UKColts' Final Pre Free Agency Mock Offseason

[UKColt13]

Initial estimated cap space: $65mil

 

Cuts:

Art Jones - saves $5.2mil

Patrick Robinson - saves $2.5mil - Bust Grigson signing, I'm thinking CB moves on.

 

Updated cap space: $72.7

 

Resign:

Erik Walden - 3 years, $14mil - For no other reason than that the cupboard is otherwise bare at OLB and he's good continuity.

Robert Turbin - 2 years, $3.5mil

Darius Butler - 2 years, $4.5mil

 

Would love to bring back Doyle but I think he'll want to go for more money elsewhere on the open market where he can be the no.1 TE instead of playing second fiddle. We still have Allen a developing Swoope left as well as a good class of TEs to find a decent UDFA.

 

Extend:

Donte Moncrief - 4 years, $26mil - Level with what Mohammed Sanu got from Atlanta last year.

Jack Mewhort - 5 years, $35mil - Level with what Josh Sitton got from Chicago last year.

 

I think it would be smart to extend these guys now before either of them has a breakout year and bumps up their price tag.

 

Updated cap space: $50.6mil

 

Free Agency:

Dont'a Hightower - ILB - 5 years, $60mil - Comes in as our immediate defensive cornerstone. Starts as our MIKE. Replaces and massively upgrades DQ from last year. The contract has him as the #2 ILB in the league by average salary behind Mr Kuechly which isn't far off the truth. Terrific run defender and the best blitzing ILB in the league with some added position versatility.

AJ Bouye - CB - 5 years, $55mil - Immediately starts opposite Vontae and, if he keeps trending upwards, allows us to contemplate moving on from Vontae after next season. 

Bradley McDougald - FS - 4 years, $24mil - Ascending Free Safety. Productive tackler and good in coverage. I think he could beat out Butler for the starting FS spot and allows Butler to take a more situational role in the tri-Safety packages. 

Chris Baker - NT/DT - 4 years, $24mil - Stout against the run and gets a good push as an interior pass rusher. We will likely miss out on the Dontari Poe/Brandon WIlliams sweepstakes so he makes a really good substitute.

Larry Warford - OG - 4 years $28mil - Instant upgrade at RG. Completes our interior line and leaves a 3-way competition for the starting RT spot between Clark, Haeg and Good.

 

Updated cap space: $8.6mil remaining. Use the rest for draft picks and UDFAs. 

 

Draft: I'm not trading back this time around due to the fact that my 2 main 1st round draft crushes are Takk McKinley and Reddick. I personally don't see Takk reaching 15 anymore after having a good combine. Reddick had a great combine but his position is slightly less of a premium than edge rusher.

 

Round 1: Haason Reddick - ILB/OLB - Temple - 6'1 235lbs - This pick for me is always going to be a linebacker of some sort for this year. With Takk off the board in this thinking of the draft, we go for Reddick. Like Hightower, Reddick has some positional versatility. He can rush the passer off the edge or blitz up the middle. I think his best spot for us is as a WILL ILB. Him and Higtower could make a tremendous team inside. Against the run, he works to set the edge and plays with a ton of effort. Always in pursuit of the football and does an excellent job closing the backdoor to stop cutbacks. He does need to improve his hand usage and ability to disengage especially if he ends up playing more inside. Finished 2016 regular season with 21.5 tackles for loss. Has athleticism in space and necessary instincts to be legit cover talent as linebacker. Difficult to handle on tackle/end twists back inside. His blitzing ability along with Hightower's would allow Monachino to work in some effective and exotic blitz packages from all over the front 7. 

 

Round 2: Jordan Willis - EDGE - Kansas St. - 6'4 255lbs - Productive pass rusher. Features a good build including long arms and thickness in the lower half. His arm length plays a major role in his success as a pass rusher. Against the run he does a great job gaining inside hand placement and working off blocks. He has heavy enough hands to disengage and keep blocks off his frame. Willis also shows the upper body strength needed to press and get his arms extended. His initial criticisms were his lack of elite explosiveness, agility and overall athleticism. He put some of those concerns to bed with his outstanding performance at the combine. His 4.53 second 40yd dash time (2nd among all Dlinemen) and his 6.85 second 3-cone drill (1st among all Dlinemen) as well as a respectable bench press were eye openers and will see him rise to the 2nd and maybe even slightly higher on some boards. I think he could become a very productive EDGE rusher for us.

