Colts Mock Draft 3.0

[Andy]

No compensatory picks yet...

2012 Colts Mock Draft

1^st Overall Pick (1^st Round)

Andrew Luck – Quarterback – Stanford

This pick is a no brainer. Andrew Luck is not only the best QB in college right now, but he’s one of the best prospects in recent memory. He’s been considered to be the next Peyton Manning. Speaking of Manning, even if Peyton returns or not, the Colts need to draft Andrew Luck. If Manning is healthy, it means that Luck will be the eventual heir to Manning. Manning will teach Luck everything he knows, and there is no better person to learn from then Peyton. If Manning is not ready to go, well the Colts got their QB for the next several years. It’s a win-win situation, but Manning staying is a better situation. He will become a better QB if Manning stays around. He’s the obvious choice, and coincidentally this will be the 2^nd time where a 1^st year GM will have the first overall pick, and the top player is a QB. The last time it happened was in 1998 with Peyton Manning.

34^th Overall Pick (2^nd Round)

Chase Minnifield – Cornerback / Return Specialist – Virginia

The Colts need to spend a high draft pick on a cornerback. The secondary was horrible this year, and it’s not good if the Colts only have one good cornerback in Jerraud Powers. They need another good corner who can shutdown number 2 targets. Minnifield plays both man coverage and zone coverage. He’s very good at both. Teams in colleges are throwing away from him. He’s a great tackler, and can break off tackles very nicely. Another thing that makes him valuable is that he’s a very good punt returner too, something the Colts need very badly. He fits two needs for the Colts, and can be a starter for a long time. He has the potential to be like an Antonio Cromartie.

65^th Overall Pick (3^rd Round)

Alameda Ta’amu – Nose Tackle – University of Washington

The Colts are probably switching to a 3-4 defense as they just hired Chuck Pagano and Greg Manusky, who both have used the 3-4 defense on their defense. Now, when the Colts switch, they will be in desperate need for a 3-4 nose tackle. Alameda Ta’amu is a very good 3-4 nose tackle. This year, his numbers look bad as he was double teamed almost all the time, and when he wasn’t he shut down the run. He’s a great run stopper, who can sometimes get to the quarterback. He’s big, strong, but not very fast. It’s a big need, as they have no one but Antonio Johnson at nose tackle (and he’s bad), and Ta’amu will come in right away and help; he’s a senior. The perfect pick here.

98^th Overall Pick (4^th Round)

A.J Jenkins – Wide Receiver – Illinois

The Colts are probably losing Reggie Wayne and Pierre Garcon so getting receivers becomes a must. They are extremely thin on receivers and need immediate help. A.J Jenkins had a fantastic year with Illinois as he accumulated 1,276 yards with 9 touchdowns. He had a great year with an average QB. He could come in and become a good #2 WR. If he put those numbers with an average QB, imagine what he could do with Andrew Luck, the best QB in college football. He’s an average sized receiver with average speed, but he gets the job done. He has good hands and is a good route runner, kind of like Reggie Wayne...

129^th Overall Pick (5^th Round)

Phillip Blake – Center / Offensive Guard – Baylor

Phillip Blake is a good center who can easily come in a play either guard or center. He’s definitely pro ready. He’s a small stingy guard with raw power and a good low center of gravity. He reminds me of Jeff Saturday. The only turn-off is that he is 26 years old, but it shouldn’t be a big deal although some teams see it as something that will kill him in the draft. He did a great job protecting RG3 and had a great combine performance. I see him as a player who is as (almost as) good as Danny Watkins was last year. He has potential if in the right system. The other downside is that he’s not getting much bigger at 26 years old. He could add muscle by working out, but don’t expect anything to change physically, but it doesn’t matter because he stopped many good defensive tackles.

162^nd Overall Pick (6^th Round)

Chris Owusu – Wide Receiver – Stanford

This is a perfect fit. He’s a deep threat and has some good speed. Oh, and he played with Andrew Luck at Stanford, so the two have a great bond. Owusu is a good route runner who is willing to catch the ball in traffic and over the middle. He has a bad history with injuries and in the last 2 years, he’s had two below average seasons. He could come in to the Colts and fight with Blair White for the #3 receiver spot. A good trait about Owusu is that he is a dangerous kick returner, which could be great for the Colts, because they suck on special teams. Having Minnfield as the punt returner and Owusu as the kick returner.

