Yoshinator

The WWE example is meant to show they trust a youtuber in Logan Paul to hold a major title of theirs and draw in front of 20,000+ people a night in filled arenas to make real money for everyone. From the Owner to the wrestlers down to the ring crew. Being great at Madden means 1.) You have a passion for the NFL 2.) You have knowledge of the NFL 3.) You are competitive at a worldwide level 4.) You know how to build playbooks, schemes, teams, and know the inner workings of the NFL. 5.) You possibly have interest in doing it at a higher level one day. Who is more qualified from a younger generation than Madden players? If you're not born into a football family, then you have to get indoctrinated somehow. Everyone starts somehwere.

Correction. No one will give a Madden player those things immediately. They will give him on opportunity to work his way up because of the qualification of being a famous top Madden player. After that, it's up to him to prove himself. Hence the 10 year window.

It's a bold prediction. Which is why I'm giving it 10 years. You can call WWE scripted, but they trust Logan Paul enough to give him the U.S. Title and make them money with it because he's good at what he does. He's still a top draw in a billion-dollar business. If the person is good enough, then they'll get a chance. I believe that being famous on youtube for football content that is intelligent or being a madden world champion could get your foot in the door if you actually have the passion and are willing to take it serious. The new generation grows up on Madden that likes the NFL now. The players in the NFL like Madden more than ever before. I guarantee the kids working their way up as scouts do as well. It could happen. Youtube gives an opportunity for those who want it.

With the Madden comment, I'm thinking someone like a former top player who takes the jump from Madden into the NFL and works his way up. There's a lot to Madden like building playbooks and learning schemes that are similar to a HC. So although it would take a lot work, I could see someone doing it within 10 years.

I prefer a star at QB, WR, EDGE, and CB. I wish it was my job. This is something I would love to do. I would thrive at the challenge of taking over an NFL team as GM, building my own coaching staff, my own scouting staff, my own team, and making add/drops, balancing the salary cap, and getting players via the draft, trades, and FA. When I focus on one thing and have interest, I want to be the best in the world at it. I want to succeed at it. I give my all towards accomplishing that goal. I would do anything to be in Ballards shoes and be able to build a team to win a SB for the city of Indy. I'll make a bold prediction. Within 10 years, there will be a youtube personality or Madden player that will end up being a HC or GM in the NFL. Logan and Jake Paul have already started this in WWE and Boxing to an extent, and there will be more to follow. I feel at some point, someone will take a chance on someone who is famous in the football world among fans and give them a shot at the big time.

This is the third installment of the Yoshinator Mock Draft. In this one, we will have a trade down. We will target the Los Angeles Rams as they have both OT and EDGE needs, and we will do a trade down with them from 15 to 19 and receive their compensatory 3rd round pick at 99 in exchange. Lets see how this works out! Round 1 TRADE: Colts trade pick 15 for picks 19 and 99 from the Los Angeles Rams Round 1: Cooper DeJean, CB/S, Iowa Round 2: Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon Round 3 Pick 82: Brandon Dorius, EDGE, Oregon Round 3 Pick 99: Roger Rosengarten, OT, Washington Round 4: Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin Round 5: Tykee Smith, S, Georgia Round 6: Chau Smith-Wade, CB, Washington State Round 7: Tip Reiman, TE, Illinois So this is a bit of a different Mock Draft with a trade down for a player a lot of people may not expect us to get. If Quinyon Mitchell and Terrion Arnold are gone, then this is a possibility to get DeJean IMO. We trade down with the Rams and let them select an OT or EDGE and grab DeJean before the Steelers (they may have interest). Troy Franklin is just a really good WR that grades out well, and I think he'll have an impact on the team right away. Dorius is a good EDGE that can fight for a starting job or be depth and replace one of Paye or Dayo next year. Rosengarten can be tackle depth and possibly replace Braden Smith sooner than later. Braelon Allen is an athletic freak and comes from the same school as Jonathan Taylor. He's only 20 and can get playing time instantly. Tykee Smith is nice S depth and can make the opening roster as a backup most likely. Wade should probably go higher than he's going. Better football player than athlete, he has a high motor and can fight for a roster spot on a weak secondary. Finally, Tip Reiman is a great blocking TE. With him, we can release Mo Allie-Cox and have our blocking TE of the future.

