Who Is The 3Rd Best Draft Prospect?

[doogansquest]

The top two draft prospects:

Andrew Luck

Matt Kalil

In many minds, these are the top two draft prospects right now. If that holds, and the Draft were tomorrow, consider the 2 winless teams in the NFL other than Indianapolis:

Miami Dolphins

St. Louis Rams

Do you see it? Those two prospects fit exactly what those two teams are looking for. Miami hasn't had a QB since Marino, and need something with which to reboot their franchise. St. Louis has seen Bradford take more sacks than any other signal caller in the NFL to this point of the 2011 season, and would love to have his blindside locked down for the next 10 years. Those two teams are desperate for the positions represented by the top two prospects, respectively. They will do whatever they can to get those players if they are still near the top of the draft at season's end.

The Indianapolis Colts are not desperate for a Quarterback right now, and certainly aren't desperate for a Left Tackle. So even though we'd be passing on the 2 "BPA" candidates - should we have the #1 overall pick, of course - we can really load up for a dynastic run by offering that pick to either team if the opportunity presents itself.

Some would say the next best player is Matt Barkley or Landry Jones. But again, top 10 pick QB's aren't made for sitting on a bench for several years. The other candidates would include Quinton Coples, Morris Claiborne, Dre Kirkpatrick (though his stock is falling at the moment), Alshon Jeffery, Justin Blackmon, Jonathan Martin (again, we don't need OT), Brandon Thompson... The list goes on. Some players are starting to move up the boards, such as RG III, Riley Reiff, and Manti Te'o, while others are seeing their stock decline.

With that in mind, who is the 3rd best player in the draft?

Edited October 22, 2011 by doogansquest

[Moncrief]

In my opinion, it has to be Quinton Coples. Guy can do it all. He can stuff the run along with rush the passer. With the league nowadays and a majority of the teams are a pass first team, you need to have pass rushers. Pass rushers allow the defensive backs not have to cover their man for 4+ seconds. Depending on who the defensive end is, he can obtain a double team which leaves the other 3 lineman to go one on one with their man which somebody has to win their battle.

Edited October 22, 2011 by AustinCollie17(Braxton B.)

[Ramblinwreck7]

In my opinion, it has to be Quinton Coples. Guy can do it all. He can stuff the run along with rush the passer. With the league nowadays and a majority of the teams are a pass first team, you need to have pass rushers. Pass rushers allow the defensive backs not have to cover their man for 4+ seconds. Depending on who the defensive end is, he can obtain a double team which leaves the other 3 lineman to go one on one with their man which somebody has to win their battle.

From what I've heard, Quinton Coples is struggling some this year. I'd rather not take him if we could get Brandon Thompson later in the first round instead. Mainly because we have yet to see what Hughes can do as a 3rd pass rusher this year. We haven't really even gotten to see him at DE yet this year.

Edited October 22, 2011 by Ramblinwreck7

[chad72]

The 3rd best prospect vs the guy who will be taken 3rd may be different. If you have 2 Pro Bowl DEs and you plan to retain Mathis, Coples may be passed over by the Colts to get Alshon Jeffery, IMO. Garcon and Gonzo in their contract years plus Wayne turning out to be more of a possession WR - the Colts' ability to re-sign Mathis and Wayne both is going to be limited, IMO. We can unload Brackett and Diem but not sure how much it will help us re-sign Mathis and Wayne, maybe one but not both. I hope we lock up Garcon before the draft. Hate to say it, we have no one else that is healthy enough that can stretch the field like Garcon.

I personally would be leaning WR since it is clearly a position of need now and I can bet the intersection of need & value might give the nod to Jeffery over Coples. Whether Peyton comes back or not, you need some skill position building blocks for the future QB too, and Jeffery might give us that.

Edited October 22, 2011 by chad72

[Moncrief]

Maybe there is a reason he is not playing. Nah, I'm not giving him the benefit of doubt because he plays behind 2 pro bowlers anymore. Brandon Thompson has been my favorite defensive tackle since I first read up on him. I even have proof. http://forums.colts.com/index.php?/topic/1460-2012-colts-mock-draft/page__p__30176__hl__+brandon%20+thompson__fromsearch__1#entry30176

[Moncrief]

The 3rd best prospect vs the guy who will be taken 3rd may be different. If you have 2 Pro Bowl DEs and you plan to retain Mathis, Coples may be passed over by the Colts to get Alshon Jeffery, IMO. Garcon and Gonzo in their contract years plus Wayne turning out to be more of a possession WR - the Colts' ability to re-sign Mathis and Wayne both is going to be limited, IMO. We can unload Brackett and Diem but not sure how much it will help us re-sign Mathis and Wayne, maybe one but not both. I hope we lock up Garcon before the draft. Hate to say it, we have no one else that is healthy enough that can stretch the field like Garcon.

