stitches

If you had to pick one pass rusher from this draft for the Colts who would it be? Chop Robinson?

Yah... I agree he doesn't look explosive or super fast on tape... but he doesn't look slow either. He kind of looks like... he's playing at his own pace and it doesn't look like it's hindering his pass-rush. I know we don't have access to PFF's GAS numbers and their methodology about it, but what do you make of those scores? It seems like it's their proprietary in-game athleticism score, that is not public but is available for the teams that subscribe to their services(all of them). (From what I've heard in their podcasts - those gas numbers are for every player they have numbers for(including players that never make the NFL) and that most of the players that make the NFL have scores above 80. I think they said in one of their podcasts that a lot of the elite players in the league had GAS in the high 90s. )

My thought of the day: I think I want Laiatu Latu if we are going to be going for DE in the 1st. He will be my EDGE1 in this draft. Just.. .the more I watch of him and the other EDGEs ... the more I just cannot ignore how skilled he is. I am not sure I've seen this refined of a pass-rusher recently. It's almost like he's playing completely different game than any of the other EDGEs in this draft. And then he went on and tested above 9 RAS... like WHAT? Today I heard another metric in PFF's podcast... there's this in-game athleticism score(GAS) they have. And they have him measured at 97.1 out 100 in 2022 and 99.7 in 2023!!! They have him as an elite functional athlete, even though he doesn't look like it at first sight. And then the final nail - even production-wise he's the best pass-rusher in the draft... has 27 sacks last 2 years... 62 pressures this year, 65 last year... 21.5 FTLs this year, 12.5 last year... those are insane numbers. Those are better numbers than many of the EDGEs that have been drafted in the top 5(like the Bosas, like ... even Myles Garrett) don't hit... If our doctors clear him medically... I think I'd be ecstatic to get him at 15.

Possible...

Those guys don't know Ballard like we do. If they knew him no GM or agent in the world would use Ballard for leverage. "Oh you know the guys who doesn't pay A money for B players... the one who every off-season professes his philosophy of not entering into bidding wars? The one who either makes a deal in the dark or never makes a deal... well... let me tell you just how much he's willing to pay to outbid you... and BTW... I'm about to go leak that to the press, just to make sure everybody knows it..."

I really like Arnold. Like... really really like him... but I can't disagree with the people who say McKinstry fits better what Ballard usually likes... and he will likely be available later than Arnold too so... I can absolutely see Ballard trading down to about #25-30 and picking McKinstry.

Yeah, it's Kool-Aid with foot injury. The interesting thing is... he ran with it at their pro day and ran 4.47 and then underwent surgery after the pro-day for that Jones fracture.

Destin is a serious person and I have no doubt he had a source that was telling him that. He is still very young and green in that reporting business so he will learn with experience what sources to trust and in what types of cases... Good for him for admitting his mistake.

People were commenting about the possibility of having Worthy or Mitchell be our punt returners if we pick any of them.

Sneed hasn't got the dog in him... that's why!

I think Herbert is the last problem of that team. This reminds me about how Colts fans used to trash AC simply because he was the most known player on a horrible OL, while in reality he was one of the most underrated players in the league and very little of our OL problems were of his doing.

Am I the only one who doesn't want our prized 1st or 2nd round picks to be punt returners? Especially a player like Worthy who is super slight...

@Solid84 has the voice of one of those voice actors that do movie trailers... "In a world ... where your GM sits on his hands while division rivals get better..."

That's... reasonable I guess. IMO unless we add more/better talent at pass-rusher, I'd be satisfied with Partridge's work if we are in the 18-22 range in pressures... and again somewhere in the middle in sacks(45-46?)... BTW notice - this doesn't mean I'd be satisfied with Ballard's building of this DL. IMO when you are playing this type of system you need your DL to be much better and he needs to get much better talent. Middle of the pack DL for a team that heavily relies on rushing with 4 and giving big cushions to the receivers is not a recipe for success.

I'm happy with 51 sacks. But that's not sustainable if we play the same way. If we continue playing at that level, chances are we will be closer to 40 sacks than 50 next year... or in the long run in general. What would constitute good season for the DL in your estimation? What would constitute the new DL coach having made a good positive impact? What improvements do you want to see? I'm trying to understand just what do you think the imact of the new coach will be... we were bottom 5 in the league in pressures and top 5 in the league in sacks. Based on some of your posts I feel like you have unrealistic expectations about the improvements a DL coach can bring to a team, but I'm not sure... that's why I'm asking.

Sacks are not a great measure of how good/disruptive the DL is. If they stay at about the same level they were this year and we make the playoffs, it will likely be not because of the defense that we make the playoffs but despite it.

I would... no idea if Ballard would, especially after signing Pittman to a big deal. I really don't see him paying 50-55M to 2 receivers...

I'm usually against it, but... if we can get Nabers or MHJ I think I would do it.

Gus is the most obvious answer IMO.

Chloe, you still don't get it. Ballard does NOT value CB at that level. I really doubt he spends a top 15 pick on the position, especially since NONE of the top CBs in the draft cover his length requirements for the position. He might trade back to the end of the 1st or beginning of R2 and take like... Kool-Aid McKinstry or TJ Tampa or Ennis Rakestraw ... But you know what position he really values? He values the hell out of the trenches and especially defensive trenches... and there are players in that 15 range that fit the bill... Dallas Turner(if he falls to 15)... he's like almost carbon copy of the guy he tried to sign in FA - Danielle Hunter if you look at his measurements and testing, Jared Verse, Chop Robinson, Latu... he can easily fall in love with any of them IMO,

I would be surprised if Ballard takes a CB at 15. I think it's more likely he takes a DE than CB...

I think smart teams spend selectively in FA and smart teams have much better focus on areas of the team that best correlate with winning.

IMO they are some of the best young analysts out there. Peter King mentioned Solak in his retirement column as someone from the young generation that's doing good work.

I was ballparking it 10.5+7.5(Davis - 5 this year, but he has 2.5M dead cap for next year too), Taven Bryan(3.5M... that's what we paid him last year... haven't seen the new number), Franklin(10M)...