 

Round 3: Derek Rivers - EDGE - Youngstown St. - 6'4 248lbs - Consistent, high motor edge rusher with big time production at a smaller school. Blitzed the combine, with great numbers in the 40, bench press, vertical jump and 3 cone. Great burst out of stance as a pass rusher. Rushes with lean and dips low to propel himself around the edge at his fourth step. Played with his hand in the ground in college but has the attributes to play as a standup rusher. His main downfalls come against the run where he can struggle to set a good edge and disengage from blockers. He also had a great week of practices at the Senior Bowl. He would start as a situational/rotational rusher whilst he develops.  

 

Round 4: Joe Mixon - RB - Oklahoma - 6'1 225lbs - Okay, hear me out. I'll start by saying I kind of hate myself for making this pick. But CB has given breaks to guys like him with violence issues in the past (Tyreek Hill, Marcus Peters) and I cant help thinking that if a guy as talented as him drops he might pull the trigger (unless Irsay vetoes the pick). Being objective, talent wise he is a top 5 RB in the draft and arguably top 3. He’s an explosive athlete who’s a threat to score every time he touches the football. It’s his quick-twitch ability and burst that makes him so dangerous. Mixon also features good vision and the awareness to quickly locate the open running lane. He runs with excellent balance which helps him pick up yards after contact. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is a major plus. He features excellent hands routinely plucking the ball away from his frame. He could benefit from working on lower his pad level as he tends to expose too much of his frame. Although working with Frank Gore, one of the lowest runners in the game, should be great for his development. Mixon’s draft stock depends entirely on how each team rates his character and who’s willing to take a risk. But since Mixon wasn't invited to the combine and his player profile was removed from NFL.com, its pretty evident how the NFL feel about him. 

 

Round 4 (Comp Pick): Damontae Kazee - CB - San Diego St. - 5'10 183lbs - Corner who's mix of pros and cons make him a good fit as a nickelback. Named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year the last 2 years running. Boasts excellent ball skills and wants to make a play on every ball thrown his way. Highly instinctive with a taste for turnovers. Posted 43 passes defended over the last three years including 16 interceptions during that time. Active and downhill in his run support. His perceived lack of deep speed will drop him out of the top 2 tiers of the CB class, and he could well drop to the 4th. Stat hunters may look earlier. His mechanics, including his back pedal, could use work but the instincts, awareness and hand-eye coordination are all there. Just up to the coaches to bring those mechanics up to scratch and could be a very effective replacement for Butler at nickelback.

 

Round 5: Eddie Vanderdoes - DT/DE - UCLA - 6'3 303lbs - Hugely talented but derailed by an ACL injury in the 2015 season. Didn't regain his form in 2016, but if he does regain his form with NFL level coaching & strength and conditioning training then he could be a steal. His body type belies his surprising athleticism. Solid functional lateral movement and change of direction. Able to spin out of blocks with quick feet. Gives good chase along backside. Booming power in his hands to tilt rep in his favor after initial punch. Explodes hips into contact to dislodge blockers Has strength and ability to play nose tackle or three-technique. All of this is entirely dependant on whether he can regain his earlier form. At this point he is a low risk high reward pick.

 

Round 6: Austin Rekhow - P - Idaho - 6'3 213lbs - Handled punting, kickoff and field goal duties at Idaho. Accuracy has continued to improve. Has hit 16 of 20 from 40-plus yards over the last two seasons. Has posted very good hang time numbers as a punter during his career. Has excellent feel for touch punts. Landed impressive total of 49.1 percent inside the 20-yard line and 28.1 percent inside the 10-yard line. His NFL future is as a punter, but his ability to handle the kickoff duties will add to his draft value. I think grabbing the best young Punter available should be a priority for our 6th rounder. Special teams superiority has long been a hallmark of our team and that should continue to be true. Winning the field position battle is big and grabbing a Punter with his feel for staking teams inside the 10 or 20 would go a long way to doing that. Some would disagree about spending a pick on a Punter. In the end I'd rather take a legit starter for us in the 6th than a camp body and cut fodder.
  

