Drafting a Pass Rusher

[Manning1887]

Along with a glaring need at safety, I feel we must add a pass rusher in this draft. It appears that Robert Mathis is almost as important to this team's success as Andrew Luck. If Mathis went down, our pass rush essentially goes with him. There were times last year where Mathis was the only Colt generating a pass rush.

 

I think it is safe to say that Erik Walden will not be developing into a pass rusher anytime soon. Hopefully Werner will improve going into his second year. I really don't know if Adongo is much of an option. Hopefully he comes to camp ready to compete. That leaves the draft.

 

I severely doubt that Demarcus Lawrence or Jeremiah Attaochu will be available at #59. I am not sure if Marcus Smith will be. Who are some other options, particularly from the 5th round on?

 

Someone wrote a nice piece on Howard Jones from Shepherd (Division II?). Perhaps a 6th or 7th round pick? Perhaps a guy, who like Mathis, develops for a year as he contributes on special teams. A developmental rookie year would give him time to add a little weight while he develops some pass rushing moves.

 

 

[kjyb]

i would love Jeremiah Attaochu at 59 trade up agin get a safety then let the draft play out go colts!!! 

[throwing BBZ]

Gee, let`s think hard about finding a late round pick to develope. !

Well we do ALREADY have Cam Johnson, Adongo...
 

 Lets trade for NO 1st rd pick. I got a player in mind. ;)

[CR91]

lets wait off and see how werner does in his second year. he showed some flashes as a pass rusher. got limited reps and still got 2.5 sacks as a rookie. it took hughes 2 years to get his first sack

[coltnorth]

If you are drafting a pass rusher, it needs to be from a position other than rush backer. Coaches and GM have stated werner is the rush back of the future and they are happy with him. A sam backer would be a good pick up. Van Noy in the second or Hubbard in the third would be solid. Both are good in run d and cn cover well and have showed potential as a rusher. A rush from the interior would be nice too. Maybe Quarles in the third. Very disruptive. Borland can provide a pass rush when blitzing. Mc Nary also showed potential when blitzing too

[21isSuperman]

lets wait off and see how werner does in his second year. he showed some flashes as a pass rusher. got limited reps and still got 2.5 sacks as a rookie. it took hughes 2 years to get his first sack

Hughes was in the wrong defense though and he barely got any playing time behind Mathis and Freeney.  I also don't think he got the playing time he needed in 2012.  In his first season with the Bills, Hughes got 10 sacks.  I think we gave up on him too early.  Now, with Werner, he's drawn comparisons to Jared Allen and I think he would be best suited to a 4-3.  I'm really looking to him to develop and take a giant leap (I think expecting 8+ sacks isn't unreasonable).  We do have Adongo who is likely still very raw, and Walden is more of a run stopping/set the edge type of OLB.  I wouldn't be upset if we draft a pass rusher in the 2nd round, but I think the secondary is more important to fix right now

[Dark Superman]

Werner is a beast in Madden lol..

[CR91]

Hughes was in the wrong defense though and he barely got any playing time behind Mathis and Freeney.  I also don't think he got the playing time he needed in 2012.  In his first season with the Bills, Hughes got 10 sacks.  I think we gave up on him too early.  Now, with Werner, he's drawn comparisons to Jared Allen and I think he would be best suited to a 4-3.  I'm really looking to him to develop and take a giant leap (I think expecting 8+ sacks isn't unreasonable).  We do have Adongo who is likely still very raw, and Walden is more of a run stopping/set the edge type of OLB.  I wouldn't be upset if we draft a pass rusher in the 2nd round, but I think the secondary is more important to fix right now

 

one season proves nothing.

[RealityIsLuck]

I've recently fell in love with Johnathan Newsome, OLB from Ball State. (6th Round prospect.)

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

one season proves nothing.

Can't argue with this logic...

[21isSuperman]

one season proves nothing.

What?

[BigQandTheManiac]

Werner is a beast in Madden lol..

lol he really is

[NewColtsFan]

I've recently fell in love with Johnathan Newsome, OLB from Ball State. (6th Round prospect.)