I personally would be leaning WR since it is clearly a position of need now and I can bet the intersection of need & value might give the nod to Jeffery over Coples. Whether Peyton comes back or not, you need some skill position building blocks for the future QB too, and Jeffery might give us that.

He said in your opinion who is the 3rd best prospect. I never said we should take him.

[chad72]

He said in your opinion who is the 3rd best prospect. I never said we should take him.

I understand that, I clearly do, and I know how high you are on Alshon Jeffery too .

I think the 3rd best prospect is Alshon Jeffery for several reasons:

a. Competition that he has faced

b. Intelligence and work ethic

c. Consistency at a high level

d. His game will translate to the next level and he will contribute quickly

DTs and DEs, it has generally taken a longer time for DLs not named Suh to contribute at a high level quickly. I do not see anyone like Suh in the top 10 as far as DL is concerned, so I am going with skill position. Plus, it is a hit and miss with WRs with similar attributes in later rounds. For every Mike Wallace that can catch, there will be a Garcon that cannot catch consistently in later rounds, that is why I don't want us to squander the chance to draft a high quality skill position guy when we have a chance in round 1. The high quality WR we will get a chance to draft with good hands starting round 2 will mostly be slot wideouts in this draft, like a Broyles. Later round WRs MAY work out but if need and value intersect on a WR in round 1 based on our evaluations, we have to pull the trigger.

Edited October 22, 2011 by chad72

[Balzer40]

From what I've heard, Quinton Coples is struggling some this year. I'd rather not take him if we could get Brandon Thompson later in the first round instead. Mainly because we have yet to see what Hughes can do as a 3rd pass rusher this year. We haven't really even gotten to see him at DE yet this year.

I haven't seen Coples play a lot but when I have he hasn't been impressive in the least. He looks lazy and IMO looks like he takes plays off. Maybe it's an improbable coincidence and he's had a bad case of the flu each time I've seen him :rolleyes: , but I just haven't seen what others obviously have.

[Jason_]

I haven't seen Coples play a lot but when I have he hasn't been impressive in the least. He looks lazy and IMO looks like he takes plays off. Maybe it's an improbable coincidence and he's had a bad case of the flu each time I've seen him :rolleyes: , but I just haven't seen what others obviously have.

I agree...I've gotten to see several NC games and haven't really been all that impressed with him or Paige-Moss. Paige-Moss's stock has dropped quite a bit since the season started but Coples is still hanging in the top 5 for now. I do like Dwight Jones though and would be happy to grab him in a mid-round if we don't go WR early, which I really don't think we will.

to answer the original question, I think Alshon Jeffery is the 3rd best player.

Edited October 22, 2011 by Jason

[Moncrief]

I understand that, I clearly do, and I know how high you are on Alshon Jeffery too .

I think the 3rd best prospect is Alshon Jeffery for several reasons:

a. Competition that he has faced

b. Intelligence and work ethic

c. Consistency at a high level

d. His game will translate to the next level and he will contribute quickly

DTs and DEs, it has generally taken a longer time for DLs not named Suh to contribute at a high level quickly. I do not see anyone like Suh in the top 10 as far as DL is concerned, so I am going with skill position. Plus, it is a hit and miss with WRs with similar attributes in later rounds. For every Mike Wallace that can catch, there will be a Garcon that cannot catch consistently in later rounds, that is why I don't want us to squander the chance to draft a high quality skill position guy when we have a chance in round 1. The high quality WR we will get a chance to draft with good hands starting round 2 will mostly be slot wideouts in this draft, like a Broyles. Later round WRs MAY work out but if need and value intersect on a WR in round 1 based on our evaluations, we have to pull the trigger.

When you put it that way then I agree with you. Your first post made it sound like you were trying to start an argument.

[noah larson]

I'm not sure if he's the 3rd best prospect yet but i'm hoping it will be Claiborne by the time the draft comes around. I like his coverage skills more then Kirkpatrick and i think he could be equally good in zone and man to man coverage. My ideal situation would be to trade our top 3 pick and move back to the 8,9,10 position and select Claiborne.

