Starlite Lotulelei v. USC 2012

[Esquire59]

My dream 1st round pick for the Colts. I tuned in due to reports of great match-up between best C in college and best NT. USC's C was ready to quit playing football after three series.

[PrincetonTiger]

Nice Video

[Gavin]

He looks impressive but not impressive enough for me to take him over a top Guard prospect

[Nobody]

I'd like to have him at DE. He absolutely dominated Khaled Homes.

[UKCOLT17]

I'd like to have him at DE. He absolutely dominated Khaled Homes.

yeah he aint not NT but looks good at de

[Gavin]

As it stands now I will take Barrett Jones because he can play Tackle/Center and Guard great

[PrincetonTiger]

He would be a great pick but O-line may be needed more

[NewColtsFan]

USC's Center was still very much hurt. He had already missed the Stanford game.

He was back for this game, but not even close to 100%. This is a very misleading tape.

Honestly, I love the kid, but I don't want to spend a high #1 on a NT. Too much chance for injury. Not enough pass rush.

A decent NT can be found in later rounds.

There's a reason you don't see NT's taken high in the first round. In fact, you rarely even see them taken in the 1st round at all. The position takes a pounding. You can't play that position at a high level for 10 years. Way too much wear and tear. Eventually, it all takes a toll.

Sorry. Love 'em. But not for me. I'm still trading down and picking up draft picks along the way.

[BOTT]

scouts inc now has lotulelei #1 on their board.

and i find it hilarious one would take a guard over a dominating defensive lineman

[coltsfanatic24]

star would be a great addition to our team but we won't be able to get him, more likely he'll go in the top 5 and i think will have the 8th pick. last year our biggest needs were qb,te and we solved that by drafting luck and fleener. this year the biggest need is d-line,o-line, and ss. i think johnathan hankins, luke joekel, and eric reid will be the three guys who we be high on grigson board in that order.

[CR91]

i would rather have a SS or G

[BOTT]

star would be a great addition to our team but we won't be able to get him, more likely he'll go in the top 5 and i think will have the 8th pick. last year our biggest needs were qb,te and we solved that by drafting luck and fleener. this year the biggest need is d-line,o-line, and ss. i think johnathan hankins, luke joekel, and eric reid will be the three guys who we be high on grigson board in that order.

a lot of people don't even have reid going in the first round..of course that could change. i don't see the colts taking a OT unless castonzo has a disappointing season. hankins would be nice....

[Boiler_Colt]

a lot of people don't even have reid going in the first round..of course that could change. i don't see the colts taking a OT unless castonzo has a disappointing season. hankins would be nice....

Yeah as of now he is not even rated as one of the top two safeties in the draft. Safeties fall every year just based on the position they play.

But really I just quoted your post because I wanted to say how much I like your avatar. Winter is Coming!

[Gavin]

scouts inc now has lotulelei #1 on their board.

and i find it hilarious one would take a guard over a dominating defensive lineman

protecting your franchise QB is hilarious? Being able to play smash mouth football and bleed out the clock and impose your will in the trenches making your opponent feel completely helpless is hilarious? How do we even know he can play 3-4 DE?

[coltsguy510]

As it stands now I will take Barrett Jones because he can play Tackle/Center and Guard great

Kiper recently said in an ESPN chat that Jones looks like a 3rd to 4th round prospect because of a lack of physical tools.

[Gavin]

Kiper recently said in an ESPN chat that Jones looks like a 3rd to 4th round prospect because of a lack of physical tools.

Did he name what those physical tools were?

[coltsguy510]

Here are his exact words.

MIKE (Alabama)

Do you see Barrett Jones going very high in the draft?

Mel Kiper

(1:08 PM)

Not high. I thnk he's a versatile kid. He's got short arms. He's a little limited from a pro standpoint, but a great college player. He has the versatility to be a good swing man, maybe starter at center. I don't think he has better than a 3-4 round grade.

[Dark Superman]

I highly disagree with Kiper.. I think Jones is going to be a stud.

[coltsguy510]

I highly disagree with Kiper.. I think Jones is going to be a stud.

I do too, but if we can get him in the 3rd or 4th, we would have had a great draft!

[Gavin]

Eh I will wait for Mayocks opinion, I certainly dont see Jones falling to the 3rd or 4th, Maybe 2nd because someone always seems to drop because thats just the nature of the draft but 4th is way to extreme in my opinion

[UKColt13]

Very impressive, but I'd need to see more than one game. I can't really tell how much of that was him being great or the blocking being poor. We consistent performers, not one hit wonders.

