but they do offer the potential to be good or even great left tackles in the league. 

It is very unlikely that Saffold or Brown will fall to the Colts, and whether or not the front office views them as players worthy of trading up for is yet to be seen. However, the Colts may opt to bolster the defense even further. Defensive tackles Brian Price and Lamarr Houston are still available, and cornerbacks Chris Cook, Jerome Murphy, Amari Spievey, and Brandon Ghee are all cornerbacks who can step-in and help right away. Maybe the most fascinating player still left on the board, excluding Jimmy Clausen, is USC safety Taylor Mays. Safety is not exactly a position of need for the Colts, who have Antoine Bethea, Bob Sanders (when healthy), and Melvin Bullitt, and Mays certainly has some knocks against his ability to cover and play safety in the NFL. However, if Polian and company believe that Mays projects well on this Colts defense, then they will certainly look to take the safety. Mays has the athleticism, size, and talent of a first round pick, but scouts have questioned his ability to translate that ability to the NFL. 

It will certainly be an interesting day, and as we saw in the first round teams will be looking to move around. The Colts have shown that they are more than willing to stand pat and wait their turn, but if they believe that one of the players they desperately want will be gone early in the second, then they may jump up.