Depth Chart:

Offense:

QB - A Luck, S Tolzein

RB - F Gore, J Mixon, R Turbin, UDFA

WR - T Hilton, D Moncrief, P Dorsett, C Rogers, T Smith,

TE - D Allen, E Swoope, UDFA

OT - A Castonzo, L Clark,

OG - J Mewhort, L Warford, D Good, J Haeg

C - R Kelly, A Blythe

Defense:

NT - D Parry,

DT - K Langford, T McGill, H Ridgeway

DE - H Anderson, E Vanderdoes

SAM - E Walden, C Maggitt

RUSH - J Willis, D Rivers

MIKE - D Hightower, A Morrison

WIL - H Reddick, E Jackson,

CB - V Davis, AJ Bouye, D Kazee, R Melvin, UDFA

FS - B McDougald, D Butler, M Farley

SS - C Geathers, TJ Green

Special Teams:

K - A Vinatieri

P - A Rehkow

LS - M Overton

[nerukamo]

12 minutes ago, UKColt13 said:

Initial estimated cap space: $65mil

 

Cuts:

Art Jones - saves $5.2mil

Patrick Robinson - saves $2.5mil - Bust Grigson signing, I'm thinking CB moves on.

 

Updated cap space: $72.7

 

Resign:

Erik Walden - 3 years, $14mil - For no other reason than that the cupboard is otherwise bare at OLB and he's good continuity.

Robert Turbin - 2 years, $3.5mil

Darius Butler - 2 years, $4.5mil

 

Would love to bring back Doyle but I think he'll want to go for more money elsewhere on the open market where he can be the no.1 TE instead of playing second fiddle. We still have Allen a developing Swoope left as well as a good class of TEs to find a decent UDFA.

 

Extend:

Donte Moncrief - 4 years, $26mil - Level with what Mohammed Sanu got from Atlanta last year.

Jack Mewhort - 5 years, $35mil - Level with what Josh Sitton got from Chicago last year.

 

I think it would be smart to extend these guys now before either of them has a breakout year and bumps up their price tag.

 

Updated cap space: $50.6mil

 

Free Agency:

Dont'a Hightower - ILB - 5 years, $60mil - Comes in as our immediate defensive cornerstone. Starts as our MIKE. Replaces and massively upgrades DQ from last year. The contract has him as the #2 ILB in the league by average salary behind Mr Kuechly which isn't far off the truth. Terrific run defender and the best blitzing ILB in the league with some added position versatility.

AJ Bouye - CB - 5 years, $55mil - Immediately starts opposite Vontae and, if he keeps trending upwards, allows us to contemplate moving on from Vontae after next season. 

Bradley McDougald - FS - 4 years, $24mil - Ascending Free Safety. Productive tackler and good in coverage. I think he could beat out Butler for the starting FS spot and allows Butler to take a more situational role in the tri-Safety packages. 

Chris Baker - NT/DT - 4 years, $24mil - Stout against the run and gets a good push as an interior pass rusher. We will likely miss out on the Dontari Poe/Brandon WIlliams sweepstakes so he makes a really good substitute.

Larry Warford - OG - 4 years $28mil - Instant upgrade at RG. Completes our interior line and leaves a 3-way competition for the starting RT spot between Clark, Haeg and Good.

 

Updated cap space: $8.6mil remaining. Use the rest for draft picks and UDFAs. 

 

Draft: I'm not trading back this time around due to the fact that my 2 main 1st round draft crushes are Takk McKinley and Reddick. I personally don't see Takk reaching 15 anymore after having a good combine. Reddick had a great combine but his position is slightly less of a premium than edge rusher.

 

Round 1: Haason Reddick - ILB/OLB - Temple - 6'1 235lbs - This pick for me is always going to be a linebacker of some sort for this year. With Takk off the board in this thinking of the draft, we go for Reddick. Like Hightower, Reddick has some positional versatility. He can rush the passer off the edge or blitz up the middle. I think his best spot for us is as a WILL ILB. Him and Higtower could make a tremendous team inside. Against the run, he works to set the edge and plays with a ton of effort. Always in pursuit of the football and does an excellent job closing the backdoor to stop cutbacks. He does need to improve his hand usage and ability to disengage especially if he ends up playing more inside. Finished 2016 regular season with 21.5 tackles for loss. Has athleticism in space and necessary instincts to be legit cover talent as linebacker. Difficult to handle on tackle/end twists back inside. His blitzing ability along with Hightower's would allow Monachino to work in some effective and exotic blitz packages from all over the front 7. 