 

Nice find.

 

Newsome is rated as a 5th/6th round find on NFL.com     Here's his profile....   (Pay particular attention to Newsome's shoplifting heist!   I think you'll find it very funny!)

 

 

http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/jonathan-newsome?id=2543555

 

 

And he's got a 7th round grade from Scouts Inc over on ESPN.com

[CR91]

What?

 

one good season doesnt take away hughes other three seasons. lets see him do it again

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

one good season doesnt take away hughes other three seasons. lets see him do it again

He's had 2 good seasons in a row..

[CR91]

He's had 2 good seasons in a row..

 

you call 5.5 sacks a good season?

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

you call 5.5 sacks a good season?

First time in a new system, wasn't playing much, limited snaps. Even without all those factors I'd call his season a good season.

[CR91]

First time in a new system, wasn't playing much, limited snaps. Even without all those factors I'd call his season a good season.

 

this was the system he was use to and there were games he started when freeney was hurt

[Gabriel Alexander Morillo]

this was the system he was use to and there were games he started when freeney was hurt

He had played in a completely different system his whole career in the NFL prior to 2 years ago. His college days don't really mean much when his whole NFL time he had to learn to play as an end.

[CR91]

He had played in a completely different system his whole career in the NFL prior to 2 years ago. His college days don't really mean much when his whole NFL time he had to learn to play as an end.

 

with two potential hof pass rushers and apparently learned nothing. hes a protypical 3-4 rusher that didnt even excel at that

[Superman]

one good season doesnt take away hughes other three seasons. lets see him do it again

 

If he never does it again, we still gave up a player who had the potential to have a double-digit sack season. Meanwhile, our second best sack man was an ILB who barely had half as many sacks as Hughes. Our second best sack man from OLB was a rookie who only had 2.5 sacks. Hughes was one of the most efficient pass rushers in the league last year. He would easily have been our second best pass rusher in 2013, even if he didn't quite put up 10 sacks.

[21isSuperman]

with two potential hof pass rushers and apparently learned nothing. hes a protypical 3-4 rusher that didnt even excel at that

You could have Joe Montana, Lawrence Taylor, Peyton Manning, and Reggie White teaching you.  If you're playing in the wrong system, nothing will help.  That's what happened to Warren Sapp when he went from the 4-3 Tampa defense to playing 3-4 DE in Oakland.  You have to draft guys for your system

[CR91]

You could have Joe Montana, Lawrence Taylor, Peyton Manning, and Reggie White teaching you.  If you're playing in the wrong system, nothing will help.  That's what happened to Warren Sapp when he went from the 4-3 Tampa defense to playing 3-4 DE in Oakland.  You have to draft guys for your system

 

but we did switch to a 3-4 and it wasnt much of an upgrade

[CR91]

If he never does it again, we still gave up a player who had the potential to have a double-digit sack season. Meanwhile, our second best sack man was an ILB who barely had half as many sacks as Hughes. Our second best sack man from OLB was a rookie who only had 2.5 sacks. Hughes was one of the most efficient pass rushers in the league last year. He would easily have been our second best pass rusher in 2013, even if he didn't quite put up 10 sacks.

 

management had no ties to him. they didnt draft him. obviously grigs wasnt impressed and got what he could for him. 

[akcolt]

Small school kids who can get to the QB I like that should be there late or could go undrafted all together. 
 

Tyler Starr South Dakota I have been pushing him for a minute but his play at the shrine game make him less of a sleeper as the draft gets closer. I still would love to get him at this point he may not be there in the 6th.

 

Ethan Westbrooks West Texas A&M and Ehadji Ndiaye Nebraska Kerney both have high ceilings off the edge

 

Sullivan Grosz Cal Poly can get to the QB from DT position.

 

Towson St RB Terrance West we won't be interested because of our RB situation but he could really surprise

[21isSuperman]

but we did switch to a 3-4 and it wasnt much of an upgrade

He's had success in another 3-4 defense, so I think that shows the potential was there.  If he was utilized properly, I think he could have made an impact.  Werner, on the other hand, was described by many as being ideal for a 4-3.  That pick came across to me as trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

[CR91]

He's had success in another 3-4 defense, so I think that shows the potential was there.  If he was utilized properly, I think he could have made an impact.  Werner, on the other hand, was described by many as being ideal for a 4-3.  That pick came across to me as trying to fit a square peg into a round hole.

