Last Years Draft

[Moosejawcolt]

I know Ballard has been given high marks for this year's draft.  That being said how would you  evaluate last year's draft? Although the 2018 draft is  looking very good, am  I being to critical by stating the 2017 is looking like it could be a bust?

[Fluke_33]

6 minutes ago, Moosejawcolt said:

I know Ballard has been given high marks for this year's draft.  That being said how would you  evaluate last year's draft? Although the 2018 draft is  looking very good, am  I being to critical by stating the 2017 is looking like it could be a bust?

I think it’s too soon on both.  3-5 years then look back to see 

[Moosejawcolt]

3 minutes ago, Fluke_33 said:

I think it’s too soon on both.  3-5 years then look back to see 

Well Hooker always seems injured an that was the knock on him coming out of college. Quincy Wilson is not improving and Brasham and Banner r no longer  on the team.  That's 4 of your top picks. 

[Nesjan3]

Its way to soon to tell but by no means would i call 2017 a bust. Walker taken with the 161st pick is currently our starting linebacker and doing a fantastic job.

 

Hairston with the 158th pick has been playing way above what anyone expected.

 

Stewart at 144 has been a nice rotational Dlineman. Marlon Mack 143...enough said. Basham and Banner 80 and 137 are gone already.

 

 The first 2 picks are the real question marks. Wilson has not played up to a second round pick, Hooker was lights out before his injury and has not rebounded very well.

 

My only comment about the 2018 draft is IMO possibly the best draft i have ever seen the Colts have in my 30 year lifetime.

[TDewar1987]

Didn't Ballard draft players that fit Pagano's schemes? How much time did Ballard really have to scout when he took over in Indy? 

[Luck 4 president]

1 minute ago, TDewar1987 said:

Didn't Ballard draft players that fit Pagano's schemes? How much time did Ballard really have to scout when he took over in Indy? 

No he drafted players for the new scheme. Everyone was saying Hooker was perfect for the Tampa 2. And Ballard already knew Pagano was gone after the year so he had no reason to draft players for Pagano. 

[Fluke_33]

20 minutes ago, Moosejawcolt said:

Well Hooker always seems injured an that was the knock on him coming out of college. Quincy Wilson is not improving and Brasham and Banner r no longer  on the team.  That's 4 of your top picks. 

Are you saying we shouldn’t wait any longer than a year to decide if a draft is good or not?  Bashem and banner are clear mistakes but I think in a couple of years you will like the rest of my picks. 

[Fluke_33]

12 minutes ago, Nesjan3 said:

My only comment about the 2018 draft is IMO possibly the best draft i have ever seen the Colts have in my 30 year lifetime.

It does look exceptional right now but we need to be a little patient.  They could all take steps back next year.  I doubt it but there have been so many one year wonders in the league that you sneed to wait a little before giving a draft an honest grade.  5 years used to be the standard but that was when rookies usually sat the first year.  The league is very different now.  

[Moosejawcolt]

Just now, Fluke_33 said:

Are you saying we shouldn’t wait any longer than a year to decide if a draft is good or not?  Bashem and banner are clear mistakes but I think in a coupe of years you will like the rest of my picks. 

Yes  i agree and I am not trying to b overly critical.  I do think there  some concerns.  I can rate Basham and Banner because they r no longer on the team.  Those were   two clear misses.  Wilson does not appear to b getting better. He couldn't get on the field last year and people  were critical of Pagano for that decision.   He has  gotten on the field this year and the results have not been good. Yes,  Hooker played well last year, but it appears he is having trouble staying on the field. Plus we can't give Ballard a pass by saying he drafted for Pagano's system.

[Fluke_33]

2 minutes ago, Moosejawcolt said:

Yes  i agree and I am not trying to b overly critical.  I do think there  some concerns.  I can rate Basham and Banner because they r no longer on the team.  Those were   two clear misses.  Wilson does not appear to b getting better. He couldn't get on the field last year and people  were critical of Pagano for that decision.   He has  gotten on the field this year and the results have not been good. Yes,  Hooker played well last year, but it appears he is having trouble staying on the field. Plus we can't give Ballard a pass by saying he drafted for Pagano's system.

I agree with all that.  It’s just way too soon.  I have my doubts about Wilson too and I actually think he had his best chance to prove himself with pagano but maybe he sees the light this or next year and turns it on.  I hope so anyway. 

[Boiler_Colt]

9 minutes ago, Fluke_33 said:

It does look exceptional right now but we need to be a little patient.  They could all take steps back next year.  I doubt it but there have been so many one year wonders in the league that you sneed to wait a little before giving a draft an honest grade.  5 years used to be the standard but that was when rookies usually sat the first year.  The league is very different now.  

