Superman

Since we're bumping stuff...

I've been calling out DE as a target position since January. I'm surprised that the Colts took a risk with his medical, when they tend to be more conservative with stuff like this. They're obviously comfortable with it, and after listening to his comments about what happened at Washington, it sounds like maybe they gave up too quickly. No doubt the Colts did their due diligence. We'll see how it plays out. He's a great prospect. Not my favorite guy in this draft, but no doubt about what he brings to the table. He's the most polished pass rusher in this draft, and the most accomplished. But he's not just a technician, he has burst and power and speed, and he can bend enough. You want production over RAS? How about both? I don't know how much upside he has. He's not the most exciting prospect to me for that reason. He can still be really good.

I think a thread in NFL General for the league wide draft is good. And a separate thread for the Colts tonight would be good. It's a new event, stuff is happening right now, and not having to wade through 80 pages to find the new info is probably a plus. That's based on some of the feedback from the FA thread.

How he plays, yeah there's a definite similarity, good and bad. I think Aaron Rodgers went through a spell where he was too focused on not turning the ball over, and it led to more sacks. I think Williams gets too focused on making a play, but same results. Gotta be more willing to let it rip or get a short gain and end the play. Personality wise? Not really. Both are a little off the beaten path. Rodgers is on a different level, though, IMO.

Penix is getting more love lately. I'm not a big fan. Nix isn't high on my radar either. Either of them in a later round as a development guy, fine, but not as a potential franchise player.

@NewColtsFan By the way, Taven Bryan's contract in 2023 was one year, $4.5m. In 2024, it's one year, $2.25m (including all incentives), with $1.125m guaranteed. I was confused on this earlier, finally got a chance to track it down. Don't know if that changes your reasoning on his roster standing or not. 2023: https://coltswire.usatoday.com/2023/03/15/colts-free-agency-taven-bryan-signed-contract-nfl-2023/ 2024: https://overthecap.com/player/taven-bryan/6914 I'd say it's time for a new thread...

He has some good traits, but nothing that jumps off the screen when watching him. Good enough arm, good enough athleticism, good enough size... And surface level viewing, the immediate reaction is this is a game manager on a great team, not being asking to do any big boy QBing. You have to really dig in to see examples of him making big throws from the pocket in critical situations, etc. Those examples definitely exist, but it's easy to miss them. So can he become a franchise level QB who can elevate his teammates, or is he more of a system guy who needs to be on a really good team to succeed? I think he has a lot of potential. He just doesn't seem like the prototypical first round QB prospect that the team wants to build around. And then like stitches said, the other three guys at the top are two Heisman winners, and a consensus top five prospect for the last two years. So the general response to McCarthy has been muted. I don't think there's anyone who would consider him the best prospect in this year's draft, so it's not surprising that no one chose him in this poll. But there are people whose opinions I respect who have him as #3 ahead of Maye, including JT O'Sullivan, who I think is the best Youtube evaluator.

I won't be online, and I wasn't last year, so I don't remember how it was done. But yeah, that's a great way to go, IMO.

No, I don't think they might blow up their plan. I was explaining why I wouldn't mind drafting Murphy. I also don't think they'll draft him, but not because they signed Davis and Bryan. I see it from the opposite angle, they probably signed Davis (not necessarily Bryan) because they already determined they weren't interested in the DTs at the top of this draft. And I'm fine with that. I'm also aware that they might not like Murphy as much as I do, which is also fine.

No doubt. It could also mean that BTJ's issue is more concerning than Nabers. Or not, know way of knowing without having the medicals and someone to decipher and contextualize them for me. With DJ's mock, I think what's more likely is that his choices are flavored by what he's hearing + a desire to pair certain players with certain teams. Nothing he has stands out as weird or unreasonable (he has Latu as the 4th edge, by the way), but I think Bowers to the Colts is just what people think is fun, and BTJ to the Bills just makes sense. So he puts Rome at #10, and then no more WRs until BTJ at #28, which seems unlikely to me, and kind of forced. Then again, a month ago having BTJ at #28 seemed normal, so who knows.

He still has Nabers at 6 though...

I would need to get more info. If that's the indication from medicals, then I think I'd be okay with it. I don't know anything, though. It's probably a team by team thing, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Colts are more conservative than other teams when it comes to shoulder injuries... Edit: https://www.si.com/nfl/2024/04/022/takeaways-nfl-draft-latest-buzz-rumors-medicals?__s=nxvbiahefc4aoa0o76dc So you're right, I probably misread this when I saw it the other day.

I don't know why he would only play 25% of the snaps for 2-3 years. Taven Bryan and Eric Johnson combined for about 600 snaps last year, why couldn't Murphy take most of those right away? I guess maybe Davis is in line to take those. Also, Buckner played about 350 snaps at DE last year, so he's not strictly used at 3T. I'd be fine with letting that work itself out in 2024. It's an unpopular stance, but I'm not super concerned with a first round pick being an immediate contributor. If he is, that's great, but even if we see a position group as strong and deep, and a rookie has to fight for playing time, I'm okay with that.

