Yoshinator
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Posts posted by Yoshinator
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6 hours ago, GoColts8818 said:
Offense:(26)
QB:(3) Anthony Richardson, Joe Flacco, Sam Ehlinger
RB:(3) Johnathan Taylor, Evan Hull, Trey Sermon
WR:(6) Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Adonai Mitchell, Ashton Dulin, Anthony Gould
TE:(5) Mo Alie-Cox, Andrew Ogletree, Jelani Woods, Kylen Granson, Will Mallory
OT:(3) Bernard Raimann, Braden Smith, Blake Freeland
OG:(3) Quentin Nelson, Will Fries, Matt Goncalves
OC:(3) Ryan Kelly, Tanor Bortolini, Danny Pinter
Defense:(24)
DE:(5) Samson Ebukam, Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu, Dayo Odeyingbo, Tyquan Lewis
DT:(4) Deforest Buckner, Grover Stewart, Raekwon Davis, Adetomiwa Adebawore
LB:(5) EJ Speed, Zaire Franklin, Ronnie Harrison, Jaylon Carlies, Grant Stuard
CB:(5) Dallis Flowers, JuJu Brents, Kenny Moore, Jaylon Jones, Micah Abraham
S:(5) Julian Blackmon, Nick Cross, Rodney Thomas, Daniel Scott, Jaylin Simpson
SPT:(3)
K: Matt Gay
P: Rigoberto Sanchez
LS: Luke Rhodes
I like it as of now. I believe when we sign a veteran CB later on, we can safely cut Mo-Allie Cox for whichever CB we sign and have 4 TEs and 6 CBs.
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58 minutes ago, w87r said:
Something else to lock away in the brain.
Ballard got 4 players, while trading down and still getting Mitchell.
2.46 - **traded for #52, #142, #155
**2.52 - $1,219,297 - Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
**5.142 - $883,167 - Anthony Gould, WR, Oregon State
**5.155 - ****traded for #164, #201
****5.164 - $869,254 - Jaylin Simpson, S, Auburn
****6.201 -$838,489 - Micah Abraham, CB, Marshall
That trade down, then subsequent trade down again, allowed us to get who we were more than likely going to grab anyway(Mitchell). While also being able to throw 3 more darts, including a second WR, and 2 other guys that I think have a good chance of earning one of this last spots at CB, Safety.
I love this. Fixed our WR position, and helps with some depth at the secondary. Didn't even sacrifice the player we wanted either with Mitchell. Major win by Ballard here. That's how you build a team.
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So Akhello Witherspoon is 29 and Xavien Howard is 30. I think you could sign either to a deal, maybe even 2 years if you really wanted too and front load the first year. That would fill the CB spot that we missed out on in the draft. Give our young CBs someone to learn from.
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2 minutes ago, Scott Pennock said:
Okay, I'll bite and give my $0.02 opinion...........lol
OLine:
Bortolini - (RAS: 9.77 - so high-level athlete AND productive) Played everything but LT in College but grades out as a quality Center. Ryan Kelly on the last year of his contract and we have a younger, cheaper replacement in house for him that COULD likely step in this year if he misses any time. That is a win on three levels imho. Quality depth, long term replacement and lowers the payroll for a few years.
Goncalves - (RAS: 7.70 - not as athletic as some but a FOOTBALL player) Has the lowest RAS in the Tackle room at the moment but I think is destined to be a Guard at the NFL level and Will Fries replacement next off-season. So while they are replacing one rookie contract with another, they still have a year to develop him prior to taking over and letting Fries seek a larger contract elsewhere.
Tucker - (UDFA with a 7.94 RAS) Another guy who played all line spots at Marshall and offers a tremendous amount of versatility in the future. I think he will be on the Practice squad and only be called up if there is an injury, but will eventually be a solid depth piece. Again, not a high RAS but definitely a football player.
