A Look Back at the Draft

After the dust has settled and the rush and adrenaline of the NFL draft has calmed, we take a look back on the Indianapolis Colts draft. Here is a list of who the Colts selected:

Round One, Pick 31: Jerry Hughes, Defensive End, TCU

Round Two, Pick 63: Pat Angerer, Linebacker, Iowa

Round Three, Pick 94: Kevin Thomas, Cornerback, USC

Round Four, Pick 129: Jacques McClendon, Guard, Tennessee

Round Five, Pick 162: Brody Eldridge, Tight End, Oklahoma 

Round Seven, Pick 238: Ricardo Mathews, Defensive Tackle, Cincinatti

Round Seven, Pick 240: Kavell Conner, Linebacker, Clemson

Round Seven, Pick 246: Ray Fisher, Cornerback, Indiana

Coming into this draft I stated that the areas of need for this Colts team were defensive lineman, offensive lineman, and cornerback. The Colts had eight picks in this year’s draft, and five of them were used to address the issues that I believe the Colts needed to address. Of the other three selections, two were used on linebackers and one on a tight end. Clearly the Colts wanted to address their concerns in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and as usual the front office did a nice job and selected quality players that were areas of need. 

My favorite pick in the draft is, without a doubt, Jerry Hughes. I absolutely love his motor and he has the pass rushing skills to be effective from day one. Although they could have gone offensive tackle with this pick and selected someone, such as, Roger Saffold, they instead went with one of the best players on the board. I am shocked that a 3-4 team did not select Hughes in the mid to late 20’s to play as a rush outside linebacker, but in turned out well for the Colts. 

My more than expected pick in the draft goes to a player who may fly under the radar during the draft, but will push for playing time and excel with the Colts throughout his career. For this pick I like Kevin Thomas, who was selected in the third round out of USC. Thomas has good size for a cornerback at 6′0″ and 192 pounds, but he does not lack the top notch speed that you would expect a bigger defensive back to lose. He is coming from a defense that has produced many instant impact players, and has been a very solid starter for the Trojans. Although he will probably never develop into an elite corner, he certainly has the ability to step-in and become a solid starter for years to come on this Colts team. 

My favorite late round pick is cornerback and return specialist, Ray Fisher. Fisher brings an explosive ability to return punts and kicks to a Colts team that has been lacking in this area for the past few seasons. However, unlike other return specialists, Fisher’s ability to play corner may come in handy late in games or in pinches. He is very small and undersized, so it is doubtful that he will become a steadfast part of this defense. However, if Fisher can translate his college success at returning to the NFL, he could prove to be one of the most dynamic weapons on an already dangerous Colts team

This year’s draft was incredibly deep and teams were able to get ample talent throughout the entire seven rounds. The Colts were able to end the day with eight selections, and I believe that they addressed many of the questions surrounding this team. However, I would have liked it if the Colts would have been able to add a tackle prospect in the second or third round, one such as Charles Brown or Jared Veldheer. Regardless, the Colts showed once again why they have been able to stay atop a league that is supposedly set-up to even out the competition. I give this year’s draft for the Colts a solid B, and five years down the road I believe the Colts will have found several sound starters out of this year’s draft.