[BOTT]

protecting your franchise QB is hilarious? Being able to play smash mouth football and bleed out the clock and impose your will in the trenches making your opponent feel completely helpless is hilarious? How do we even know he can play 3-4 DE?

no, takiing a guard that high when a team is in rebuilding mode is ridiculous. i'm all for building the oline, just not in the first round of this years draft.

how do we know anyone in college can play 34 DE? almost all 34 DE played DT in college...jj watt, ngata, seymour, dockett, campbell, etc..

[BOTT]

Very impressive, but I'd need to see more than one game. I can't really tell how much of that was him being great or the blocking being poor. We consistent performers, not one hit wonders.

well, he is a senior

[UKColt13]

well, he is a senior

I know I just meant I need to watch him against another 1-2 O Line to make sure he can keep this pace and skill level up week in and week out. Would love to see him opposite Redding to get some interior pressure and run help.

[Mameluc]

protecting your franchise QB is hilarious? Being able to play smash mouth football and bleed out the clock and impose your will in the trenches making your opponent feel completely helpless is hilarious? How do we even know he can play 3-4 DE?

you just dont take a G with top 10 pick. A T everyone would, but you said you rather have a G than him.

im sorry but i agree, id much rater take Loutelei than a G. i do understand the thing of protecting the franchise but cmon if you use a top 10 pick on a G you are wasting a pick IMO. an inside DL guy would be much better choice imo. it would be like what the Raiders with Mcclain and Seahawks wtih Curry did...the best solid all around player on the draft...OK pick but when you are picking in the top 10 you are looking for a star not just a starter

[UKColt13]

you just dont take a G with top 10 pick. A T everyone would, but you said you rather have a G than him.

im sorry but i agree, id much rater take Loutelei than a G. i do understand the thing of protecting the franchise but cmon if you use a top 10 pick on a G you are wasting a pick IMO. an inside DL guy would be much better choice imo. it would be like what the Raiders with Mcclain and Seahawks wtih Curry did...the best solid all around player on the draft...OK pick but when you are picking in the top 10 you are looking for a star not just a starter

Agree absolutely, we need the Haloti Ngata style presence in the DL. It is a lot easier to find OL talent in FA than it would be to find someone with Lotulelei' skill set.

[Gavin]

Another scenario maybe Trade down to pick 20 in the first and pick up a 2nd and a 4th round pick then first 4picks would possibly look like this

1.Barrett Jones

2.Alex Okafor

3.Margus Hunt

4.Andrew Jackson-hard hitting 3-4 ILB

Picking up RT Britten in FA, as well as Jairus Byrd or Kenny Phillips although he would be my second Safety choice

Thats all with just trading down and not knowing what any Comp picks we may and likely will get

[BOTT]

Another scenario maybe Trade down to pick 20 in the first and pick up a 2nd and a 4th round pick then first 4picks would possibly look like this

1.Barrett Jones

2.Alex Okafor

3.Margus Hunt

4.Andrew Jackson-hard hitting 3-4 ILB

Picking up RT Britten in FA, as well as Jairus Byrd or Kenny Phillips although he would be my second Safety choice

Thats all with just trading down and not knowing what any Comp picks we may and likely will get

ebon britton is a 300lb bob sanders....always hurt

[Hans Moleman]

Star can play the nose and rotate to end for when we really want to add size to the line (Chapman at NT, Star at DE).

I say this because I love you all, but you're absolutely insane if you'd seriously take any guard or safety over Lotulelei. Like Krazy Kaplan giving away 83 fireworks for the price of 1 insane. You just don't find D-linemen that have the kind of ability Star has more than once a year, if you're lucky. Being able to play NT and DE in the 3-4 well is an extremely rare skillset, so it's an even bigger window in his case. That's why, unless we're picking top 5, we probably won't get a chance at him.

And that's a shame - he happens to fill a clear need for us since our run defense is even worse than our run offense is.

[Gavin]

ebon britton is a 300lb bob sanders....always hurt

unfortunately true, William Beatty might be worth a shot, He blocked for Donald Brown at Connecticut at RT, Maybe Leonard Davis in the scheme we run as well

[Coltivated]

We would be extremely lucky if he feel to us imagine him and redding with chap in the middle. We would be stout.