 

Round 2: Jordan Willis - EDGE - Kansas St. - 6'4 255lbs - Productive pass rusher. Features a good build including long arms and thickness in the lower half. His arm length plays a major role in his success as a pass rusher. Against the run he does a great job gaining inside hand placement and working off blocks. He has heavy enough hands to disengage and keep blocks off his frame. Willis also shows the upper body strength needed to press and get his arms extended. His initial criticisms were his lack of elite explosiveness, agility and overall athleticism. He put some of those concerns to bed with his outstanding performance at the combine. His 4.53 second 40yd dash time (2nd among all Dlinemen) and his 6.85 second 3-cone drill (1st among all Dlinemen) as well as a respectable bench press were eye openers and will see him rise to the 2nd and maybe even slightly higher on some boards. I think he could become a very productive EDGE rusher for us.

 

Round 3: Derek Rivers - EDGE - Youngstown St. - 6'4 248lbs - Consistent, high motor edge rusher with big time production at a smaller school. Blitzed the combine, with great numbers in the 40, bench press, vertical jump and 3 cone. Great burst out of stance as a pass rusher. Rushes with lean and dips low to propel himself around the edge at his fourth step. Played with his hand in the ground in college but has the attributes to play as a standup rusher. His main downfalls come against the run where he can struggle to set a good edge and disengage from blockers. He also had a great week of practices at the Senior Bowl. He would start as a situational/rotational rusher whilst he develops.  

 

Round 4: Joe Mixon - RB - Oklahoma - 6'1 225lbs - Okay, hear me out. I'll start by saying I kind of hate myself for making this pick. But CB has given breaks to guys like him with violence issues in the past (Tyreek Hill, Marcus Peters) and I cant help thinking that if a guy as talented as him drops he might pull the trigger (unless Irsay vetoes the pick). Being objective, talent wise he is a top 5 RB in the draft and arguably top 3. He’s an explosive athlete who’s a threat to score every time he touches the football. It’s his quick-twitch ability and burst that makes him so dangerous. Mixon also features good vision and the awareness to quickly locate the open running lane. He runs with excellent balance which helps him pick up yards after contact. His ability to catch the ball out of the backfield is a major plus. He features excellent hands routinely plucking the ball away from his frame. He could benefit from working on lower his pad level as he tends to expose too much of his frame. Although working with Frank Gore, one of the lowest runners in the game, should be great for his development. Mixon’s draft stock depends entirely on how each team rates his character and who’s willing to take a risk. But since Mixon wasn't invited to the combine and his player profile was removed from NFL.com, its pretty evident how the NFL feel about him. 

 

Round 4 (Comp Pick): Damontae Kazee - CB - San Diego St. - 5'10 183lbs - Corner who's mix of pros and cons make him a good fit as a nickelback. Named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year the last 2 years running. Boasts excellent ball skills and wants to make a play on every ball thrown his way. Highly instinctive with a taste for turnovers. Posted 43 passes defended over the last three years including 16 interceptions during that time. Active and downhill in his run support. His perceived lack of deep speed will drop him out of the top 2 tiers of the CB class, and he could well drop to the 4th. Stat hunters may look earlier. His mechanics, including his back pedal, could use work but the instincts, awareness and hand-eye coordination are all there. Just up to the coaches to bring those mechanics up to scratch and could be a very effective replacement for Butler at nickelback.

 

Round 5: Eddie Vanderdoes - DT/DE - UCLA - 6'3 303lbs - Hugely talented but derailed by an ACL injury in the 2015 season. Didn't regain his form in 2016, but if he does regain his form with NFL level coaching & strength and conditioning training then he could be a steal. His body type belies his surprising athleticism. Solid functional lateral movement and change of direction. Able to spin out of blocks with quick feet. Gives good chase along backside. Booming power in his hands to tilt rep in his favor after initial punch. Explodes hips into contact to dislodge blockers Has strength and ability to play nose tackle or three-technique. All of this is entirely dependant on whether he can regain his earlier form. At this point he is a low risk high reward pick.