193^rd Overall Pick (7^th Round)

Tony Dye – Strong Safety -- UCLA

Dye has had some injury troubles, but when healthy is very, very good. He’s a very good tackler, who can play in the box. He’s very versatile, and is the leader of that defense. He can play either safety spot. He’s a solid backup, and I believe that in time, he could take over the strong safety position. With Melvin Bullit gone, he could easily win that job and play next to Antoine. He’s built and strong. He has a lot of upside, and UCLA produces some good kids like Chris Horton. He could also serve as a nice backup to Antoine Bethea, and could take over if anything bad happens to Bethea. This is a good value pick, but his stock has fallen a bit and he may not even be drafted. He would also be a good special teams player. He can play a lot of positions.

[OllyDawes]

I generally quite like this draft.

[Andy]

I should mention that I haven't changed the Luck description in a month so yeah I'll update it next time.

[21isSuperman]

I like it. However, is it really a compliment to compare a guy to Antonio Cromartie? Sure, he has the physical tools, but he is a brutal tackler for his size, does nothing in run support, and has shown he can easily be beat by a solid route runner. That's why he can cover Moss (who likes to only run the deep routes), but can't cover a guy like Garcon

[Andy]

I like it. However, is it really a compliment to compare a guy to Antonio Cromartie? Sure, he has the physical tools, but he is a brutal tackler for his size, does nothing in run support, and has shown he can easily be beat by a solid route runner. That's why he can cover Moss (who likes to only run the deep routes), but can't cover a guy like Garcon

Cromartie is not great with the Jets, but he was very very good with the Chargers and was great coming out of college. But he reminds me of Cromartie coming out of college and Cromartie is no where near a bust. He's a very good coverage player who is ever improving in the tackling department, he's just doesnt care, and I dont blame him, that team's locker room morale is terrible and on the field they're not much better.

[21isSuperman]

Cromartie is not great with the Jets, but he was very very good with the Chargers and was great coming out of college. But he reminds me of Cromartie coming out of college and Cromartie is no where near a bust. He's a very good coverage player who is ever improving in the tackling department, he's just doesnt care, and I dont blame him, that team's locker room morale is terrible and on the field they're not much better.

I wouldn't go so far as to say he is a very good coverage player. He has been beat many times. Garcon is far from the best receiver in the league, but he has a habit of making Cro look foolish

[coltnorth]

Who is #1 WR? Collie?

[chad72]

I like it as well. I am pretty high on A.J.Jenkins, just wonder if he will last till the 4th round even though he is slotted as round 4. Same thing with Philip Blake.

Both Jenkins and Blake had done real well at the combine, IMO, that their stock was better than round 4 and 5 at this point.

[Andy]

I wouldn't go so far as to say he is a very good coverage player. He has been beat many times. Garcon is far from the best receiver in the league, but he has a habit of making Cro look foolish

Oh come on, because of that long play which wasn't really Cromartie's fault. it was the safety not doing anything. Cromartie is still fairly young and he still has some learning to do, but he had some great years in SD. He's a number 1 CB in many places. I would like to have the Cromartie with the Chargers, not the Jets. Plus Minnfield has a 10x better attitude plus he's not the dad of 40 kids.

[21isSuperman]

Oh come on, because of that long play which wasn't really Cromartie's fault. it was the safety not doing anything. Cromartie is still fairly young and he still has some learning to do, but he had some great years in SD. He's a number 1 CB in many places. I would like to have the Cromartie with the Chargers, not the Jets. Plus Minnfield has a 10x better attitude plus he's not the dad of 40 kids.

Cro is talented, but doesn't try very hard. That last sentence made me laugh

[Andy]

Cro is talented, but doesn't try very hard. That last sentence made me laugh

Which is why I said his talents remind me of Cromartie. I'll make that more clear next time. I don't think theres a guy in college right now with an attitude like Cromartie... maybe Floyd, or Coples.

[coltsfanej]

I like most of the drafts on here, but the problem I see with most of them is that they have us not taking a WR until round 3 or 4. It just seems like WR and TE are the by far the biggest needs. If we dont get some guys for luck to throw to then we are stunting Luck's growth this year. He needs some good options to be comfortable and grow with.

As of now our whole offense is gone, and unless we have the best draft ever recorded I dont see us getting Luck all the help he needs by getting mid round talent at WR. i like some of the guys Ive seen, but i dont think they are number 1 wide outs, which is what we need along with a number 2 and a TE.

Or we are going to have to do somethin in FA to get him some weapons. All we have right now is a slot guy in Collie.

But if we can get some guys that can produce late then perfect.

[Blackhawk4]

Oh come on, because of that long play which wasn't really Cromartie's fault. it was the safety not doing anything. Cromartie is still fairly young and he still has some learning to do, but he had some great years in SD. He's a number 1 CB in many places. I would like to have the Cromartie with the Chargers, not the Jets. Plus Minnfield has a 10x better attitude plus he's not the dad of 40 kids.

Hey at least Cromartie has a good memory!