[Mameluc]

unfortunately true, William Beatty might be worth a shot, He blocked for Donald Brown at Connecticut at RT, Maybe Leonard Davis in the scheme we run as well

I like william beatty id love to have him...also Volmmer from the pats..

[funktacious2]

I've entertained the idea of trading down and picking up a guard, but really the value just isn't worth it. Why in the world would you give up the opportunity to pick up a huge D prospect in a coveted position, for a GUARD and a 3rd maybe 2nd round pick who hardly may not even make an impact? I know it seems like a win-win because we fill our need at guard and then we get more picks because we're low on them, but how much is an extra 3rd MAYBE 2nd really helping? I'd rather we get value for our picks rather than quantity, and not all upgrades are equal. Just because we may need a guard more doesn't mean they'll be better at their positions than say J. Jones, Star, Hankins will be at theirs.

[coltsfanatic24]

you do not take a offensive linemen in the top 20 unless it's a franchise lt. barret jones is nowhere near that and he's more of a 2nd round pick, lacks elite strength. castonzo and justice have been playing well and there are more glaring needs for this team like de,olb, and ss.

[CjMcGirt23]

I'd love to have Star but it would have to be at DE. He'd be a dominate END in the mold of Ngata.

[Jason_]

If Star can play 5 tech DE in the 3-4 and inside in a 4 man front and get a consistent pass rush from any of those positions, then I could see the value and the Colts taking him in the first round. If there are any questions about him being able to do any of those things then I pass and go with the best pass rusher available. I think if Mingo, Jarvis Jones, Sam Montgomery or even Bjoern Werner are still on the board then we'd take one of them over Star. Freeney may or may not be back, Mathis is still producing but getting older and Hughes has not lived up to the expectations for him. He could still get better but as of now, I think pass rusher will be one of the top priorities in the draft, especially when considering there will be a number of young, solid OL free agents this year so we may have the OL addressed going into the draft. There are not, however, any top pass rushers right now projected to be free agents so if we want to address that position it's going to have to be in the draft unless a premiere pass rusher gets released as a cap casualty, which could very well happen.

[Gavin]

I think it will come down to a few players at this stage in no particular order in the 1st

1.Mingo

2.Star

3.Barrett Jones

3.Warmack

4.Jake Matthews (who I also really like at RT)

[Hans Moleman]

Interesting game this past week with A&M and LSU. A&M has two tackle prospects that could go top 15, and LSU has 2 DE prospects that could also go top 15. I don't know if I've ever seen elite prospects on both sides go head to head like that. Joeckel was on Montgomery, Matthews was on Mingo.

Joeckel and Matthews really got the best of LSU's great DE's that game. What's that mean for the pros? Maybe nothing- Bryant Mckinnie shut down Dwight Freeney in college and we all know how good Freeney still turned out to be- but it would make me feel pretty friggin' good if I'm a GM and I'm going to draft a tackle. It looks like either one of them could play the left side.

As far as LSU's DE's go, I'm just not 100% sold on Mingo. I know I'm in the minority, but I think Montgomery will turn out to be the better pro.

[coltsfanatic24]

I think it will come down to a few players at this stage in no particular order in the 1st

1.Mingo

2.Star

3.Barrett Jones

3.Warmack

4.Jake Matthews (who I also really like at RT)

mingo is very thin and isn't good vs the run, we would take montgomery before him. our offensive line is better then what u think it is and defensive line is more of a concern.

[weslo1812]

Star would be a great pickup! He is a good pass rush pressence and stops the run. I think he could play NT and DE passibly. We might be able to use him in some creative ways. But even if we take as just a NT he is defiantley capable of being very solid there too. The guy gets off the ball very quickly. If you watch closely you can see him take his first step half the time before any of the offensive linemen have even moved an inch. Thats a good thing for a defensive linemen, it allows him to get his hands out and arms extended to keep the offenive linemen from getting in close and controlling him. Thats a g trait that give a you a big advantage if you can do it with out getting penalties. And he does not seem to draw too many. Also he seems to have a mean bull rush and just over powers guys and drives them right into the backfield and purly controls his man. He seems to be able to shed blocks and get down the line of scrimmage well to and make a play. He definatley gets double teamed. He has great quicknes for his size and tackles pretty well. If we could get this guy anywhere from 8-14 it would be a very solid pick. those of yu who dont think this kid can play NT are crazy he purley shows he can and how just dominates his man. He would be all over the line of scrimmage making plays.