 

Round 6: Austin Rekhow - P - Idaho - 6'3 213lbs - Handled punting, kickoff and field goal duties at Idaho. Accuracy has continued to improve. Has hit 16 of 20 from 40-plus yards over the last two seasons. Has posted very good hang time numbers as a punter during his career. Has excellent feel for touch punts. Landed impressive total of 49.1 percent inside the 20-yard line and 28.1 percent inside the 10-yard line. His NFL future is as a punter, but his ability to handle the kickoff duties will add to his draft value. I think grabbing the best young Punter available should be a priority for our 6th rounder. Special teams superiority has long been a hallmark of our team and that should continue to be true. Winning the field position battle is big and grabbing a Punter with his feel for staking teams inside the 10 or 20 would go a long way to doing that. Some would disagree about spending a pick on a Punter. In the end I'd rather take a legit starter for us in the 6th than a camp body and cut fodder.
  

Depth Chart:

Offense:

QB - A Luck, S Tolzein

RB - F Gore, J Mixon, R Turbin, UDFA

WR - T Hilton, D Moncrief, P Dorsett, C Rogers, T Smith,

TE - D Allen, E Swoope, UDFA

OT - A Castonzo, L Clark,

OG - J Mewhort, L Warford, D Good, J Haeg

C - R Kelly, A Blythe

Defense:

NT - D Parry,

DT - K Langford, T McGill, H Ridgeway

DE - H Anderson, E Vanderdoes

SAM - E Walden, C Maggitt

RUSH - J Willis, D Rivers

MIKE - D Hightower, A Morrison

WIL - H Reddick, E Jackson,

CB - V Davis, AJ Bouye, D Kazee, R Melvin, UDFA

FS - B McDougald, D Butler, M Farley

SS - C Geathers, TJ Green

Special Teams:

K - A Vinatieri

P - A Rehkow

LS - M Overton

 

 

Overall, very pleased by this. The only thing that worries is that with Parry's status currently unknown, who would be the NT?

[tvturner]

Absolutely love it. Other than the punter pick

[AKB]

I don't think I want to leave Parry at NT. I think that we need to be able to stop the run, if we cannot stop the run we cannot rush the passer.

 

NT is very important for this team. 

[USAFHoosier]

He added Baker in FA, just forgot to put him on the depth chart.  At first glance I love this offseason. 

[Smonroe]

27 minutes ago, Boomstick1 said:

Absolutely love it. Other than the punter pick

 

Love it too.  Don't know how realistic the numbers are, but it's instant D.  

 

Nice to see a YSU guy getting love (one of my almas).

 

yeah, no need to draft a punter.

[Reido]

I like it except i bet Perry is gone.

[Defjamz26]

Baker is too old. We just cut Jackson and chose not to renew Adams. Shows me Ballard wants to get younger. He probably let's Walden walk too.

 

I don't think he signs Bouye based on what he said at his combine presser. I think he's going to stay away from big dollar FAs. 

 

The draft I like though.

[Smonroe]

2 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

Baker is too old. We just cut Jackson and chose not to renew Adams. Shows me Ballard wants to get younger. He probably let's Walden walk too.

 

I don't think he signs Bouye based on what he said at his combine presser. I think he's going to stay away from big dollar FAs. 

 

The draft I like though.

 

He has to spend money somewhere.  Are a bunch of stopgaps and backups a better option than a couple proven difference makers?  Isn't that what Grigson kept trying to do?  

 

I expect to see at least one big signing.  

[masnerj]

Great mock! This would certainly do some work to our team and really give us a chance to bounce back in a huge way!

 

Though I will say that there is an extremely low chance that Mixon lasts all the way till our pick in the 4th round. Every indication points towards him being picked by someone before the end of the 3rd (even some GMs have come out and said that they are keeping him on their board and will talk to him/evaluate him and then determine where he fits on the board). Not to mention, I expect him to do well at his pro-day.

 

 

[Coltfreak]

Fun to think about but there is no way they spend that much money in FA

[Defjamz26]

3 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

He has to spend money somewhere.  Are a bunch of stopgaps and backups a better option than a couple proven difference makers?  Isn't that what Grigson kept trying to do?  