Someone I want to stay away from is Xavier Worthy. I'm thinking he will be a bust. His hands are bad, and he doesn't seem to me like he is a very good football player. I know we interviewed with him and it makes me nervous. I don't even want him in a trade down tbh.

Thank you! I appreciate this! Will take a look at it!

Broncos like Bo Nix a lot, and the Raiders like Penix. There's a decent chance one of them bites and takes a QB at 12 or 13. Especially the Broncos, who don't have a 2nd round pick. So their options are a lot more limited. I hear the Broncos are trying to trade up for McCarthy, but that's going to be near impossible to do without giving up Surtain, and they have to beat the Vikings. So that can work to our advantage if they can't do it and just decide to take Nix at 12. I'm going to guess one of the Broncos or Raiders take a QB at 12 or 13 and five QBs go before us at 15.

I like both also. Fuaga is probably the best run-blocker in the class, and Mitchell is just a perfect scheme-fit for Gus Bradley and this defense. I feel Fuaga may go to the Jets at 10 (don't buy the Bowers talk unless Fuaga is gone before 10), and Mitchell could go to the Raiders at 13. Those are the major landmine for both IMO. Another one for Fuaga is if the Chargers trade down. Would love to get Mitchell. I could see Cooper DeJean as a wildcard pick at 15. I would love to do a trade down and get him with the Rams at 19 if they wanted to move up for an OT or an EDGE. Pick up either a 3rd or 4th and move down 4 spots.

That would be Taliese Fuaga.

Love this thread. You did a great job here. I have a few things to do, I'll comment on it in a bit.

I'm just at a point where "I'll believe it when I see it" as far as winning, hitting on the QB, and anything else positive when it comes to this team. No amount of GM Speak will convince me this is a good team, I have to see division wins, playoff wins, and hopefully a SB win one day. Actions speak louder than words and I've seen little action and only words. I'm exhausted too from watching and paying attention to this team. Trust me.

I would think we'd have to stay ahead of the Bengals to get Thomas, and the Rams to get Latu. Just my guess. Wouldn't mind either of them at 15, I'm guessing both will be there.

They let him go because they paid Chris Jones instead. They also have Trent McDuffie. Their scouting department has proven they can draft corners. They have won 3 SBs with Mahomes (and made 4), I'm pretty sure they can trade a player away instead of paying him from time to time. Veach has earned that trust among the fanbase. If I were a Chiefs fan, I would be extremely happy right now. Best QB in the league. won 3 SBs and made 4 with Mahomes. A great GM that builds through the draft and FA. An elite defense. Those numbers were average for Mahomes standards yes. Normally he's much better than that. If we had those numbers on the Colts, we'd probably make the playoffs every year. We don't though. That's Ballard's fault since Luck's retirement. You and a lot of others take for granted that a new GM usually doesn't have an elite QB to start his tenure. Ballard did, that was a luxury. He had a large head thinking all he had to do was build through the draft around Andrew Luck. When Luck retired, Ballard was exposed. He didn't even know the proper way to get a QB. He was trying to do it through FA and trades when the vast majority of the time teams develop their franchise QBs through the draft. Ballard built through the draft, except for the QB. How ironic is that? 8 years in, we are still hoping we hit on the QB. Maybe AR is the guy, as the division is harder, as the AFC has numerous elite QBs, as the NFL passes us by. "If we had average QB play like that these last 7 years". Where has the standards gone of being a fan? We should be regularly making the playoffs and competing for a SB 8 years in Ballards tenure. Instead, we are hoping the QB hits still at this point and we can fix the secondary on the team. Give me a break. This team is run by a scout that's a wannabe GM who stubbornly refuses to change his ways. The only reason we're mediocre is because he's actually good at scouting. Unfortunately, as a GM, he has no idea how to compete with 31 other GMs who are actually qualified to be GMs.