I have to say I am intrigued by the UDFA Trent Pennix. He is currently listed as a TE but he played RB/FB/TE at N.C. State and is by far our smallest TE which does not match up with the rest of the room. He is listed at 6'1" and 234lbs with a 4.59 40. Makes me wonder if SS has something up his sleeve for a FB/HB role? The dude is also an athlete with a 9.41 RAS.
WR Room:
AD Mitchell immediately slots into the number 2 spot alongside Pittman and with Downs in the slot. Keep his meds right and that is scary good!
Loaved the Anthony Gould pick as well.........slides into that gadget guy role with his 4.39 speed AND the added benefit of being one of the most productive kick returners in college the past few years. That is a win win on many levels because we don't have to use a projected 'starter' to return kicks, he automatically becomes Downs backup and SS can use him like he wanted to use that dude who got himself cut that we had last year that didn't pan out! Ha!
Secondary:
Simpson, while not a RAS warrior (Only a 7.40) was uber productive and was rated out as one of the best CFer types in the draft at Free Safety. I think we can all agree that Thomas took a step back last year and Cross, though taking a step forward was still not up to par. It's not out of the realm of possibilities that Simpson could end up the starter at some point early to mid-season?
Abraham, again not a RAS warrior at a 3.70.............he was all over the place making tackles, PBU's and INT's for Marshall. At Kenny Moore's size he could be a viable back-up (instead of Lammons) and a future replacement after Moore's contract expires. Has the family bloodlines (Donnie Abraham is his father - Bucs Tampa-2 hey days) so has probably been well coached his whole life and his dad was successful at that same size.
Linebackers:
I am REALLY excited about the draft pick (Carlies) but also the UDFA (Young) we signed.
6'3" - 227 - 34.25" arms - 4.53 40 - 8.26 RAS for the Draftee
6'3" - 226 - 33" arms - 4.56 40 - 7.04 RAS for the UDFA
Pretty similar athletic profiles and also pretty similar to the athletic blueprint used in drafting Leonard/Okereke/Speed. Carlies started in college at CB, then Safety and now will be called upon to play LB for us. Young went to Ohio State and then transferred to Kansas and had some decent production and can see him supplanting one of McGrone, Olubi or Stuard pretty easily with a solid camp.
Defensive Line
Latu - I don't care about his injury history as EVERY NFL Player is one play away from not playing again. He is a stud and I think a day one starter at the LEO for us (Sorry Samson Ebukam fans).
Laulu - Has the athletic profile (with development) to be a 3-Technique and be a solid option with Raekwon Davis as depth behind Big Grove and Buck. Likely not this year unless he shows out in camp but a stint on the PS should get him some seasoning.
The UDFA DT out of Oklahoma (Coe) could be an improvement over Eric Johnson as well since his primary role was Big Groves backup and obviously did not perform well when thrust into action as a run stopper. Coe benched 225 for 34 reps so he has some strength/endurance to him, and he is two inches shorter and weighs 12 pounds more so may come with better leverage????
The thing that stands out to me is that this draft they didn't draft all RAS Warriors - they drafted football players. They average RAS this year came out to 8.30. They drafted players that in spite of their physical 'floor' that produced on the field. That may be an important level of growth we've not see from CB in the past but could be a boon for the roster construction of the team moving forward.
PFF graded this draft as an A+, hard to argue with folks who evaluate players for a living, but, I am going to temper my excitement a bit. LOL
What I liked about this off-season is that all 25 starters from last year are still with the team. 11 on offense, 11 on defense and all 3 specialists. This draft was about two things - finding a stud WR (Check) and providing depth and competition on the OLine, the DLine, the LB room, and the DB room. So while I only see one sure-fire starter I think 1-53 just got a heckuva lot better this weekend!
My Grade: B+ with the ability to become an A if one other player (Simpson perhaps?) turns into a quality starter this year. A+ if Bortolini and Gonclaves turn into starters next year.
Sidenote - Zaire Franklin, not unlike Laulu were 7th Round flyers that had high RAS scores and Franklin does not fit the mold of CB's preferred measurements on linebackers. Not saying he will get supplanted but don't be surprised if he is not on the field on third and long as much anymore. Just food for thought.....
