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Who do you think our sleeper pick is?


twfish

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I thought we had an excellent draft, some things I might have changed but that's okay. I think we straight stole hooker and Wilson though, really really thankful for the run on runny quarterbacks haha . Some intriguing later picks. I think Banner is a beast of a man and could possibly be a starting RT for us if castanzo doesn't get resigned or gets passed up on the depth chart by Clark (who is a marvel of a human as well). But right now as a immediate impact in the later it's a hard choice between Marlon Mack and Anthony Walker JR.

After watching every game I could find on mack and listening and reading scouts reports on him I'm very high on him. I think his game is much more than being a speed back. He has the build I want at RB at 5'11 and 215. He's very fluid as a runner and has the go gear. He's got good balance and very good vision. I wish his decision making process was quicker but that will come with time. The knock on him is that he dances in the back field but I think that's mistaken for his bouncing out ability. Though we don't want someone constantly bouncing out of his run lane if the lane is plugged I'd rather see them try to make something out of nothing VS running straight into the guy for no gain and he's not low enough and powerful enough like gore to get the 1 or 2 yards every time. I think his play will be very balanced with the ability to take it to the house at any hand off. Plus his ability to run from all different formations is a very nice thing to have. He's  elusive, slippery, near stop on a dime cuts, and he's got enough power to break away from a DB. I don't think he's going too immediately start taking alot of reps from gore but as the season progresses I can see him taking more and more of a load off of gore.

 

The case with Anthony will be a curious one. We have a TON of depth at MLB and I think we have a run stopper in Morrison. It's kind of a toss up at both MLB positions and talent will definetly end up getting cut. Most of you know this but I'll say it anyways Walker was looked to possibly be a 2nd too 3rd round pick before this year. He had good speed, side line too sideline ability, and he could cover. However after building up muscle it started limiting his ability on the field and is a big reason he fell to the 5th. If our strength and conditioning coaches can get him to build the right muscles and increase his flexibility it could be huge. He's got a coaches mind set and understands the game and is more than a see ball get ball player. At 6'1 and 238 he's got good size for the position and very similar to Hasson Reddick (though lacking the speed). What I think is going to play into his favour heavily is it seems like the coaches are already getting very high on him, from the sounds of it he's taking leadership in the huddle and is in command of the defense. While I wouldn't be surprised if he got sent to the practice squad (assuming he'd clear waivers) I wouldn't be surprised if he climbs the depth chart very quickly.

After typing this all up I think Mack might be nudging high than walker for me but I really really hope these guys do well. Who's some of your sleeper picks or udfa?

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38 minutes ago, GoColts8818 said:

Walker JR has a chance.  Gary Brackett showed us you don't have to be the best athlete in the team to be a good middle linebacker.  Walker is very smart and if he develops could be in the middle of a defense for a long time.

Walker is athletic as hell he just put on weight last season so he was slowed down 

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29 minutes ago, Gabriel Alexander Morillo said:

The claim that we have depth at MLB is laughable.  I guess by that definition every team has depth 

There's 6 ILB on the roster right now. While there's no super stars they are all here too compete.

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The biggest sleeper pick for us is Zach Banner. Hooker, Wilson, and Basham should be day 1 starters. Mack isn't a sleeper as he's expected to be good among Colts fans and we drafted him to get a heavy workload very soon. Here's where it gets tricky. Grover Stewart is the definition of a sleeper, but we are also hoping he makes the team and can standout somehow with all the depth and players on the D-Line. He's more of a guy we are hoping hits and makes the 53 man roster 100%. Hairston I see more as depth right now than a sleeper. Anthony Walker is the closest to Banner as he will make the team, should be able to stand out, and will have every opportunity. Just don't know how Ballard and Pagano will fit him in as a starter or as a backup yet and how good he really is. This leaves Banner. He's big, has a definite job, will get playing time at 4 possible positions, and the versatility gives him the best chance at being a sleeper and making an impact for us. I think he could start for us at some point as early as this year, and his mere size gives him a chance to be a solid NFL player if he gets his technique down.

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2 hours ago, GoColts8818 said:

Walker JR has a chance.  Gary Brackett showed us you don't have to be the best athlete in the team to be a good middle linebacker.  Walker is very smart and if he develops could be in the middle of a defense for a long time.

I think Walker Jr. could be an impact starter and our next version of Freeman.

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11 hours ago, LJpalmbeacher said:

I Stopped reading after "we have a ton of depth at mlb".

