Superman

All this is true, to an extent. But there are more and more people talking about the draft every year, and some of them are serious, while others are just making noise. No doubt Brugler is serious, he's been doing this extensive draft guide for years now. I think other guys might just be rearranging names on a list. I'm not fully on board with the 'everyone is the same' angle. I get the idea, but there are a ton of factors involved when considering how player prospects turn out in the long run. And just because a player doesn't hit doesn't mean the evaluation was faulty.

Is your opinion on Cross influenced by the fact that the coaches wouldn't play him in 2022, so there must be something he's struggling with in practice?

I haven't paid much attention to Dane before this year's draft. He produces great content, and he's thoughtful, not reactionary or prone to hyperbole, etc. But is he good from a quality standpoint? Do his evaluations tend to hold up once players get drafted? Or does he mostly fall in with other draft guys in this area?

I thought about Sam, but ultimately, I figure they'll carry 3 QBs all season, whether it's Sam or someone else. I think the 2 QB days are a thing of the past for the Colts.

Was also gonna say, I think Olubi is on the bubble. I like him more than most people seem to.

I guess we'll see on Mo. I don't think he has any real trade value, especially with his salary. Not hard to find a backup RB, and maybe we already have someone who can handle RB2, but most of our guys seem like specialized backs. If JT has to leave in the first quarter with a concussion, I don't think any of our backups would be well-suited to finish a game with 20+ carries. So it's the one spot on offense I think we should do something about. And honestly, it can probably wait.

Deadline is Thursday, May 2. https://operations.nfl.com/gameday/nfl-schedule/2024-important-nfl-dates/

It's almost like there was a significant, contributing factor to the decision to pass on Montez Sweat...

It's mostly up to him, though. I said in another thread, I have a lot of diabetics in my life. Sadly, a few less now... One person can manage it with no problem, and another person might respond very differently. Sometimes, people with chronic illnesses have a high level of resentment toward the illness, and anything that's associated with it. So the Colts can assign a staffer to help AD, but if AD doesn't cooperate, there's not much more anyone else can do. And unlike other illnesses where it can take a longer period of time for it to become obvious that the person isn't following their protocols, a person's blood sugar can spike or crash in a couple hours, or less. So theoretically, AD could have a great day at the facility on Wednesday, go home and let his guard down, and wake up Thursday feeling awful, and that entire day might be shot. For that reason, the disease can be emotionally draining in a way that it's hard to understand for someone who doesn't deal with it up close. I'm not predicting anything, and not trying to be alarmist. Just playing out possibilities, and really my point is that AD has to commit to managing his condition. No one else can do it for him.

Makes sense, I'm glad you did this because it's not something I like doing myself, but it helps to visualize it. And that's why RB2 jumped out at me so much. If there's one position where I feel like we're just not ready if the season started tomorrow, that's it.

He can wear the monitor during games, but not an insulin pump. So he'll have to be ready to regulate his levels at all times, and I bet practices and game days are the most difficult. Especially training camp, with the potential for dehydration. I'm pretty sure monitoring his diabetes is not something that can be included in his contract. If he hasn't already, he should get in touch with Mark Andrews. He has a whole routine and has been managing it since he was 9. Thankfully for him, his dad is a doctor, he had older siblings helping him, and now it's just second nature. I don't know what AD's whole situation is, but if he takes it seriously and has the proper discipline, it doesn't have to cause him issues.

So 11 pass catchers + 9 OL is where I think the balancing out needs to happen. (And of course, my eye goes straight to Mo.) I think more likely it's 9 pass catchers + 10 OL, and then you have room for an extra DL or maybe LB. It helps the OL that Goncalves and Bortolini can play multiple positions. I still think more depth is needed at OL. And 3 RBs seems light, but I guess that's just how it goes, and if you need help you rely on the PS. It seems like we need a better RB2 though.

I think Baker is overrated, especially at $15m/year. I don't see him as a potential final piece, I'm not even sure he's better than Blackmon.