I'm very open-minded when I get proven wrong. Ballard hasn't proven me wrong at all. His methods suck. Sorry. He's a scout that GMs like a 13-year-old Madden player. You can't build through the draft without using FA and trades in real life. Then he thinks the secondary isn't important when the Chiefs proved otherwise last year by having two elite CBs that helped carried them to another SB title when Mahomes was average. You can't teach an old dog new tricks apparently.

I really think Ballard will go after a CB on day 2 like Cam Hart. He has all the measurables Ballard loves. He'll be our version of JuJu Brents from last year.

I agree he doesn't want to spend much on the cornerback position. I don't agree his hands are tied by ownership. He spent roughly close for an extension on Buckner what it would have cost to extend Sneed. It saved us a draft pick or two and CB is better this year in the draft than DT, so maybe it's a good move in that respect. I don't doubt Ballard doesn't want to spend much at the CB position. Unfortunately, being a zone team as you said, Ballard probably won't draft a CB high. I've been pushing the narrative that Ballard will draft an EDGE like Latu in the 1st round as Paye and Dayo are FAs after next year and Ballard loves the trenches. I just dislike stubborn people that hold on to their beliefs when they are outdated and have been proven wrong. Sneed may like Nashville better than Indy, however, unlike Hunter, there was nothing leaked that he went to the Titans because of location. It seems to me that was because Ballard wasn't willing to pay what the Titans were to extend the contract in guaranteed money. I honestly think that's all it was.

You would have an argument if it wasn't the Titans. He didn't get traded to the Bills or Eagles who have elite QBs. He got traded to the Titans, who are a worse team than us. So that is highly unlikely. You are just grasping for straws to defend Ballard in why he is cheap and risk-averse. This is an 8 year pattern. He didn't just become GM. If Sneed didn't want to go to Indy, that would have been leaked by now. Ballard didn't want to pay the guaranteed money. That makes a lot more sense.

He did get drafted in the 4th round, however, Ballard has not proven he can draft an elite corner. He can draft good ones late, but no elite ones. Sneed was a nice scheme fit that could play zone, and I'm pretty sure he'll be better than any 3rd round corner that will be available in that range for us (and the Titans got him for a 2025 3rd rounder). I saw the presser, and one year of experience isn't going to be enough to overcome not having an elite CB on this team. He mentioned the O-Line, but the O-Line had Nelson, Braden Smith, and Ryan Kelly. All the CB room has is Kenny Moore. As good as he is, he's a slot corner. I would love to get someone like a Cam Hart for the Colts, but we are projecting, and it has to happen. Getting a CB that hits in the first 3 rounds is best-case scenario. We can make excuses for Ballard and say it's ok and he has a plan, but there has to be a time when fans need to admit he is just risk-averse. We'll see in 5 days how the Colts end up. I still expect to trade down.

That's possible, but his job needs to be on the line if he has that stance, because teams like the Chiefs are proving that Ballard is wrong in that belief. If we draft a CB early, than I'll eat crow, but that's yet to be determined and relying on Mitchell/Arnold to be there at 15 is based on a certain degree of luck.

Yep. There was no excuse for not trading for Sneed. 1.) We had interest 2.) We knew the compensation and it was low. 3.) Ballard didn't want to pay the guaranteed money, which he was willing to pay a similar amount for Buckner to re-sign. It just reeks of cheapness and being risk averse. The Titans also got him, so it's not like he went to an elite team. No defending missing out on Sneed. Anything else someone can make a case for.

Don't remember much of him as a kid besides the altercation with Mel Kiper. Know he drafted Marshall Faulk and was the GM of the Colts for that 95 Colts team with Jim Harbaugh. He brought me a lot of laughs roasting Mel Kiper. RIP Bill!

Walker has stone hands, I think he will go day 3 for real. Love Corley, he is a 2nd rounder IMO, Polk is solid, Washington is good, Rice has a lot of potential, he's late day 2 pick IMO. The others are day 3 picks IMO.

Zinter will miss most of the year next year. Not sure I'd take him in the 3rd round. Love Jackson. Dorius is good. Smith is ok. Puni I have more of a 4th rounder. Taylor is a luxury pick based on our DL. Sounds like the Vikings forum is smart if these are the main options remaining.