Colts Select Hugh Thornton With 3rd Pick

[holeymoley99]

A state wrestling champion like myself, I'm sold.......

[dw49]

Cherilus- one good season, before that Stafford had to run for his life.

Thomas- perennial back-up.  Don't know if can give us 16 games.

This new OG- not that good or would have been drafted higher.  Probably will not start this year except because of injuries.

 

 

 

Do we have a competition for the worst post of the year ?

 

If so , I am proud to nominate gacker65.

[House]

Um...

Just to point out the flaw in this logic...

If everything after, say, the second round was worthless, why wouldn't every team in the NFL be trying to trade their 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7th round picks for a late first or early second?

We shouldn't have drafted a guy in the third round because any guy getting picked in the third round sucks because he didn't get picked in the second round? I honestly can't come up with anything more creative to say than "your argument is hella dumb."

Wait wait wait...there's draft picks after the first round? What's the point?

[Mouthfire]

 

Here's his Scout Bio from ESPN.com   He had a low 3rd round/high 4th round grade for them.

 

 

 

Overall Football Traits

Production 1 2009: (7/7) ROT 2010: (13/8) OG2011: (11/10) OG 2012: (11/10) LOT

 

Height-Weight-Speed 2 Good blend of height, weight and top-end speed. Has longer arms (34.1') and big hands (10).

 

Durability 3 Missed 2012 Penn State game with a knee injury. Missed 2011 Wisconsin and Michigan games with a knee injury.

 

Intangibles 4 Two-time Idaho State heavyweight wrestling champion and finished third in Ohio. Moved to Jamaica with mother and sisters after parents divorced. Moved in with father when he was 12. Visited mother for Christmas break that year. Mother and eight-year old sister found murdered in early January, 2004. Walked in on the scene. Strained relationship with father who spent time in prison in the 90s and twice placed with foster family. Thornton has also has some run-ins with law. Arrested following a fight at a bar in September of 2010. Admitted using someone else's ID to get into the bar. 2009 arrest for unlawful consumption of alcohol by a minor. Didn't play in the first quarter of the 2012 Wisconsin game and reason needs to be investigated further.

 

1 = EXCEPTIONAL2 = ABOVE AVERAGE3 = AVERAGE4 = BELOW AVERAGE5 = MARGINAL

 

Offensive Guard Specific Traits

 

Pass Protection 3 Above average upside. Quick and above average lateral mobility. Heavy hands and can knock edge rushers off course with powerful punch. Strong and big enough to hold ground at top of set. Effective cut blocker that can keep defensive lineman's hands down. Above average balance and flashes the ability to overcome sub-par footwork but footwork needs a lot of work. Doesn't always get enough depth with kick step and can get beat around the corner when lines up at tackle. Moves well but can get caught flat footed when edge rushers redirect inside. Vulnerable to speed to power.

 

Run Blocking 3 Takes too many false steps. Struggles to sustain at times. Doesn't always keep hips under him and hands can slide outside defender's frame. But above average upside here as well. Strong and can move defenders off the ball when keeps pads downs. Quick and athletic enough to develop into an above average zone blocker and can cover up linebackers at the second level. Above average range when asked to pull.

 

Awareness 4 Appears unsure of run blocking assignments at times. Late recognizing blitz. and can be too quick to commit to defenders in pass protection making him vulnerable to delayed blitzes. However, appears to show better awareness in pass protection late in the season.

 

Toughness 1 Aggressive mauler that blocks to the whistle and can get under defender's skin but doesn't appear to be a hothead prone to personal foul calls. Always looking for someone to hit and uncoils on linebackers at the second level. Looks to deliver kill shot when ever gets a chance to blind side defender in space or help guard out when no one comes to him in pass protection.

 

1 = EXCEPTIONAL2 = ABOVE AVERAGE3 = AVERAGE4 = BELOW AVERAGE5 = MARGINAL

 

 

Yeah, I like that part.  That's exactly what our O line needs.

[Nobody]

Oh, I know, we would have had a much worse draft. Thank god we didn't, right?

Wow! You're so funny!

/s

[BProland85]

Meh I guess Im just happy we got more protection for Luck. I really wanted us to be active in trying to trade up a little while only giving up around a 2014 4th or 5th to do so.

[Warhawk]

I understand, but this should have been top priority not some after thought in the 3rd round.

 

"Afterthought"

 

[John Dee]

Guess U got a "board" also? 

 

heheh...   

 

Indy hits on the 2 MOST areas of need and STILL some folk feel the need to cry and complain.

 

WOW.......................

Will not start unless injuries.  Was an after thought after last nite.

[james_zeigler1994]

Maybe a little bit of a reach but I don't mind the pick but my choice would have been Jones as well but we will have to see plus thats a third round pick kind of low risk and high reward.