Pittman played 30% of his snaps inside last year. I don't know if that increases but I agree he can work the inside.

It's clear and obvious. He said it plainly. The way the fans/media perceive the need at corner is very different from the way the Colts perceive the need at corner.

I had Goncalves in my mock, in the 4th round. Basically in range. I like the pick, I assume his foot is fine, he said as much, and he worked out at his pro day. Big dude, nice feet, good technique in pass pro, can get stronger to improve in the run game, technically sound for the most part. I wanted two things on offense this offseason: 1) A dynamic pass catcher, and 2) Depth/competition on the OL, specifically a swing tackle/guard. I was hoping for a veteran OL in addition to a draft pick, but we re-signed Pinter, so I guess we can count that. And as a bonus, Drew Ogletree is back on the roster, after I thought he was for sure going to be gone. IMO, the offense is ready to roll. I was worried that Plan A at WR -- get a guy in the second round -- was shot after the way Thursday night went. Plan A wound up working out nicely. The secondary could still use some work. I would have liked to see an athletic boost with a boundary corner, but this wasn't really the draft for that. And while I'm not sure what will happen after the draft, there are a ton of veteran corners and safeties still available. Including Justin Simmons and Quandre Diggs, whom everyone wanted on Day 1 on free agency. So maybe we still add some veteran help. We also have one 4th round pick, and then three 5th rounders all bunched up from #142 to #155. Ballard already traded out of the 6th, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him either trade out of the 7th, or trade down in a swap that also moves him up higher from one of the 4th/5th round picks. He might want to keep a pick in the 7th just to grab their favorite UDFA target...

I don't have a problem with Ballard going to bat for his guys, or any young player, and I mostly agree with what he said. I'm also glad he said it. However, AD Mitchell had a sloppy Combine, and said some things in his presser that could be interpreted as him not giving full effort every down (I think the comments were innocuous). I think it would have been good for Ballard to address some of those things, or for the questions to get more specific about some of the concerns. Including the diabetes. The questions they asked AD tonight were, mostly, garbage. Four or five different versions of 'are you mad you didn't get drafted sooner' that were all met with the same energy from AD. Sometimes this group of reporters is like a dog with a bone, just won't let go of a certain angle. Asked and answered, let's move on guys.

Especially if your blood sugar is low.

I think @stitches is running the draft room...

My expectations have always been for the Colts to add a really promising WR prospect sometime on Day 2. I'm starting to think that might not happen. The late run on WRs kind of sucked the value out of the second round, IMO. There are some guys, but a couple that I thought would be there are gone already, and I bet a couple more go early tonight. Plan A has been severely compromised. Beyond that, I could easily see DeJean or Cooper being BPA when we're on the clock, and if so, those picks would make perfect sense. And we're still without a significant add at WR. So if it goes that way over the next couple days, I wonder what Plan B would be. Find a trade for a young guy, maybe Drake London? Maybe a Diggs-like deal for someone that isn't on our radar? Any chance the Bears are thinking about moving DJ Moore?

I think Reich was broken by the beginning of 2022, so I don't know if there was any pairing that would have worked for him. But Stroud would have been the best bet.

This all tracks logically. You're still presenting your hunch as substantiated fact, which is the only reason for my resistance.

I pushed back on the Tepper forced the Bryce Young pick thing, and still do. That's because it comes with the assumption that Reich didn't want Bryce Young, which isn't substantiated. If you tell me that Tepper was heavily involved in the pick, I have no problem. It's when it goes to 'there's no way Reich wanted Young' that I ask for something other than your gut feeling to support that conclusion.

Yeah, I'm good with the pick. I wasn't exactly jumping up and down, but I think it was the obvious choice for us.

https://www.wbtv.com/2024/04/26/let-coach-gm-pick-panthers-owner-pays-charlotte-restaurant-surprise-visit-before-draft/ Big yikes on this dude...