UKColt's 1st Mock Offseason of 2018

[UKColt13]

The start of the most interesting offseason we've had for several years. Be gentle with me. But I thought I'd put something out for kicks. Have a great New Years Colts fans. Here's to the next year being better than the last.

 

HC: Pat Shurmur - Vikings OC - Everyone gets a mulligan after Cleveland right? Shurmur got short shrift in Cleveland. But his time in Minnesota has excellent. He has consistently fielded strong offenses despite bad luck with injuries. His strengths lie in adapting his schemes to fit the strengths of the players he has available to him. He had Sam Bradford for all of 1.5 games this year, and then proceeded to roll with perennial backup/media punching-bag Case Keenum. He also lost rookie runner Dalvin Cook when he tore his ACL back in week 4. That team proceeded to go 10-3 with Case Keenum at QB. Vikings players love him, but he's not afraid to be tough on them when needed.

 

OC: John DeFilippo - Eagles QB Coach - Eagles OC Frank Reich will likely get an HC gig this offseason. Although JDF deserves a whole bunch of credit for turning Carson Wentz into a legitimate MVP level QB. Shurmur will be the playcaller on offense, just as he was in Minnesota. Having a coach with a QB background like JDF on the staff would do wonders for a returning #12.

 

DC: Vic Fangio - Chicago DC - Might be victim of the shakeup when the citizens of Chicago inevitably run John Fox out of town. Has a long history of building leading defenses, and plays an aggressive 3-4 that we already have the base personnel to run. From a philosophical standpoint, he bypasses tricks and gimmicks in favour of a simple system designed to suffocate running lanes and keep the ball in front of the defense on passes.

 

Cap Space: $89.2 million

 

Re-Signings:
Rashaan Melvin - 2 years/$11m - $5.5 per
Barkevious Mingo - 2 years/$4m - $2m per
Pierre Desir - 1 year/$1m - $1m per
Adam Vinatieri - 1 year/$3m - $3m per
_________________________________
                                                 £11.5mil

 

Updated Cap Space: $77.7 million

 

Main FAs:
Justin Pugh OG - 5 years/$60m - $12m per - Pugh is capable of playing guard and tackle, but really excels when playing inside which is were I would slot him. Pugh is looking for big money and he will receive it, whether it's from us or somebody else. He is an immediate starter and immediately becomes probably our roster's best lineman.

 

Andrew Norwell OG - 5 years/$45m - $9m per - Norwell signed with agent Drew Rosenhaus recently. Rosenhaus is not in the business of loyalty. Despite not being a big name, Norwell was rather quietly PFF's #4 rated guard this season. Having him and Pugh working inside with Ryan Kelly gives us one of the best interior lines in the league , helping fortify the line which should be our #1 priority this offseason. It's a lot of money to invest in the line but you absolutely have to protect #12, and Ballard knows that.

 

Demario Davis ILB - 4 years/$38m - $9.5m per - Davis is often regarded as one of the better ILB's in the league. PFF has him at #9 this year. With 5 sacks this year, he is one of the best blitzers in the league. Our defensive priority this year should be to make sure that Antonio Morrison and Jon Bostic never see the field on defense in a Colts uniform again.

 

Anthony Hitchens ILB - 4 years/$24m - $6m per - Hitchens carved out a nice role for himself as the MIKE in Rod Marinelli's system. A system that demands a great deal of skillset versatility, coverage, blitzing and run stopping. Although the ascending Jaylon Smith may make him surplus to requirments in Dallas. He and Demario would make an intriguing pairing in the middle of the defense.

 

Cameron Brate - TE - 4 years/$28m - $7m per - Great receiver for Tampa Bay but they seem to be in just as dire straights as we are, so Brate may want to jump ship (no pun intended). Doyle has been good but I'd like a more athletic vertical option as a TE. And if we have the money I'd like to make a play for him. Brate went for 550 yards last year with 6TDs this year as of the time of writing.

 

Updated Cap Space: $34.2 million

 

Trade Back

IND           NYJ
(#3) 2200  (#7)  1500
                 (#53) 370
                 (#71) 235
                 (2019 1st) 500
_______________________________
2200         2605

 

The Jets need help everywhere on offense. They could trade up to #3 in order to grab a QB they like, or even grab Saquon Barkley. The trade leaves them with a higher 1st rounder with only a net loss of a 3rd round pick since the 2nd they gave up was the pick received from Seattle in the Sheldon Richardson trade. Leaves the with #3 and still an early 2nd round pick to use. We gain a later 2nd, an early 3rd and a future 1st round pick.

