Superman

Between that and the tackling, I eliminated him from consideration by the Colts a long time ago. Was just thinking whether BBZ sees him as the kind of guy who can fill the role he wants.

The Ringer mock I see has the Colts taking Dallas Turner at #15, and BTJ goes to the Jags at #17. Makes a lot of sense for the Jags by the way, they are likely targeting a WR.

I watched his games. I don't see him having that kind of speed. JMO.

It's probably an overpay for JJ, compared to what the Dolphins gave up for Tyreek Hill, but not by a lot. I don't think your proposal above is enough... But my point is that if we're going to overpay for a WR, let's get a proven guy.

I don't know... It's a late round pick swap, and the Jets are paying part of his salary.

I see DeJean differently. He could survive in our zone, I guess. But I was previously talking about boundary corners who have the speed to keep up with dynamic downfield receivers in the NFL. You say DeJean has good speed; do you think he has that kind of speed?? Where I think he'd be best in our defense is SS/nickel, and because I view him that way, I think the value on him is in Day 2. JMO. I know a lot of people like him way more than I do.

Not trying to derail your hypothetical, but when healthy, JJ averages 1,600 yards, 8 TDs, 15 yards/catch. MHJ is an unknown. We can project what we think he'll do, but no one is bust-proof. So while I'd cover my eyes and push the button on a big trade for a proven NFL performer, I couldn't bring myself to give up that kind of haul to draft a rookie WR, not knowing how often WRs bust. That includes the difference in player salary. Just sticking to your parameters, I can't do it. We know Ballard would never do it. If Ballard's body was suddenly taken over by an alien being and he made this trade, I'd shake my head at the cost/risk, and root for the player to be a huge success.

I would voice my disagreement clearly, and then hope the player we get turns into a multiple All Pro. I'd rather send those picks to the Vikings for Justin Jefferson, and even then I'd be wincing at the cost. But that's a better way to get your game changing playmaker.

I would not. This isn't even a hard decision for me. I'd only give up that kind of haul for a high level QB prospect that checks all of my boxes.

No doubt he's thin, and not a great tackler. The question is whether his speed and playmaking ability makes up for his deficient size/tackling. If you want a boundary corner who can run stride for stride with big time receivers, he's up there on the list. I don't think I'd draft him in the first round, though. Mitchell is good. I see DeJean as a safety/nickel, not a boundary corner, especially not one who can run with the best receivers.

Anything can happen, but I feel like Leggette is a Day 2 guy.

I think Williams is as talented as any QB prospect I've ever watched. No, he wouldn't go ahead of Luck. No doubt in my mind he'd go ahead of Murray. I was not as high on Lawrence as everyone else, and still am not, so that skews my opinion. Burrow is the tough one, but Williams' ability to create out of structure could be a wild card. The comparisons don't help, though. Especially when he's going to the Bears, with their QB history. Me saying that Williams is as talented as anyone else sounds like I think he's as good a prospect as anyone else, and that's not what I mean. So some of the discourse gets pushed into the margins, which isn't good. For me, with Williams, it comes down to two things. 1) On the field, I only have one question: Can he operate efficiently within the design of the offense, and find the proper balance between running the offense as designed and improvising to make big plays? If he can find that balance, he can be special. I think his Oklahoma tape and his first season at USC show a disciplined player + a special playmaker. His second season at USC shows a guy who was a special playmaker but often trying to do too much, which led to playing with less discipline at times. And even then, he only threw 5 INTs (eight fumbles though, often on scrambles; only 3 fumbles in 2022). I feel confident that in the right situation with the right coaching, he can make it happen on the field. Not sure the Bears are the right situation... And 2) Off the field, is he fully committed to the NFL and being a franchise QB/CEO type of leader, or does he have a sense of entitlement, or a deeply seated desire to buck trends and do things his own way? (And I'm not talking about his fingernails or his phone case, I'm talking about signing a CBA-sanctioned contract, and taking coaching, and being at offseason workouts, etc.) There are some concerns here, for sure. NFL teams will have done the work on this, and they have to be confident that he's ready to do what needs to be done, minimize distractions, and be The Guy. Pundits and fans will state their opinions, but what we know is very limited. So I don't have a strong opinion on this either way, except to acknowledge that there are actual concerns here that didn't exist with guys like Luck, Burrow, etc.

What do you think about Nate Wiggins?

Even if he was just a slot/gadget guy, he could have been a really productive player. I think that's what they did with him in the 2020 opener and a few other times. Maybe that's not as exciting as having one of the other WRs from that draft, but we never really saw anything materialize with him. But he'll always be held up against the other receivers that year. And that was just a dreadful second round for the Colts, coming off a really good second round in 2018. We got Rock Ya-Sin, Ben Banogu, and Parris Campbell. Yikes. And there were really good players drafted throughout that round. Just not by the Colts.