 

I expect to see at least one big signing.  

Yes but drafting and developing is where the team is trending towards. They want young guys that they draft and know work in their system. They don't want to overpay an outside guy who may not perform.

[Smonroe]

8 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

Yes but drafting and developing is where the team is trending towards. They want young guys that they draft and know work in their system. They don't want to overpay an outside guy who may not perform.

 

Got that. What I'm saying is they have to spend on average at least something like 90% of the cap over three years (not exactly sure of the years).  

 

So so they have to spend.  Six draft picks won't make a dent.  Obviously we'd want young guys that fit in our system.  But finding UDFAs or cheap FAs isn't going to build a better team. We need some proven players on D.  

[Defjamz26]

11 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

 

Got that. What I'm saying is they have to spend on average at least something like 90% of the cap over three years (not exactly sure of the years).  

 

So so they have to spend.  Six draft picks won't make a dent.  Obviously we'd want young guys that fit in our system.  But finding UDFAs or cheap FAs isn't going to build a better team. We need some proven players on D.  

If that's the case then extend Mewhort and Moncrief. FA is often fools gold. And Ballard brought up a valid point that when you pay these outside FAs a lot of money and insert them into a new locker room, it can cause problems. Especially if they don't really perform and work hard on and off the field.

[bananabucket]

Dont'a Hightower - ILB - 5 years, $60mil -

AJ Bouye - CB - 5 years, $55mil

Chris Baker - NT/DT - 4 years, $24mil

Larry Warford - OG - 4 years $28mil

 

We might be able to get one of these.  There are 31 other teams who wanna add some players as well.

 

 

Also your biggest FA contract + first 3 picks all spent on LBs... we have plenty of other holes we need to address.  I'd forget Hightower, draft Reddick and Willis (or any worthy edge) in the 2nd.  

[LJpalmbeacher2]

5 hours ago, Coltfreak said:

Fun to think about but there is no way they spend that much money in FA

 

Why not?

 

Management wants to win, right? We need talent to do that.

[akcolt]

I like the draft in fact it looks a lot like the mock I have been working on. I am looking hard at Reddick at 15. I was on Taco but expected more at the combine. 

 

I just keep hearing Ballard say when in doubt go to the trenches. It makes me wonder how we grade McDowell Brantley and the OT's.  CB is a  possibility too. I don't like an Edge at 15 unless Thomas is there somehow. 

 

I do like Willis in the 2nd I thought he'd test well but man. I'd love to get Mixon in the 4th but I think someone grabs him with a comp pick the end of day 2 if not earlier. I would like to do better than Kazee at CB. He's more of a zone guy to me. I don't think we are signing Bouye. 

 

The FA signings just aren't realistic. You have us signing the top ILB and CB then a top 4 G plus one of the top DL. We aren't the Yankees We might sign one of those guys. 

 

I would draft Big Stevie NT USC in the 6th if you don't address it in FA. I like him more than the names that'll go earlier. NT was a big hole to begin with now Parry is facing felony charges Kerr is gone that just leaves McGill. We have to do something 

 

I would target the punter at Ohio St as an UDFA. He has been handling those duties since his freshman year. I don't care the positiion if you start as a true freshman at OSU that says something. Stanley Boom Williams RB is another UDFA I'd like if someone doesn't draft him after his combine. 

 

[Smonroe]

8 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

If that's the case then extend Mewhort and Moncrief. FA is often fools gold. And Ballard brought up a valid point that when you pay these outside FAs a lot of money and insert them into a new locker room, it can cause problems. Especially if they don't really perform and work hard on and off the field.

 

Free Agency is often fools gold.  But we have the money we have to spend, extending contracts isn't going to make much of a dent in it. 

 

And we have holes that have to be filled.  If we have the money, why not fill them with proven players. 

 

Off topic, but looking at our roster, it's amazing that Grigson kept his job that long.

[WarGhost21]

All right, this is by far my favorite mock this offseason. You grabbed basically every single player I wanted here! Great mock!!!!

[Defjamz26]

1 hour ago, Smonroe said:

 

Free Agency is often fools gold.  But we have the money we have to spend, extending contracts isn't going to make much of a dent in it. 

 

And we have holes that have to be filled.  If we have the money, why not fill them with proven players. 