[Balzer40]

Anybody that does not like this pick just doesn't know anything about Thornton. He'll start day 1, barring injury.

[Warhawk]

Wow! You're so funny!

/s

 

I'll be here all week, folks.

 

Possibly all month if I get anymore lip, Mr. Fancy Pants. 

[House]

Maybe a little bit of a reach but I don't mind the pick but my choice would have been Jones as well but we will have to see plus thats a third round pick kind of low risk and high reward.

I wonder what it is that is keeping so many teams from drafting Jones.

[HarassedOffTheSite]

"your argument is hella dumb."

LOL!!!

[Dustin]

I wonder what it is that is keeping so many teams from drafting Jones.

He's not as good as everyone thinks he is. Plus he's injured.

[NewEra]

His skills can be honed and improved. You either play like a marshmallow or you play like a straight up spartan looking for blood. Give me the guy with the mean streak any day.

[Scott Pennock]

Cherilus- one good season, before that Stafford had to run for his life.

Thomas- perennial back-up.  Don't know if can give us 16 games.

This new OG- not that good or would have been drafted higher.  Probably will not start this year except because of injuries.

Wow, just wow..........your logic and analysis is a, a, a, amazing dude.......

[gacker65]

Um...

 

Just to point out the flaw in this logic...

 

If everything after, say, the second round was worthless, why wouldn't every team in the NFL be trying to trade their 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7th round picks for a late first or early second?

 

We shouldn't have drafted a guy in the third round because any guy getting picked in the third round sucks because he didn't get picked in the second round?  I honestly can't come up with anything more creative to say than "your argument is hella dumb.".

No,last nite set the tone for our draft.  We drafted want before worrying about our QB.  Now we draft a late 3rd to early 4th OG and think he is going to start. Probably could have got him 4th round.  I am not doing the draft, so the flaw is not in my logic.

[Jay Kirk]

I told people repeatedly that Okafor was a 4th rd. prospect. He's slow, stiff, has no pass rush moves at all, and is terrible against the run. That pretty much wraps it up. He sucks IMO.

Lol that's what I like Blazer,straight forward and to the point ! :thmsup:

[james_zeigler1994]

I don't know im surprised he is still there too.

[HtownColt]

National Football post on Thorton:

STRENGTHS - Strong and powerful, Thornton can tie up and eliminate man from the play with surprising ease when he blocks with base/leverage and uses his aggressively. Able to get out of stance and set to pass block quickly, he does a good job of pass blocking with base and "gets a good fit" with hands, which helps him to stop "bull rushers" in their tracks consistently. Having started at guard and tackle at Illinois, he has the versatility to line up in different positions and his production does not slip - I think he has tools to start at guard or center in the NFL. When he blocks with good base his awareness helps him to consistently slide well side to side to adjust well to DL stunts/games. With his strength he can get movement on side/angle in-line run blocks and can lock on, turn and seal head-up DL out of the play to open up inside hole. He is smooth and efficient pulling and delivering hard initial blow to defender who is on his tracks and often can knock man backwards to open hole. Quick getting through to the second level, Hugh does a good job of making contact first and when he stays over his feet and under control he is able to maintain block and eliminates lLB from the play consistently.

WEAKNESSES - Despite having the strength and athleticism to be a controlling blocker, Thornton struggles with consistency at times because he has a very bad habit of stopping his feet after he makes contact on blocks (Both run and pass). This leads to him bending at the waist and leaning and reaching to maintain contact, which in turn causes him to over-extend and end up losing the block and on the ground. This happens a lot on in-line run blocks as he delivers a hard initial blow, but the defender is able to spin off his block because he gets his head so far out ahead of his body. While he is quick out of stance to pull and lead block, he needs to improve his ability to stay on and maintain the block longer. Despite his quickness getting into good blocking position, he does not get his head past the shaded DL's head and into position to be an effective "reach blocker." He will need to improve this as this is a vital block for offensive linemen in the NFL.

[GOCOLTS_ROLLTIDE]

Leveon Bell or quinton Patton in the fourth

[NewColtsFan]

Here's his profile from Nolan Nawrocki from Pro Football Weekly.  

 

By the way,  I LOVE offensive lineman who have a background as a wrestler....   Love it!

 

Here's his bio.    Look at this first paragraph, the positives.   Look at the summation.   Tell me you're not at least a little excited over this write-up.....

 

 

POSTIVES:   Good athlete with enough length and foot quickness to be able to play tackle in an emergency.   Has a nasty and aggressive playing style -- seeks to bury the defender in the dirt.  Angry football temperament.   Has strong hands to control defenders.  Powerful puncher.   Outstanding finisher in the run game.  Physically tough and has played through injuries.   Good versatility.   Football is very important to him.