Someone is mistaking names on the roster for depth. I don't think teams have their eye on us to see which ILB's we cut. Walker is the guy with the easiest path to the field among day 3 picks. 

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32 minutes ago, akcolt said:

Someone is mistaking names on the roster for depth. I don't think teams have their eye on us to see which ILB's we cut. Walker is the guy with the easiest path to the field among day 3 picks. 

That makes no sense if you think about it. No matter who becomes the starter the rest are considered depth.

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17 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

The biggest sleeper pick for us is Zach Banner. Hooker, Wilson, and Basham should be day 1 starters. Mack isn't a sleeper as he's expected to be good among Colts fans and we drafted him to get a heavy workload very soon. Here's where it gets tricky. Grover Stewart is the definition of a sleeper, but we are also hoping he makes the team and can standout somehow with all the depth and players on the D-Line. He's more of a guy we are hoping hits and makes the 53 man roster 100%. Hairston I see more as depth right now than a sleeper. Anthony Walker is the closest to Banner as he will make the team, should be able to stand out, and will have every opportunity. Just don't know how Ballard and Pagano will fit him in as a starter or as a backup yet and how good he really is. This leaves Banner. He's big, has a definite job, will get playing time at 4 possible positions, and the versatility gives him the best chance at being a sleeper and making an impact for us. I think he could start for us at some point as early as this year, and his mere size gives him a chance to be a solid NFL player if he gets his technique down.

 

I don't expect Mack to get a heavy workload this year, as Gore is still our bell cow (only 1,036 yards from 4th all time rushing leader) and seems to be as motivated as ever and still playing at a high level.  Mack right now is behind Gore and Turbin on the depth chart (IMO), though I think he's got potential to be a good back for us in the future (after Gore retires).  Gore seems like the perfect guy for Mack to learn from, as Gore is built similarly but tends not to run for losses (a knock on Mack is he hesitates too much in the backfield). 

 

Basham is coming from a Mid-American school and seems to be more suited as a 4-3 DE than a 3-4 OLB right now (which will hopefully change).  With additions of Sheard, SImon and retention of Ayers, I think if Basham wins a starting job and plays well he would be considered a sleeper.  He's my pick for sleeper from this draft.

 

I'd be happy, but shocked, if Banner wins a starting spot early this year.  Haeg and Clark both seemed to be developing nicely and played very well late in the season.  Highly doubtful a rookie beats out Costanzo or Mewhort and Good seems to be improving as well.  The only positions on the OL this year up for grabs are RG and RT (iMO and that battle will be between Haeg, Clark, Good, Schwenke and Banner - with both Good and Haeg able to interchange between G and T -- that seems to be the hope with Banner, too).  Regardless, at least we seem to have some depth along the OL for the first time in a long time.

 

 

 

16 hours ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

I feel like he could definitely emerge the same way Vick Ballard did in 2012, which is really exciting to think about.

 

A rookie in the 5th round is not going to come in and replace a HOFer who is coming off a 1,000+ yard season and no way am I going to root for Gore to get injured.  Mack is here to learn from Gore and hopefully in a year or 2 be developed to start.

 

24 minutes ago, stitches said:

I love the potential of Grover. He probably gets red-shirted this year while he learns technique and the intricacies of the game, but I think he can be a big contributor in the future.

 

Parry's legal stuff may open a big door for Grover.  The guy had a lot of sacks (granted at a small school) and he's a monster.  I think he's going to come in and be part of the rotation early on this year.

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5 hours ago, ColtsFanMikeC said:

 

A rookie in the 5th round is not going to come in and replace a HOFer who is coming off a 1,000+ yard season and no way am I going to root for Gore to get injured.  Mack is here to learn from Gore and hopefully in a year or 2 be developed to start.

 

RB is a very instinctive position with probably the easiest transition from college to the pros, and they're not gonna just waste 2 years of this kid's youth because Gore had a decent 2016 season.

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One of the things I like about Banner in terms of his personality is he seems to be vocal. When you talk about instilling that pride that we had under the Peyton days its good to get some vocal guys in that group instead of all these quiet types. Obviously he has to do his part as well but I like his upside

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14 hours ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

RB is a very instinctive position with probably the easiest transition from college to the pros, and they're not gonna just waste 2 years of this kid's youth because Gore had a decent 2016 season.

 

Gore is one of the top 10 RBs of all time.  He is still playing at a very high level.  Gore isn't just going to hand the reigns over.