I'm not necessarily worried about it. The medical will be important for him and for Nabers, who I believe has the same situation. They might wind up having an operation after the draft.

I don't think players like Davis (and especially Bryan, who I don't think will make the final 53) should impact our draft strategy at all. Not even a little bit. If we like Byron Murphy, figure out what to do with those other guys later. The other versatile guys you mention don't scratch the itch the way Murphy would be expected to -- he should be looked at as a disruptive 3T who plays there every down, not a matchup guy or passing downs guy. If anything, maybe it's the other way around. The Colts already had a feel for the DTs in draft class and knew they wouldn't get what they want in the draft, so they addressed the position in free agency. And after this weekend, that might help people better understand the strategy at DB and WR... The bolded really gets at the heart of it. I like Murphy, but I'm not offering him as a great player that you just have to take a chance on. But when it comes to draft strategy, I think taking the best players is the way to go. I'm directly opposed to needs-based drafting, and to passing on a really good prospect because you have backup level veterans already on the roster.

I like our TE more than most. That would not stop me from drafting a really good TE prospect. I might not like Bowers as much as everyone else does. But he'd probably still be our best F TE right away.

Are you hoping it doesn't happen because he doesn't fit the Colts profile? Or because you don't think he'd be a good player for us? I agree that he's not a Ballard type of prospect, and for that reason, I doubt we draft him. We only have one DT who's shorter than 6'4" -- Adebawore is 6'2", he was drafted in the 4th round, he's an outlier athlete, has really long arms, and I think he's probably more of a DE/DT hybrid. Drafting a 6'0" DT/3T, especially in the first round, doesn't seem like something Ballard would do. But I think Murphy is a really good player, and a really good athlete, despite his lack of size. His speed and explosive numbers are great for a player his size. His tape looks good. He fits our defensive scheme. He led all interior DL prospects with a 19.6% pressure rate. He hates being blocked, and plays like he lives his life for the sole purpose of defeating offensive linemen. I am not comparing him to Aaron Donald. But before the 2014 draft, I said Donald was the kind of guy you just draft and figure it out, whether he fits your scheme/profile or not. In no way am I saying Murphy is as good as Donald was, not even as a prospect, but I think he might be good enough to apply the same logic. Put him in a gap shooting front and let him disrupt. I would not mind if we drafted him at all. It would be a big surprise, but I think he's a really good prospect.

Did you miss Buckner's new extension? The one with the large signing bonus and void years?

I like Latu, but don't you think there's a significant number of teams that are scared off by his medical? And then a couple more who will downgrade him because of his age?

I think he's a little overrated as a corner prospect. Doesn't mean I don't like him, I do. But I was hearing about how incredibly athletic he is, people were talking about him like he was a lockdown defender, then I watch him for a couple games and I don't see that. So at first I was pretty down on him. Then I went back and watched him with my expectations much lower, and I see what he has to offer. He's definitely athletic, but not the standout, premier athlete people were making him out to be at first. Watching his high school basketball videos helped me contextualize his athleticism, there's plenty of burst there. He has some struggles flipping his hips and staying connected late in the down. He's feisty and physical, plays the run with enthusiasm, tackles well, and he has explosiveness. He's better in shorter areas when he doesn't have to try to keep up with a receiver with elite speed. I know he ran 4.43, but it wasn't a pro day, it was a private workout. I discount timed speeds at pro days, and definitely at private workouts. To me, he's closer to 4.5 than 4.4, and that's what I expected when watching him play. To me, he's a safety/nickel prospect, not a boundary corner. And if he were looked at as a boundary corner, I think his arm length would probably disqualify him for the Colts, at least in the first round. And I think the Colts already view corner as a Day 2 position. He's said all the right things about playing multiple positions. And while I don't know how the new rules will affect kickoffs, I think it makes sense to have good options at returner, so that helps his stock as well. But I think the second round is the right range for him. If we drafted him, I think we still need a boost on the outside.

It's gonna be a crazy draft. TBH most of the other predictions don't come across as all that bold. Outside of anything that has the Colts trading up.

The Pats trade back from #3, and JJ McCarthy gets drafted ahead of Drake Maye. Latu is the third or maybe even the fourth Edge/DE to be drafted. Nate Wiggins is the second corner drafted. Cooper DeJean goes in the second round.

We have Higgins at home.

Chase wasn't extended, the Bengals just exercised the fifth year option and reported it as if they'd done something noteworthy. I doubt either Higgins or Hendrickson gets traded, but the Bengals definitely have some work to do. I'm not even sure what the plan is for Chase at the moment. No doubt they want to keep him, but the longer they wait, the more the market moves against them.