 

well our defense is a hybrid not a traditional 3-4

[Superman]

management had no ties to him. they didnt draft him. obviously grigs wasnt impressed and got what he could for him. 

 

Immaterial. Despite all of that, we should have kept him. He would have been better for us than Sheppard was.

[CR91]

Immaterial. Despite all of that, we should have kept him. He would have been better for us than Sheppard was.

 

lets give it another year and see how things go

[Superman]

lets give it another year and see how things go

 

That's fine. Doesn't change 2013 though. We struggled to rush the passer, and traded away one of the most efficient pass rusher in the league.

[CR91]

That's fine. Doesn't change 2013 though. We struggled to rush the passer, and traded away one of the most efficient pass rusher in the league.

 

you dont know if he will have that same production. the bills d coord is now the browns HC

[Superman]

you dont know if he will have that same production. the bills d coord is now the browns HC

 

I don't know if you get what I'm saying. I don't care about Jerry Hughes or the Bills. I care about the Colts pass rush. In 2013, outside of Mathis, our pass rush struggled. And the slow to develop pass rusher we traded away wound up having a really good season rushing the passer. So not only did the Bills get the better player, but that player also stood out in what wound up being a position of need for us.

 

I'm not crying over the trade. I just disagree with the idea that Jerry Hughes needs to prove anything or do anything more than what he did in 2013. That season alone is enough for us to say that we shouldn't have traded him.

[CR91]

I don't know if you get what I'm saying. I don't care about Jerry Hughes or the Bills. I care about the Colts pass rush. In 2013, outside of Mathis, our pass rush struggled. And the slow to develop pass rusher we traded away wound up having a really good season rushing the passer. So not only did the Bills get the better player, but that player also stood out in what wound up being a position of need for us.

 

I'm not crying over the trade. I just disagree with the idea that Jerry Hughes needs to prove anything or do anything more than what he did in 2013. That season alone is enough for us to say that we shouldn't have traded him.

 

for all you know he could fall off a cliff in production next year. you cant take one season and say we gave up a good player. 

[Superman]

for all you know he could fall off a cliff in production next year. you cant take one season and say we gave up a good player. 

 

Yes you can. He was good in 2013, and we could have used him. No one is calling him a potential cornerstone of the defense. What he does in 2014 has nothing to do with what he has already shown.

[CR91]

Yes you can. He was good in 2013, and we could have used him. No one is calling him a potential cornerstone of the defense. What he does in 2014 has nothing to do with what he has already shown.

 

so you're saying if he gets 3 sacks in 2014, hes still a good player and we made a bad trade

[Defjamz26]

well our defense is a hybrid not a traditional 3-4

 

it's not a "hybrid" defense as much as it is just a poorly executed 3-4 that is struggling to find itself.

[Superman]

so you're saying if he gets 3 sacks in 2014, hes still a good player and we made a bad trade

What he does in 2014 doesn't change the impact the trade had on our pass rush in 2013. We lost the trade, plain and simple.

[Archer]

I agree that in the Colts' system you can never have enough pass-rushers.  However, this doesn't seem to be a year in which we'll be able to add another.  I certainly don't think we have a critical lack of them, though.  Mathis was perhaps the best in the NFL last year, and Werner was a 1st rounder last year.  Others have promise like Cam Johnson, Hickman, and Adongo.  It would be terrible if Mathis got injured, but it's not like we can have a Pro Bowler backing him up...

[CR91]

What he does in 2014 doesn't change the impact the trade had on our pass rush in 2013. We lost the trade, plain and simple.

 

well with your logic we also lost the richardson trade. you cant grade a trade by one season

[CR91]

it's not a "hybrid" defense as much as it is just a poorly executed 3-4 that is struggling to find itself.

 

this is a poorly executed comment