 

NEGATIVES:  Recovery quickness is average.  Speed rushers off the edge can pose trouble. More of a grabber than a striker.  Does not replace his hands.  Can do a better job sustaining second level blocks.    Overly emotional with multiple off-field incidents.  Knee has been an issue in the past,  making durability a qeustion.

 

SUMMARY:   Thornton is a highly aggressive blocker.  but medical (knee) and off field issues raise Red Flags.  Three year starter at left guard before kicking outside to play tackle as a Senior and showing he could handle it.   Is best suited to play inside in the pros and has the temperament to become a top-tier performer if he can learn to channel his emotions properly and stay healthy.  Medical and character concerns have taken him off the boards of some teams.

 

NFL PROJECTION:  3rd to 4th round.

[Dustin]

Leveon Bell or quinton Patton in the fourth

Bell is long gone.

[Mouthfire]

Doubt it..

 

Bwuahahah.... you ain't seen nothin' yet....

 

*flexes 5 inch pythons*

[Carlos Danger]

a lot of competition for the RG spot reitz murphy anderson illjana and now thornton

best case scenario = Ijalana wins the starting job and Thornton beats out Mcglynn for the back up (#3) job

 

worst case = Mglynn looks like the best G in TC and Ijalana is on IR before the season starts and Reitz is the #3 G

 

My hope is that Ben I. shows that talent he had in college and Thornton is better than anybody else right off the bat... Anderson as well... all of the Big, younger guys on the roster that have not had a chance to shine turn out to be beasts and push out the guys who were band aids last year...

[gacker65]

Do we have a competition for the worst post of the year ?

 

If so , I am proud to nominate gacker65.

Why, because I do not like our drafting.  I can express my opinions as well as any one else.  Besides, I have been more right than wrong in the last few years.

[pacolts56]

I understand, but this should have been top priority not some after thought in the 3rd round.

C'mon gacker....we all would have loved for Cooper or Warmack to slide but it didn't happen.

 

And Warford evidently didn't grade out as well as Werner at #24 on Grigson's board.

 

Let these coaches coach and let the players develop 1-2 years before you say this stuff....and if they bust, they bust....but there's absolutely no basis for it now.

[CjMcGirt23]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTTsVTNLYBI

 

#72 LT

[Coltswarriors]

After looking at some videos and 'expert' opinions I'm absolutely in love with this pick. Can't say it enough.

 

Castonzo, Thomas, Shipley/Satele, Thornton, Cherilus.

 

So much more improved than last year!

[cbear]

Cherilus- one good season, before that Stafford had to run for his life.

Thomas- perennial back-up.  Don't know if can give us 16 games.

This new OG- not that good or would have been drafted higher.  Probably will not start this year except because of injuries.

 

Your first two points have some merit, but your third is illogical, unless you are saying that no one drafted outside of the 24th pick in the third round is any good.  That makes no sense.

[HtownColt]

CBS Sports on Thorton, ranks him 6th best Guard in draft:

POSITIVES: Thick, powerful frame with good arm length. A natural bender who establishes a solid base routinely in pass protection and utilizes lower-body leverage extremely well against longer, taller defenders. Exhibits powerful, heavy hands on contact, and does a good job of keeping his frame clean by extending his arms consistently.

Displays impressive upper-body strength to ragdoll and toss defenders aside at the point of attack. Possesses lateral fluidity and agility to close off the edge, and redirects with some suddenness to thwart the quick counter move. Targets decisively in space and possesses good burst to lead the second-level charge in the run game. Squares up nicely on the run and displays flexibility and suddenness to adjust to defenders coming from various angles in space. Plays with a bit of a nasty streak, and fights to the whistle. Versatile lineman with experience at guard and tackle.

NEGATIVES: Will get anxious and overextend at times off the snap. Leads with his shoulder and will drop his head when engaging defenders in space. Lacks the ideal height and length for a prototypical NFL tackle. Will get too upright in his kick-slide taking him out of position to utilize leverage on contact. Will stop moving his feet when asked to hold position, leaving him susceptible to being thrown aside or pulled to the ground.

COMPARES TO: Sean Locklear, OT, New York Giants - Thornton, like Locklear, may not possess the ideal frame to play tackle at the next level, but his physicality, flexibility and natural athleticism help him to compensate. A probable mid-round selection with starter upside.

[gacker65]

"Afterthought"

 

What would you call it.  Last nite we drafted a want or luxury player, so this was an after thought.

[Indy005]

No,last nite set the tone for our draft.  We drafted want before worrying about our QB.  Now we draft a late 3rd to early 4th OG and think he is going to start. Probably could have got him 4th round.  I am not doing the draft, so the flaw is not in my logic.