[chad72]

I'm not sure if he's the 3rd best prospect yet but i'm hoping it will be Claiborne by the time the draft comes around. I like his coverage skills more then Kirkpatrick and i think he could be equally good in zone and man to man coverage. My ideal situation would be to trade our top 3 pick and move back to the 8,9,10 position and select Claiborne.

Rams need O-line help, not necessarily LT but they could move Saffold to RT and move Kalil to LT since Saffold has been having issues (maybe Polian and his staff were right that he was mostly RT material, we will see). If the Rams are not ahead of us, the Vikes and Cardinals, who are yearning for an LT, would definitely switch places with us, I can bet on that happening. If CB was the direction we are thinking of going, trading down makes sense. Knowing how the Colts have always stayed put all the time in round 1, it won't be CB if we pick as high as 2 or 3 and do not trade down.

Edited October 22, 2011 by chad72

[doogansquest]

From what I've heard, Quinton Coples is struggling some this year. I'd rather not take him if we could get Brandon Thompson later in the first round instead. Mainly because we have yet to see what Hughes can do as a 3rd pass rusher this year. We haven't really even gotten to see him at DE yet this year.

I haven't seen Coples play a lot but when I have he hasn't been impressive in the least. He looks lazy and IMO looks like he takes plays off. Maybe it's an improbable coincidence and he's had a bad case of the flu each time I've seen him :rolleyes: , but I just haven't seen what others obviously have.

North Carolina has struggled in general. They are just not playing well. Coples is seeing a lot of double teams. But the Draft experts on every teams' scouting department will look at the tape, not so much the numbers. He's still explosive off the line, he's extremely strong, and has a rare combination of size and athleticism. On passing downs, he can even rotate inside and play DT (as he did for most of the 2010 season). Much like Adrian Clayborn, however, his attitude will lead to a falling stock.

The 3rd best prospect vs the guy who will be taken 3rd may be different. If you have 2 Pro Bowl DEs and you plan to retain Mathis, Coples may be passed over by the Colts to get Alshon Jeffery, IMO. Garcon and Gonzo in their contract years plus Wayne turning out to be more of a possession WR - the Colts' ability to re-sign Mathis and Wayne both is going to be limited, IMO. We can unload Brackett and Diem but not sure how much it will help us re-sign Mathis and Wayne, maybe one but not both. I hope we lock up Garcon before the draft. Hate to say it, we have no one else that is healthy enough that can stretch the field like Garcon.

I personally would be leaning WR since it is clearly a position of need now and I can bet the intersection of need & value might give the nod to Jeffery over Coples. Whether Peyton comes back or not, you need some skill position building blocks for the future QB too, and Jeffery might give us that.

I understand that, I clearly do, and I know how high you are on Alshon Jeffery too .

I think the 3rd best prospect is Alshon Jeffery for several reasons:

a. Competition that he has faced

b. Intelligence and work ethic

c. Consistency at a high level

d. His game will translate to the next level and he will contribute quickly

DTs and DEs, it has generally taken a longer time for DLs not named Suh to contribute at a high level quickly. I do not see anyone like Suh in the top 10 as far as DL is concerned, so I am going with skill position. Plus, it is a hit and miss with WRs with similar attributes in later rounds. For every Mike Wallace that can catch, there will be a Garcon that cannot catch consistently in later rounds, that is why I don't want us to squander the chance to draft a high quality skill position guy when we have a chance in round 1. The high quality WR we will get a chance to draft with good hands starting round 2 will mostly be slot wideouts in this draft, like a Broyles. Later round WRs MAY work out but if need and value intersect on a WR in round 1 based on our evaluations, we have to pull the trigger.

That is a great series of points. +1 to you; and I am moving Jeffery up on my "must consider" list for the Colts.

[Ramblinwreck7]

I'm not sure if he's the 3rd best prospect yet but i'm hoping it will be Claiborne by the time the draft comes around. I like his coverage skills more then Kirkpatrick and i think he could be equally good in zone and man to man coverage. My ideal situation would be to trade our top 3 pick and move back to the 8,9,10 position and select Claiborne.

Yeah I really like Morris Claiborne too. I'm not for sure what kind of coverages LSU does, but I know they play man to man. I guess they play zone coverage too.