 

This kid is coming from a small school and hasn't faced the competition where he is ready to be judged at the NFL level.

 

We also have Turbin who did very well in giving Gore rests last season.

 

As of now Mack is 3rd on our depth chart.  He'll get some carries and reps, but no he's not just going to come in and take a HOFer's spot. 

 

Gore didn't just have a 2016 season, he's had one of the greatest careers of any RB ever and he hasn't shown much signs of slowing down, even behind a shotty offensive line. 

 

Mack also has some major flaws to his game, flaws which he should be able to learn how to fix by watching and learning from one of the all-time greats.

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1 hour ago, ColtsFanMikeC said:

 

Gore is one of the top 10 RBs of all time.  He is still playing at a very high level.  Gore isn't just going to hand the reigns over.

 

This kid is coming from a small school and hasn't faced the competition where he is ready to be judged at the NFL level.

 

We also have Turbin who did very well in giving Gore rests last season.

 

As of now Mack is 3rd on our depth chart.  He'll get some carries and reps, but no he's not just going to come in and take a HOFer's spot. 

 

Gore didn't just have a 2016 season, he's had one of the greatest careers of any RB ever and he hasn't shown much signs of slowing down, even behind a shotty offensive line. 

 

Mack also has some major flaws to his game, flaws which he should be able to learn how to fix by watching and learning from one of the all-time greats.

 

I like Gore just as much as the next guy, but let's be honest, saying that he's playing at a "high" level is a stretch. He's playing at a satisfactory level considering that he's a 34 year old runningback... these are 2 very different things.

 

The Colts had the least amount of runs for gains of 20+ yards in the league last year, and for all the flack our offensive line takes, they actually held their own in run blocking, so putting it on them isn't valid. Gore just no longer has that burst to get him past the 2nd level, and it shows. Having a legitimate homerun threat RB in the NFL goes a long way to keep defenses honest, and that's simply not happening with Gore leading the attack.

 

And last but not least, pairing Luck with a 34 year old runningback is just backwards, and it does nothing to further his growth as a QB. While it may not be hampering him as badly as having a 31st ranked defense or suspect OL, our offense will never achieve it's true potential without a homerun threat, and Gore isn't that anymore.

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On 5/13/2017 at 10:45 PM, NewColtsFan said:

 

I think the "sleeper" comes this way....

 

2017:   Mack

2018:   Stewart, Banner

2019:   Hairston

 

I think there's a lot of talent taken in this draft by the Colts.....

 

I'm actually kind of excited about the Hairston pick - but I'm with you on the wait.  I think he could break out as early as next year, but I really doubt he'll see much time this year other than sub packages (and that might have to wait until midseason).

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my sleeper pick and i know its not inline with the other responses here is going to be the Oline & Dline i think the team will play better this season in the trenches hopefully its a marked improvement but i will take any marginal gains as well. 

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40 minutes ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

I like Gore just as much as the next guy, but let's be honest, saying that he's playing at a "high" level is a stretch. He's playing at a satisfactory level considering that he's a 34 year old runningback... these are 2 very different things.

 

The Colts had the least amount of runs for gains of 20+ yards in the league last year, and for all the flack our offensive line takes, they actually held their own in run blocking, so putting it on them isn't valid. Gore just no longer has that burst to get him past the 2nd level, and it shows. Having a legitimate homerun threat RB in the NFL goes a long way to keep defenses honest, and that's simply not happening with Gore leading the attack.

 

And last but not least, pairing Luck with a 34 year old runningback is just backwards, and it does nothing to further his growth as a QB. While it may not be hampering him as badly as having a 31st ranked defense or suspect OL, our offense will never achieve it's true potential without a homerun threat, and Gore isn't that anymore.

 

Our OL often 'holds their own' in run blocking, but they haven't been road-graders for Gore and our offensive attack has been pretty predictable and Gore was one of only 12 RBs in the league last year to break 1,000 -- that's a pretty high level (roughly top 1/3rd in the league). 

 

Very few RBs could have done what Gore's done here over the past 2 years given his surrounding cast.  He is still a starting caliber RB in this league, and I assure you a 5th rounder with some major holes in his game isn't going to come in an undue that as a rookie.

 

In terms of Luck's development, we at least know Gore is still producing very solidly as a blocking RB.  Unless Mack picks that up very quickly, I think keeping Luck off the turf is doing more for his development than assuming a guy that played at a small school against sub-par NCAA competition is going to come in and break off major 'homerun' plays as a rookie.

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