Yeah I personally don't put the responsibility for draft picks on the coaches, even if the coach really wanted the player. Ballard runs the draft, the picks are on him. I don't mind giving Reggie credit for banging the table for Josh Downs, but if Downs doesn't work out I'm not going to say it's Reggie's fault. The QB situation after Luck retired was a little different. The main reason I'm fine with hanging that on Reich is because it seems like that's what Irsay has done. By the way, I wouldn't say anyone was wrong about Campbell. He didn't work out, but they drafted a really productive guy who had no known injury concerns, and then he was hurt his first three years in the NFL. They also intended for him to complement Andrew Luck, who retired before they got a chance to play together. Campbell is just a matter of circumstances. Maybe the best example of a pick gone wrong when it's no one's fault.

I don't think the GM decides what the FS does. And while it would be nice to have a lock down corner, Bradley is going to do what he always does, with little regard for the personnel. Expecting him to change his coverage schemes or to blitz five more times a game is about as hopeless as expecting Ballard to trade up for a WR. I agree at OL. Smith has been above average at RT, but I think moving him to RG would mean a significant improvement to the OL play. And maybe Freeland can take over at RT. Mims is a really good prospect. The social media team would have a field day if we drafted Cooper. So would I, he's a good player. He's long, fast, moderately explosive, good change of direction, physical, and a playmaker. He's enough of a Ballard prospect. I still think we need to see significant improvement in certain areas before we're ready to add a couple of guys and be in the conversation with the top tier in the AFC. But if we got BTJ and Cooper on the first two days, I'd be a happy guy.

Ballard praised Georgia defensive players and their knowledge of the game. Georgia defensive players in this year's draft, per Scouts Inc (ESPN): Kamari Lassiter, CB, #45 (doesn't fit Ballard's profile for DBs) Javon Bullard, S, #49 (doesn't fit Ballard's profile for safeties) Tykee Smith, S, #97 (not a great fit for Ballard's profile for safeties) Zion Logue, DT, #222 (long, big, not a standout athlete) Jontrey Hunter, LB, #316 (not a great fit from a size standpoint, didn't run)

This place will implode no matter what.

On DB: Q: "Are you worried you're too young?" A: "No, not anymore, they've grown up."

Ballard on character: "Who they are is important. ... We're dealing with young men here, who are not fully developed into men yet. We're talking about 20, 21, 22 year old young men that make mistakes... and I can live with some of those mistakes. ... But to me... when they fail is when they don't love the game. ... You've been around players who are not fully mature off the field, but on the field, they love football, so they're gonna do everything in their power to get better. ... And it's the hardest part to figure out. ... How are they gonna handle their time, cause they've got more of it, and how are they gonna handle their money. ... The hardest thing is getting the character right. ... There's a lot of times we'll pass on guys in the draft and I know people freak out... well there's usually something we found out or didn't like and we ended up passing. It wasn't a good fit for us, it might be a good fit for somebody else and they might make it work, but for us it wasn't." Football character.

The roster page has now been updated, Ogletree is no longer listed as on the exempt list. So my bad, Holder was right. Good news.

Yeah, I have no beef with MHJ as a prospect (I think some are pumping him up a little too much, and there's some name recognition probably influencing the way he's talked about). It would be awesome to have him on the Colts. But just like every other draft prospect in history, the possibility exists that he will not live up to the pre-draft expectations. But during the pre-draft process, fans and media start falling in love with players. Terms like "generational talent," "future superstar," etc., start getting thrown around. And now we're talking about a prospect as if he's a lock for the HOF before he's even played a game in the NFL. That's fine, it's fun, we all do it. But that's different from actually scouting, setting a board, and making decisions for the team. Each of us can point to a previous prospect that we loved and raved about and had them fitted for a gold jacket, but who bounced out of the league within 3-4 years. And the same is probably true for NFL scouts and decision makers. Which is why Ballard's comment today -- there is no such thing as a perfect prospect -- is so important to remember. I'm not against the team identifying a guy they really want and going up to get him, but I hope they're not just doing it with stars in their eyes.

What MHJ does or doesn't do isn't really relevant to my point.

I think this probably isn't an objective viewpoint. I think you want fireworks, and you're an eternal optimist. Nothing wrong with that, but I think a more practical viewpoint is to acknowledge that taking huge chances isn't exactly a recipe for success. (You're going to point to examples that worked out; I'm going to counter with twice as many that failed.) The bolded especially. First, it seems like you chose 11 games because you feel like that's the target to keep up with the Texans. Second, I don't think the Colts are one player away from keeping up with the top tier of the AFC. I think a lot has to go right for the Colts to be in the mix with the Chiefs, etc. I said at the beginning of the offseason, I think we're still one draft class away from being in those discussions. But if you can talk yourself into one guy being the answer, just one playmaker holds the key for the Colts to be in contention, then yeah, identify your favorite prospect and bang the table for the Colts to do whatever they have to to get that player. That would be awesome for us. But I think the reason Ballard doesn't do that is because it's flawed team building (historically speaking), not because he's afraid.. You can promise steak dinners based on your hunches, but that's not exactly how I want the GM to make decisions.

I acknowledge that. I'm definitely not saying you can't get a good WR in the first round. And I'm not opposed to doing so. I'm just talking about draft value at a position with a ton of really good prospects every year.