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Safety or Edge Rusher at Pick 59?


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I posted some of this information as replies, but I thought I would break it down into two areas the Colts might select:  Edge rusher and Safety.  I used the Huddle Report’s rankings of Top 100 lists from four draft sites that have ranked well in the last five years.  The Huddle Report keeps track of the sites best at listing prospects who were in fact chosen in the top 100 in the NFL draft.

 

I listed players at the two positions who have a chance to be available at Pick 59.  Some of the players were available only on one list; some on several projections.

 

Huddle Report (5 year results- Top 100 rankings) 1 BOB McGINN Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (hasn’t completed his rankings yet), 2 DRAFT ACE, 3 DRAFT BOARD GURU, 4 DRAFT COUNTDOWN, 5 NFL DRAFT SCOUT (CBS)

 

Edge Rusher (DE/OLB)

Draft Ace

25 Marcus Smith, 31 Kyle Van Noy, 33 Jeremiah Attaochu, 69 Demarcus Lawrence, 100+ Carl Bradford

Draft Board Guru

36 Jeremiah Attaochu, 45 Demarcus Lawrence, 46 Kyle Van Noy, 82 Carl Bradford, 84 Marcus Smith

Draft Countdown

32 Demarcus Lawrence, 44 Kyle Van Noy, 58 Jeremiah Attaochu, 82 Carl Bradford, 84 Marcus Smith

NFL Draft Scout

38 Demarcus Lawrence, 47 Jeremiah Attaochu, 69 Carl Bradford, 70 Kyle Van Noy, 81 Marcus Smith

 

Defensive Backs

Draft Ace

39 Lamarcus Joyner, 44 Deone Bucannon, 50 Terrence Brooks, 78 Keith McGill

Draft Board Guru

47 Lamarcus Joyner, 48 Deone Bucannon, 67 Terrence Brooks, 100+ Keith McGill

Draft Countdown

39 Lamarcus Joyner, 71 Keith McGill, 78 Deone Bucannon, 81 Terrence Brooks

NFL Draft Scout

51 Lamarcus Joyner, 64 Keith McGill, 65 Deone Bucannon, 71 Terrence Brooks

 

Two prospects stand out as possibles who have visited the Colts:  Deone Bucannon SS, Washington State and Marcus Smith DE/OLB, Louisville. Either one would be a good pick.  My own favorite is Terrence Brooks, but he has not visited the Colts.  The Colts have met with Marcus Smith three times.

 

Prospects in other positions to consider at PICK 59:  Wide receivers Jordan Matthews, Devante Adams, Donte Moncrief, Martavis Bryant and Indiana’s Cody Latimer.  Kelvin Benjamin has been falling in the rankings recently.  Offensive line Gabe Jackson, Marcus Martin or Weston Richburg.  The Colts have met with Trai Turner OG, LSU several times.  Defensive line Scott Crichton, Dominique Easley, DaQuan Jones and Kareem Martin.  Some think Martin can play OLB.

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CB....I'm still sticking with Bashaud Breeland

Draft Ace 92 Bashaud Breeland Draft Board Guru 100+ Bashaud Breeland Draft Countdown 63 NFL Draft Scout 91.  I would love getting Breeland at Pick 90; only one of these sites (Draft Countdown) has him gone by our second pick.

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Draft Ace 92 Bashaud Breeland Draft Board Guru 100+ Bashaud Breeland Draft Countdown 63 NFL Draft Scout 91. I would love getting Breeland at Pick 90; only one of these sites (Draft Countdown) has him gone by our second pick.

Breeland should be long gone by 90, pick 59 is your only chance and that's only if he falls there
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I would think that the Colts are almost forced to go for the best FS still on the board, although there might be better "BPA" choices at pick #59.  The secondary is just too weak to ignore with their first pick, and they have to do something to try to shore that up. Hopefully, Richardson will silence the critics of that first round pick trade, and pick #59 turns out to be a beast too. 

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Depends whose there at 59:

 

In preference order I would want:

Jimmie Ward, Marcus Smith, Kyle Van Noy, Deonne Bucannon,

 

Ideally I would want Ward and Smith at 59 and 90 respectively. If Ward isn't available, I would take Smith at 59 and trade up to get Bucannon. 

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Safety at #59 should be a no brainer unless it is a huge reach. Preferably Jimmie Ward, Deone Bucannon at a pinch.

You can get capable pass rushers in the 3rd or even someone like Michael Sam in the 5th. Personally I'd look for one later rather than sooner so we can grab a corner in the 3rd.

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Ideally you want Safety at 59, and pass rusher in the 3rd. But I think we should probably stop using the term "free safety". We're looking for any safety who can cover and tackle. Grigson said that Pagano likes his safeties to be interchangeable

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All things being equal....   

 

If there's a pass rusher at 59 and a safety at 59 I think I'd take a rusher,  because I think there's a greater chance of a safety that we like being there at 90 than there is of a pass rusher that we like as much being there at 90.

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All else being equal I'd take the safety.  We just took Werner last year and I saw some improvement out of him late in the season.  If we're gonna get someone to apply pressure to the QB we need to get someone to do it at one of the defensive end positions.  We already have two rush OLB's.  I don't see a need to get a 3rd one.  

 

If we're gonna get an OLB lets get an edge setter to play Walden's role.  

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All else being equal I'd take the safety.  We just took Werner last year and I saw some improvement out of him late in the season.  If we're gonna get someone to apply pressure to the QB we need to get someone to do it at one of the defensive end positions.  We already have two rush OLB's.  I don't see a need to get a 3rd one.  

 

If we're gonna get an OLB lets get an edge setter to play Walden's role.  

 

The position Werner was playing mostly last year where he showed improvement was at Walden's position.  He didn't line up at RushOLB very often.  He was more often playing the Walden position at Sam.  If Werner can continue to improve and play the SamLB position, then taking an OLB like Attaochu, Lawrence, Smith etc gives us a pair of bookend OLB's that are both more versatile than the current combination of Mathis/Walden.

 

As for someone who can get pressure from the DE position...that's why they brought in Arthur Jones ;).  He had more sacks than any other DL last year for Baltimore.

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The position Werner was playing mostly last year where he showed improvement was at Walden's position.  He didn't line up at RushOLB very often.  He was more often playing the Walden position at Sam.  If Werner can continue to improve and play the SamLB position, then taking an OLB like Attaochu, Lawrence, Smith etc gives us a pair of bookend OLB's that are both more versatile than the current combination of Mathis/Walden.

 

As for someone who can get pressure from the DE position...that's why they brought in Arthur Jones ;).  He had more sacks than any other DL last year for Baltimore.

 

I agree, I was thinking of getting more rush out of the other side of the line.  

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I agree, I was thinking of getting more rush out of the other side of the line.  

 

Well, RJF had around the same number of sacks per games played...he just didn't have as many overall because he was injured for a few games.  I think having RJF, Jones, Redding and Hughes should be able to produce much more of an interior pass rush than we're used to.

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