 

Off topic, but looking at our roster, it's amazing that Grigson kept his job that long.

He left Ballard with quite a mess. I feel bad for him. Such a lack of young talent everywhere. There's absolutely nothing at OLB. Secondary has an often injured Davis on the last year of his deal, Geathers, and nothing else. At LB you've got nothing. At RB you've got an old Frank Gore but no young franchise RB. Surprisingly the best thing he left us with were pieces for the O-Line. That's why doing these mock drafts is hard. So many holes and only so many draft picks.

[Smonroe]

47 minutes ago, Defjamz26 said:

He left Ballard with quite a mess. I feel bad for him. Such a lack of young talent everywhere. There's absolutely nothing at OLB. Secondary has an often injured Davis on the last year of his deal, Geathers, and nothing else. At LB you've got nothing. At RB you've got an old Frank Gore but no young franchise RB. Surprisingly the best thing he left us with were pieces for the O-Line. That's why doing these mock drafts is hard. So many holes and only so many draft picks.

 

I'm sounding like a broken record but from the day we drafted Luck I said we should sell out for a strong Oline.  Grigson brought in one good RT, an injured G who never really played, and then waited until 2014 to draft a decent G.  It's like a light turned on for him in last years draft.  Threatening to get fired can do that to you.

 

Enough of my whining. 

[ColtsBlueFL]

11 hours ago, Smonroe said:

 

Got that. What I'm saying is they have to spend on average at least something like 90% of the cap over three years (not exactly sure of the years).  

 

So so they have to spend.  Six draft picks won't make a dent.  Obviously we'd want young guys that fit in our system.  But finding UDFAs or cheap FAs isn't going to build a better team. We need some proven players on D.  

 

Actually, it is 89% cash (people who follow Superman know he distinguishes between Cap and Cash continually) over a 4 year period  Hopefully, many here that doesn't understand the difference between the two researched it so they can better follow contract structure, Cap implications, and cash outlay. 

 

The rule you speak of was also split into 2 separate 4 year groups:  2013-2016 {which just ended} and 2017-2020.  As you can see, the first period of 4 years has passed and a new period has begun.  Thus, nobody "has to" spend at this point.  But teams that rolled over lots of cap do feel pressure (Jags, 49ers, Browns, etc...) to peel off gobs of the greenbacks from their surplus and the players agents know it too.  Also, Jacksonville, with no state income tax, offer are more enticing than say, those from New York or California.

 

In addition, the more highly sought FA's agents will taken Transition Franchise tag salary  as a target minimum, while trying to steer contracts to the Exclusive Franchise tag salary territory.  This is why teams let them go. They don't feel their worth will be equivalent of their upcoming payday.  But every year many other teams pay up.  and sometimes, team don't even get hosed all that bad doing so.  And at other times, teams are demolished by it (Albert Haynesworth anyone?)

[PeterBowman]

25 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

 

I'm sounding like a broken record but from the day we drafted Luck I said we should sell out for a strong Oline.  Grigson brought in one good RT, an injured G who never really played, and then waited until 2014 to draft a decent G.  It's like a light turned on for him in last years draft.  Threatening to get fired can do that to you.

 

Enough of my whining. 

and to his credit, seemed to have possibly hit on those picks too. Kelly is as advertised and will only get better, Haeg will probably be the new Reitz utility type player, and Clark as the makings of the next future RT if he continues his improvement over the last part of last year. Just need to anchor down the RG spot.

[ColtsBlueFL]

8 hours ago, bananabucket said:

Dont'a Hightower - ILB - 5 years, $60mil -

AJ Bouye - CB - 5 years, $55mil

Chris Baker - NT/DT - 4 years, $24mil

Larry Warford - OG - 4 years $28mil

 

We might be able to get one of these.  There are 31 other teams who wanna add some players as well.

 

 

Maybe, but not likely at those prices.  I think the list for desirable FA's will thin out fast, and teams with needs and cash/cap to spend will fight over the few and drive up the prices.  We'll see.

[coltsfanatic24]

That's a lot of money were giving to Hightower and Bouye. Hightower hasn't been able to stay healthy and as we've seen Patriots players usually aren't as good in other systems. Bouye was in a contract year. I'd rather spend it on different players.