Agreed, we all thought 2012 was the same way and really only Luck and TY stuck.

[AwesomeAustin]

Calling last years draft a bust is a total over reaction. The colts drafted a starting safety, RB and LB. Wilson at worst could be a rotation player.  Hairston, is a borderline starter.  The draft was exactly what a good GM wants. A few starters and quality depth. Not all drafts are homeruns.  John Clayton always said teams that draft well always get 2-3 starters from every draft. Ballard did that.  String together 4-5 drafts with a couple years producing pro bowlers and we are contenders. 

[crazycolt1]

[MacDee1975]

It sucked

[crazycolt1]

1 hour ago, Moosejawcolt said:

I know Ballard has been given high marks for this year's draft.  That being said how would you  evaluate last year's draft? Although the 2018 draft is  looking very good, am  I being to critical by stating the 2017 is looking like it could be a bust?

I thought we just had a thread discussing this already?  Has the answers changed?

[Nesjan3]

7 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

I thought we just had a thread discussing this already?  Has the answers changed?

there is no answer just opinion, and maybe some of us didn't make it to that thread

[jameszeigler834]

1 hour ago, Moosejawcolt said:

Well Hooker always seems injured an that was the knock on him coming out of college. Quincy Wilson is not improving and Brasham and Banner r no longer  on the team.  That's 4 of your top picks. 

It was awful.

[crazycolt1]

4 minutes ago, Nesjan3 said:

there is no answer just opinion, and maybe some of us didn't make it to that thread, feel free to take your face palm else where lol

[Nesjan3]

6 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

consctructive

[Luck 4 president]

The thing I wish we saw more from last year’s players is consistency. Lots of players have flashed but  haven’t shown consistency. I don’t know if any of them will be on the roster in 4 years. Hooker doesn’t look like he did pre-injury and that scares me. 

[aaron11]

all but hooker and mack should have to compete for roster spots next year imo

 

walker had some really good tape this year, but there is a lot of bad in there now too.  hes probably safe on the team, but could lose the starting job

 

 

 

 

 

[richard pallo]

Last years draft was based on Grigson's draft board and his scouts and input from the previous coaches.  Once that was completed Ballard made many changes to his scouting staff and this years draft was based on his new staff's recommendations and big board.  Of course we drafted high this year and the trade back really paid dividends.   The 2017 draft looks very suspect right now while 2018 looks like a home run.   Ballard will have the extra 2nd rd. pick this year and most likely another high pick for Brissett.  Chances are we won't be drafting so high but that remains to be seen.  Either way Ballard has a chance to make a big impact with this years draft.  If he hits it again with his people I would say we are in very good shape for a very fast rebuild. 

[WarGhost21]

In 2017, Ballard was using Grigson's scouts, Grigson's board, and many other things that relate to Grigson, so he wasn't at fault for a large chunk of the issue. Sure, it could have been better, but he was coming to the team after the entire draft process of scouting had been complete, and was forced to use many of those reports.

[CR91]

I dont think Hooker is 100 percent back from his ACL injury. It just seems to me that injury has affected his closing speed and you can see hes late to the ball at times. His range seems to be lacking. Not sure if moncrief's td was his zone, but that is a prime example. As for Wilson, I just dont think hes a zone CB. He seems lost in space. It wouldnt surprise me to see ballard trade him

[Yoshinator]

Last year's draft was average. A lot of early picks missed, but I give Ballard a pass for two reasons. 1.) He was using Grigson's scouts and drafting under Pagano's scheme, and 2.) It's pretty obvious once things changed in the second draft, he absolutely dominated it and knew exactly what he was doing. If both drafts were about the same quality, I wouldn't give him a pass, but since the 2018 draft turned out so well, I'm giving Ballard a pass and assuming he was handicapped in 2017 in what he could do.

[Yoshinator]

2 minutes ago, CR91 said:

I dont think Hooker is 100 percent back from his ACL injury. It just seems to me that hes late to the ball at times. His range seems to be lacking. Not sure if moncrief's td was his zone, but that is a prime example. As for Wilson, I just dont think hes a zone CB. He seems lost in space. It wouldnt surprise me to see ballard trade him

I wouldn't mind getting a 1st or 2nd round pick for Hooker at this point. I think it's possible he's damaged goods now. If we can trade him off, and sign Landon Collins, there won't be much of a drop off at all, and we can possibly draft another S to go with Collins.