Nice, well thought out post Scott. Agree with a lot of what you say!
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1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:
I like the fact he played in the SEC as well. Tough conference.
Yes. Facing tough competition is always a positive. It's not the be-all-end-all to succeeding in the NFL, but it's a very important factor. I'll give credit to @John Hammonds for mentioning that in his article!
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3 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:
Actually both, but I was referring to Mitchell. A nice sleeper pick is Jaylin Simpson at Safety. He isn't related to Homer but he may turn out really good.
Simpson is a favorite of mine. He can cover TE's and has nice playmaking skills. I had him as an early 5th rounder and I've seen some publications who ranked him as a 4th rounder. He has potential to start one day at FS.
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Just now, OLD FAN MAN said:
a+ draft ballard changed his criteria and imo nailed this draft, ballard is learning to be flexible, very good on paper . i am excited again
Agreed. The old Ballard would have never taken Latu or Mitchell. We got two elite players because Ballard went outside his comfort zone. There is hope for this team.
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Just now, 2006Coltsbestever said:
That WR we got looks explosive, he and of course the Latu pick get A+'s.
Which WR? Mitchell or Gould? Both are athletic beasts. Mitchell I was more concerned about his character and work ethic, However, Ballard seems to be ok with him, so I'm not worried about it. Mitchell may be the 4th best WR in this class honestly if he plays to his potential. Gould is a poor mans Xavier Worthy IMO. Slower than him, but can be a punt and kick returner for us, do all sorts of gimmick plays, be a backup slot receiver to Downs. I like him a lot. Fun player.
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1 minute ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:
Not much to complain about here. I give it an A-. I would have went Corner in Round 3 but other than that, very solid draft.
I don't think there was ever great value for CB in this draft except in round 1 and 5 personally. I did want Mitchell or Arnold. Once we didn't get them, I wanted Melton in round 2. He went before us when four CBs went in a row. I didn't see anyone of value I wanted after that until round 5. We just missed out on Cam Hart by two picks to the Chargers, and I was hoping to get Abrams-Draine or Brownlee, and we didn't get either. After that I just gave up lol.
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5 minutes ago, Dobbinblitz said:
The Colts were one of four teams given an A+ grade in the draft by PFF
Yeah, we did a great job. Just need to sign a veteran CB for a year and we're good IMO.
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I'll give this draft an A-
Ballard did very well in the first 4 rounds, about as well as he could IMO. 5th round was nice as well. Where he lost me was not taking a RB before the run in the 5th round or getting Blake Watson at any point in the 6th or 7th round or as a UDFA when we had a top 30 visit with him and didn't draft one. I have to deduct a bit off the grade for that.
I'm assuming we will sign a top remaining CB on a one-year deal pretty soon with some of the cap we opened up, so missing out on a CB until the 6th round really doesn't bother me.
I love Latu, Mitchell, Goncalves, and Bortolini. They were either players I loved, or in Mitchell's case, a great value. Gould is a lot of fun as a WR, Carlies and Simpson have some potential. Not a fan of Abraham that much, but he can back up Kenny Moore and play ST's. I like Laulu as a raw athlete that has potential to be good with a decently high ceiling, that's the type of guy you want in the 7th.
Overall, Ballard did a great job and I'm glad he went away from his normal strategy to get some players he wouldn't have gotten otherwise. A lot more production over athleticism in this draft. Looks like Steichen may have had an effect on him.
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2 minutes ago, w87r said:
I have us with $26m, top 51, once rookies are signed.
$2.5m for Practice Squad
$3m for final roster adjustments, once top 51 goes to top 53
$9m in season spending cash.
That's $14.5m off the cap and leaves:
11.5m in spendable cap, still have Mo to increase this if we want to.($5.9m)
RB - Cam Akers - $2.5m
FS - Q. Diggs - $7.5m
CB - Witherspoon - $4m
That's $14m, but $2.955, drops off for top 51. $11.045m
So, could make that work.