 

Draft:
1st Round: #7 (From NYJ) - Connor Williams - OT - Texas - 6'5 320lbs - Features the ideal frame for an NFL tackle. Good bulk and long arms. Also features the movement and athleticism to excel as a zone blocker as well as in man blocking schemes. Blocks well in the run game. Gets inside hands consistently and uses the strength in his hands to latch and finish his blocks. In pass protection he is still a bit of a work in progress. Texas’ passing game features a lot of quick throws which didn’t ask him to maintain his blocks. There is some wasted motion in his pass protection technique but has the ability to have that coached out of him. He will start at RT and complete our starting line of Castonzo - Pugh - Kelly - Norwell - Williams. That's a line I have confidence in.
2nd Round: #35 - Lorenzo Carter - EDGE - Georgia - 6'6 245lbs - If he had consistency throughout his college career he would be a no doubt first rounder. Carter's greatest asset is his pass rushing. He gets off the line with explosion and converts speed to power well with a good bend around the edge. With Sheard and Simon we have 2 good standard OLBs but neither are the explosive speed rusher that Carter is. He could easily pack on another 15lbs to fill out his frame for the pros. Simon, Sheard and Carter gives us a top level OLB rotation. His stats haven't been great this year but if you're in any doubt that he has the potential to be an excellent rush linebacker for us, put on his tape from the game against Notre Dame.
2nd Round: #53 (From SEA via NYJ) - Sony Michel - RB - Georgia - 5'11 220lbs - Nick Chubb is the big headline grabber in Georgia, but even is his Garfunkel role, Michel has shown great ability. He was a 5* recruit out of highschool. Michel hits the hole with power and at full speed. His acceleration is impressive for a guy that is not considered a scat-back. Once he is through the hole, he has the vision in the 2nd level to find creases and break off big runs. He has nowhere near the amount of miles on his clock that a lot of other big name RBs have when they hit the pros, having had a total of just over 500 carries over the last 4 years with the Bulldogs. Sony has the potential to lead our backfield giving Mack the leeway to be moved into a more Sproles-style change of pace role.
3rd Round: #67 - Christian Kirk - WR - Texas A&M - 5'11 200lbs - On the shorter side for the position, but makes up for it with his quickness and route running ability. A balanced athlete who easily gets in and out of his breaks. These clean cuts allow him to create an metric tonne of separation. Hands catcher with a great catch radius. He’s a reliable target who knows how to get open and provide the quarterback with an open target. His speed also makes him a big-play threat. Texas A&M also asked him to run a lot of wide receiver screens and reverses. He is a version of TY that subtracts a little speed for a bigger body. He provides Luck with another weapon who can play out of the slot or the outside. Kirk also has a total of 6 return touchdowns in his college career.
3rd Round: #71 - Jordan Whitehead - S - Pittsburgh - 5'11 190lbs - Very versatile on the field. He can tackle and cover in the secondary. Whitehead has the ability to be a game-changing safety but can sometimes be caught trying to do too much. He needs to focus more on doing his job and trusting his teammates to do theirs. Hooker is coming off of an ACL injury (should be fine), but Butler is a FA and likely won't return. Whitehead comes in behind Hooker as the reserve FS. Hooker, Geathers, Whitehead and Farley makeup a solid, young and deep group of safeties.

[Gigc]

Conor Williams has great talent; i wonder if he can stay healthy. 

I still think you win with GREAT players. it would be hard to pass up Saquan, or Chubb (depending on what he runs) at 2 or 3. 

I think if we traded down, I'd rather take Quentin Nelson, the guard. I hate taking a guard so high, but from what I've seen, he flat out dominates opponents.

I like the other picks; at least, in the positions!

[JMichael557]

Look at film of Connor Williams 

[DougDew]

Everything looks great except your #1 pick.  AC and Good can handle the OT duties with the improved G talent.   Draft another defensive impact player or another Reggie Wayne at #1. 

 

Yes, WR is in the conversation with the #1 pick, depending upon how free agency shakes out.

 

[BOTT]

4 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Everything looks great except your #1 pick.  AC and Good can handle the OT duties with the improved G talent.   Draft another defensive impact player or another Reggie Wayne at #1. 

 

Yes, WR is in the conversation with the #1 pick, depending upon how free agency shakes out.

 

WR isn't in play at 3

[DougDew]

13 minutes ago, BOTT said:

WR isn't in play at 3

I agree.   I'm thinking the #1 pick in a trade down situation you have to look at who is there.  OP has his first pick at #7.  Things might change at the combine since guys can time out faster than previously thought.

 

[tvturner]

Not a fan of the Davis, Brate, or Hitchens signings, all overpaid

[BOTT]

5 hours ago, DougDew said:

I agree.   I'm thinking the #1 pick in a trade down situation you have to look at who is there.  OP has his first pick at #7.  Things might change at the combine since guys can time out faster than previously thought.

 

I'm not big on taking receivers in the first in general. Another overvalued position imo.