[Guest Arrow218]

The only things I would change would be a speedy TE in the 6th rather than injury prone Owusu, and I would prefer to get a WR in the second and a corner in the fourth.

[Andy]

Hey at least Cromartie has a good memory!

lol Father of the Year! He doesn't know half of their names.

[That Guy]

lol Father of the Year! He doesn't know half of their names.

Ha! He doesn't know half his kids names, and I bet he knows LESS THAN A QUARTER of their mother's names!

That is hilarious!

[GrizzColt]

I am leary of Minnifield. National Post has him as the 8th best CB prospect. Apparently he got burned a lot.

[wig]

As much upside as Owusu has, I really hope they don't draft someone who is one concussion away from retirement.

[FightLikeSin]

I like a lot of these picks. I really think SS is a much bigger area of concern than CB at this point though. Bob Sanders was always hurt and it was the same story with Bullit. If Mark Barron drops to #34, they better jump on it. If not, Harrison Smith from Notre Dame is a good choice too.

[Andy]

I like a lot of these picks. I really think SS is a much bigger area of concern than CB at this point though. Bob Sanders was always hurt and it was the same story with Bullit. If Mark Barron drops to #34, they better jump on it. If not, Harrison Smith from Notre Dame is a good choice too.

Too bad it's the worst S draft in years, and the only good SS in the first 3 rounds in Mark Barron, and he;s going in the first.

[MKDK]

Overall I like it. I hope Stephon Gilmore is there at 34, so the Colts could draft him rather than Minnifield, who possibly could be on the board with our first pick in the 3rd round.

[BOTT]

awful high for minnifield. you could probably sit tight and he would be there in the 3rd. plus i doubt ta'amu is there in the 3rd...not very many 3-4 tackles available.

[Andy]

awful high for minnifield. you could probably sit tight and he would be there in the 3rd. plus i doubt ta'amu is there in the 3rd...not very many 3-4 tackles available.

No no, he won't be there in the 3rd round. Lots of teams have needs for cornerbacks and the 2nd is filled with great cornerbacks who can easily become starters. Minnifield will go in the 2nd round and the Colts must take him. He has good size, good speed, and good instincs on top of the fact that he could play both man and zone coverage.

[Fr33UpFr33ney]

No no, he won't be there in the 3rd round. Lots of teams have needs for cornerbacks and the 2nd is filled with great cornerbacks who can easily become starters. Minnifield will go in the 2nd round and the Colts must take him. He has good size, good speed, and good instincs on top of the fact that he could play both man and zone coverage.

But so Can Casey Heyward. Go look at Minnfields videos and Case's videos and tell me you wouldn't just way for Casey to fall to the third.

[Andy]

But so Can Casey Heyward. Go look at Minnfields videos and Case's videos and tell me you wouldn't just way for Casey to fall to the third.

Chase Minnifield is better than Casey Heyward. The cornerback spot needs a lot of help and with Luck as our new QB, the cornerback spot would probably be our biggest need.

[Blackhawk4]

Chase Minnifield is better than Casey Heyward. The cornerback spot needs a lot of help and with Luck as our new QB, the cornerback spot would probably be our biggest need.

I can't see Minnifield being taken that high. He's a good CB but he isn't low 1st round/very high 2nd round worthy. Another thing that worries me is his upper strength...If dude can't bench press past 7 reps, he better have the greatest technique ever if asked to press.

[Andy]

I can't see Minnifield being taken that high. He's a good CB but he isn't low 1st round/very high 2nd round worthy. Another thing that worries me is his upper strength...If dude can't bench press past 7 reps, he better have the greatest technique ever if asked to press.

Minnifield is a early to mid 2nd round prospect. This kid is 21 years old (or something like that), and will likely get a little stronger naturally, and will probably work out. If strength is his problem, that's easily fixable. They have a wonderful facility there. Just get strength the old fashioned way. He plays great in man and zone coverages. He has all the talent to be a 1st round prospect, it's just that he isn't that strong, and doesn't work well in all coverages. Experience and working out will help that. It's not like he's slow or too small. Don't worry about this kid.

[BOTT]

the highest i have seen minnifield ranked in this cb class is 7th. while i agree there will probably be a run a cb's starting somewhere in the 2nd, he could possibly fall to the 3rd.

[Nobody]

I like everything except 6 and 7. A TE. RB or WR that can return. Any WR but injury prone Owusu.

[JWF]

Yeah I would switch Minnefield and Ta'amu. There will be a run on CBs but there just arent many 3-4 NT prospects in this draft (maybe 8 overall) and the good ones like Ta'amu will go quickly.

Not a fan of owusu but in the 6th round I could live with the pick.

Otherwise great draft.