 

An OLB was a want?? Reaaallyyy??? We were one of the worst pass rush defense of last year WITH Mathis and Freeney! Walden is for run support, Mathis will get double teamed, Hughes...well...he's Hughes.

 

Why in the world would anyone think an OLB is a want??

 

We got Luck quite a bit of O-line help this offseason, we also got him TWO starting TEs last year, one from his college team. Two WRs, and a RB who is now a starter. This draft NEEDS to be defense heavy!

[NewColtsFan]

Cherilus- one good season, before that Stafford had to run for his life.

Thomas- perennial back-up.  Don't know if can give us 16 games.

This new OG- not that good or would have been drafted higher.  Probably will not start this year except because of injuries.

 

 

-- Cherilus....   two good seasons.  And if Stafford was running for his life,  take it up with left tackle and the guards.

-- Thomas....   quality back-up who showed he could be good when he started.  He was stuck behind other good players.   Here's his chance to show himself.

-- The new OG has good write-ups.

 

Doesn't the fact that Grigson is a former OL himself give you any comfort that the man knows what he's doing?   If there's one area he should be able to spot talent in,  it's the offensive line.    And yet,  apparently you know better than he does.....

[Warhawk]

No,last nite set the tone for our draft.  We drafted want before worrying about our QB.  Now we draft a late 3rd to early 4th OG and think he is going to start. Probably could have got him 4th round.  I am not doing the draft, so the flaw is not in my logic.

 

Whether we could have gotten him in the 4th is a question we'll likely never be able to answer - he's a mid-round graded O-lineman with outstanding size.  Hard to rely on that happening if Grigson really liked him.  More upside than Jones IMO.

 

Don't really understand what you mean by "set the tone."  There is no tone.  There is just picks.  Maybe you can sum up the draft with a pithy quote after its done, but there is no tone.

 

Pass rusher was absolutely a position of need, and the front half of the first round was overloaded with O-line.  To my very great sadness, we actually did kind of alright last season (I know, it's tough being us), and missed out on that run.  But, fortunately, arguably the best pass rusher in the draft (yes I mean that) fell to us, and we needed one, so we took him.

 

So, yeah, our next pick was in the third round.

 

The third round is NOT (and I'm going to repeat that a few times - NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT) irrelevant afterthoughts.  We had 2 third round picks last year, and we spent them on a couple of guys with the names of T.Y. Hilton and Dwayne Allen.

 

I would invite you to start a thread calling those guys afterthoughts who aren't any good because they weren't drafted earlier.  You'll get run out of here to the sound of raucous laughter.

[gacker65]

Guess U got a "board" also? 

 

heheh...   

 

Indy hits on the 2 MOST areas of need and STILL some folk feel the need to cry and complain.

 

WOW.......................

If pass rusher was a need then grigson messed up FA.  Sorry one way or the other can't have both.

[AlaskanColtFan]

Feel like we could have gotten him in the 4th.

[ColtsPacersfan]

I love all of these so called wannabe GMs. I don't think they are ever happy with the draft. I am glad Grigson is picking out the players in the draft. Then the wannaabe GM.  Again Welcome to Indy Hugh! I am also reading the IIinois message boards, the fans speaks highly of him.

[Warhawk]

What would you call it.  Last nite we drafted a want or luxury player, so this was an after thought.

 

Pass rushers haven't been "luxury" players in a decade.  Ask the Giants.

 

We just lost Dwight Freeney.  We had crap for QB pressure last year.  And you're telling me that a pass rusher is a "luxury?"

 

The Colts had more than one need going into the draft.  If you were thinking the best strategy was to take the best offensive lineman remaining at #24 overall... then you have a misguided view of the draft.  Werner was a FAR, FAR better pick than any o-lineman available at that point, and the only guy available I thought was a good option other than Werner was Rhodes.

[gacker65]

C'mon gacker....we all would have loved for Cooper or Warmack to slide but it didn't happen.

 

And Warford evidently didn't grade out as well as Werner at #24 on Grigson's board.

 

Let these coaches coach and let the players develop 1-2 years before you say this stuff....and if they bust, they bust....but there's absolutely no basis for it now.

 

C'mon gacker....we all would have loved for Cooper or Warmack to slide but it didn't happen.

 

And Warford evidently didn't grade out as well as Werner at #24 on Grigson's board.

 

Let these coaches coach and let the players develop 1-2 years before you say this stuff....and if they bust, they bust....but there's absolutely no basis for it now.

Could have got Werner in 2nd round.  By him dropping that far, you have to ask why and no one did.  IMO, if we had not drafted him in 1st rd, he is still there in 2nd.