[CR91]

3 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

I wouldn't mind getting a 1st or 2nd round pick for Hooker at this point. I think it's possible he's damaged goods now. If we can trade him off, and sign Landon Collins, there won't be much of a drop off at all, and we can possibly draft another S to go with Collins.

 

I wouldnt call Hooker damaged goods. Im just afraid we might have rushed him back. I cant see the giants letting go of their best player on defense

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, CR91 said:

 

I wouldnt call Hooker damaged goods. Im just afraid we might have rushed him back. I cant see the giants letting go of their best player on defense

Only reason I think he may hit FA is because the Giants are in full rebuild mode, and he was up for trade before. It's probably 50/50 at this point, but possible. They would get a compensatory 3rd rounder for releasing him, so that makes it possible as well. In that scenario, we'd have the best chance of signing him with our cap space. Of course, the optimal scenario would be to have Hooker and Collins. Just don't know Hooker's health as of now. He may need til next season to fully recover.

[Colts_Fan12]

The thought of trading hooker is killing my brain who would think that is a good idea 

[Jdubu]

8 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

I wouldn't mind getting a 1st or 2nd round pick for Hooker at this point. I think it's possible he's damaged goods now. If we can trade him off, and sign Landon Collins, there won't be much of a drop off at all, and we can possibly draft another S to go with Collins.

Lol. At the level of play Hooker has shown this year, I would think getting a 5th would be shocking. Gotta hold your nose and hope he returns to health and that flash we seen last season. If he doesn’t pan out over next season, time to move on and write that first year off. Second year appears to have great potential. Let’s hope next year is like the 2018 draft. 

[Trueman]

Hooker's a keeper. 

Just give it time. He'll be 23 at the start of next season - the same age as a lot of rookies coming into the league.

[Colts_Fan12]

12 minutes ago, Jdubu said:

Lol. At the level of play Hooker has shown this year, I would think getting a 5th would be shocking. Gotta hold your nose and hope he returns to health and that flash we seen last season. If he doesn’t pan out over next season, time to move on and write that first year off. Second year appears to have great potential. Let’s hope next year is like the 2018 draft. 

Lol at the people acting like hooker is a scrub you people crack me the hell up 

[Colts_Fan12]

4 minutes ago, Trueman said:

Hooker's a keeper. 

Just give it time. He'll be 23 at the start of next season - the same age a lot of rookies coming into the league.

Nah man he sucks trade him for a 7th round pick!! lmao people on this board I tell ya!!  

[LJpalmbeacher2]

The 2017 Draft WAS NOT GOOD. Especially when considering that the draft is how ballard preaches you build throufh the draft, not free agency or trades.

 

Hooker is NOT bringing back a high draft pick in trade. For a 15th overall pick he's looking more of a miss considering where he was taken.Imo, I just hope he can be healthy going forward, which I doubt, and be a decent starter.

[Colts_Fan12]

The stupid posts just keep coming!! anyone notice how when Hooker is on the field the QB avoids him I wonder why that is I'm sure it's because he sucks yeah that's it!!! 

[Fisticuffs111]

So far I’d say it was petty decent. We got some good pieces out of it. Mack, Walker, and Hooker are legit, just gotta hope they can stay healthy. And Hairston is solid depth at the very least.

[Jason_]

44 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

. They would get a compensatory 3rd rounder for releasing him, so that makes it possible as well. 

 

Not true. They don't get anything in return if the release him. 

[Yoshinator]

1 minute ago, J@son said:

 

Not true. They don't get anything in return if the release him. 

I meant if they don't re-sign him. My apologizes. 

[Jackie Daytona]

1 hour ago, aaron11 said:

all but hooker and mack should have to compete for roster spots next year imo

 

walker had some really good tape this year, but there is a lot of bad in there now too.  hes probably safe on the team, but could lose the starting job

 

I disagree on this count.  Walker has shown steady improvement each week, in my opinion.  He is making good calls in regards to the blocking scheme much of the time, and is playing with more athleticism than I was under the impression that he had.  63 tackles, 1 sack, 1 pick is decent for a MLB 10 games into his 2nd season, and his 2nd scheme.

 

 

 

[ColtsBlitz]

Hooker - starter, coming of ACL injury

Wilson - subs in, definitely needs work

Basham - gone

Banner - gone

Mack - starter, good one at that

Hairston - starter, like him in the slot

Walker - starter, like him in coverage, the 2pt run would’ve been such an awesome play if not for the penalty

 

Thats success people. Those are 4 starters out of 8 players (may be missing one, lol). Let’s wait a few more years to really judge this