That would work perfectly if it happened.
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4 minutes ago, w87r said:
I am anxious to start diving into discussion about the individual groups.
Locks
Position battles
Who else to add.
Definitely think we will be adding a vet RB, and a vet FS, potentially a vet CB as well.
Outside of that, there isn't much of a need. We have everywhere need, just have to let the players battle it out for those (69) roster spots(top 53, (16) practice squad).
I agree with the vet signings. We have some cap space. I think that was intentional where Ballard plans to sign FAs to fill in the holes from the positions he couldn't draft during the draft.
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1 minute ago, chad72 said:
Do we really think there is going to be a competition for the #3 QB spot or is it just camp bodies, the QBs signed as UDFAs. and Ehlinger has the inside track no matter what?
Slovis has a legit chance of being the no3 QB. He's probably a top 10 QB in this class tbh.
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7 minutes ago, w87r said:
@Yoshinator, I fixed the link.
👀
We're not at 91, we might just be able to have 91, depending on Dabo. I've seen it both ways(still has exemption/doesn't have exemption)
I like Strong a lot, this is the type of guy I wanted to compete for an RB spot. Absolute freak athlete!
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5 minutes ago, w87r said:
I don't know if this is it or not, but we are at (90) on the roster count. Dabo exemption status still not 100% confirmed so might have (91)
UDFA:
QB - Kedon Slovis, BYU
QB - Jason Bean, Kansas
DL - Jeblonski Green, South Carolina State
K - Spencer Shrader, Notre Dame
WR - Xavier White, Texas Tech
TE - Trent Pennix, North Carolina State
OG - Dalton Tucker, Marshall
Tryout:
TE - Malcolm Epps, Pittsburgh
OT - Jake Hornirook, Duke
RB - Justin Strong, Southern Illinois
Also, if we are at 91, maybe we cut Cox now.
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3 minutes ago, w87r said:
I don't know if this is it or not, but we are at (90) on the roster count. Dabo exemption status still not 100% confirmed so might have (91)
UDFA:
QB - Kedon Slovis, BYU
QB - Jason Bean, Kansas
DL - Jeblonski Green, South Carolina State
K - Spencer Shrader, Notre Dame
WR - Xavier White, Texas Tech
TE - Trent Pennix, North Carolina State
OG - Dalton Tucker, Marshall
Tryout:
TE - Malcolm Epps, Pittsburgh
OT - Jake Hornirook, Duke
RB - Justin Strong, Southern Illinois
Good. Glad we're giving a RB a tryout. I'll check him out.
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16 minutes ago, BlackTiger said:
A corner or safety could do it
RB too.
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Just now, w87r said:
Got a 3 man battle for the #3 spot.
Ehlinger
Slovis
Bean
I like it. Flacco will only be here for a year, so it'll be nice to solidify a #3 and possibly a backup in 2025.
Hoping we sign an undrafted RB or two for competition.
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41 minutes ago, w87r said:
Colts bringing in QB Kedon Slovis
I had Slovis as a solid day 3 pick in the QB tier pool after Rattler. I like this signing.
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Simpson does really well against TEs. I think that might be why we drafted him.
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Just now, Solid84 said:
Jaylin Simpson.
Is he a free safety?
Yes. good pick here. I had him as an early 5th.
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Just now, RollerColt said:
I guess we wanted a few more picks lol.
We traded our 6th to move up for Gonsalves, now we got it back.
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Must have wanted Prince and got sniped.
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Draft Grade????
in Colts Football
Posted
I disagree for several reasons. 1.) We have Cross, Thomas, and Simpson at FS. All are young. I want to see a battle between the 3 to see who can start and if any are any good. 2.) We have Blackmon at SS, we don't need two veterans. 3.) We need a veteran at CB that can not only improve our CB play, but that the young CB group can learn from. 4.) I feel Baker can be cut easily if we sign a veteran CB and I'm not sure if Flowers will be 100% right away.
There's just so many more reasons to go after a CB than a FS IMO.