IDL Starting to look like a Day 2 Need

[Defjamz26]

Since September people have talked about how incredibly deep the draft is for interior defensive linemen. It seemed a no-brainer that the Colts needed to take a DT in the first. However, our winning has slid us further down in the draft, out of range of some of the premium guys. The good is thing new names have continued to emerge. Names that will be available in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. I’m now beginning to wonder if the Colts can get their pass rushing DT later.

 

Oliver and Williams will go top 10. The next best DT that I like is Jeffrey Simmons who could go in the 10-15 range because he’s a top 10 talent without the off the field stuff. I had Tillery from Notre Dame in my last draft but I’m hearing even he could go round 2. So the question is, if it even worth it if those top 3 guys aren’t there?

 

And now look at the day 2 names that have emerged:

- Christian Wilkins: granted he’s borderline round 1-2

-Jerry Tillery

-Gerald Willis III

-Rashard Lawrence 

-Dexter Lawrence

-Renell Wren: recently mocked to us by Stampede Blue after a scout from the TDN recommended him as a fit for us.

-Terry Beckner

-Derrick Brown

-Dre’mont Jones: 8 sacks from the interior without having Bosa most of the year.

-Charles Omenihu

 

It might be better to look elsewhere in the 1st. And given the lack of talent at other positions and factoring in need, maybe WR or LB. You could get a starting pass rushing 3 tech in the 2nd and then still get a good NT in the 3rd. The one we have a shot at in the first is Simmons, and if he’s there you run the card in. But if not, I’m not worried because I know there’s potentially 10 guys to chose from on day 2 who can start and have just as much upside.

[stitches]

The more I think about it the more I feel like I don't care about the position we draft and I'm becoming more and more of a Best Value Available absolutist. Draft the best player. Don't draft by need. Just get the best value. If that's IDL, do that. I like the DLine talent throughout the opening two rounds so I wouldn't mind if we drafted something else in the first and IDL in the second... and I think we can get good players in both rounds, but if a premier blue chip talent falls to us on the interior... draft the guy... we are still building our young talent base. We cannot afford to make compromises based on needs. None of our interior players are pro-bowl or all-pro level. They look solid and we are not struggling mightily, but at the same time IMO they are not performing well against the better OLines in the league. Sure they demolished two of the worst OLines in the league last couple of weeks, but I want us to add premier talent that can do it against damn near every match up that is put in front of them. Right now we cannot do that so I'm perfectly good with drafting a player in the first anywhere on the line who can do it. 

 

But yah... at this point I'm thinking much more about specific players and whether they deserve to be taken where we fall in the draft, rather than thinking about positions. 

[NewColtsFan]

I hope we don’t spend the next five months over thinking this....

 

Ballard has said the key to this defense is the front seven with the emphasis on the front four.

 

By the grace of the Football Gods the strength of the 2019 draft is the DL, both ends AND tackles.

 

It’s a gift.

 

Our first pick will be roughly 18-20.   There will be a DL we like and want there.   Our next pick, via our trade with the Jets will be roughly 36–38.   There will be another DL we like there too.

 

My hunch is one of our first two picks will be a DE and the other a DT,  likely a 3-tech.

 

But our needs match up with the strength of the draft.   That doesn’t always happen.

 

We still have our own 2nd round pick which looks to be roughly pick 50.    I expect that’s where we will find the best offensive player available.   A WR or RB or TE or OL is what I’m thinking.

 

If Ballard would like another defensive player with pick 50, he’ll get no complaints from me.

 

I really hope we don’t over think this....   

[Defjamz26]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

I hope we don’t spend the next five months over thinking this....

 

Ballard has said the key to this defense is the front seven with the emphasis on the front four.

 

By the grace of the Football Gods the strength of the 2019 draft is the DL, both ends AND tackles.

 

It’s a gift.

 

Our first pick will be roughly 18-20.   There will be a DL we like and want there.   Our next pick, via our trade with the Jets will be roughly 36–38.   There will be another DL we like there too.

 

My hunch is one of our first two picks will be a DE and the other a DT,  likely a 3-tech.

 

But our needs match up with the strength of the draft.   That doesn’t always happen.

 

We still have our own 2nd round pick which looks to be roughly pick 50.    I expect that’s where we will find the best offensive player available.   A WR or RB or TE or OL is what I’m thinking.

 

If Ballard would like another defensive player with pick 50, he’ll get no complaints from me.

 

I really hope we don’t over think this....   

You can build the trenches in the 2nd and 3rd rounds too. I’m just saying that everyone seems so keyed in on getting a DL in the 1st, but there may be better value in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. At picks 18-24 there may be a blue chip LB or WR there that you can’t pass up. We passed on all the 1st round LBs because Quentin was the blue chip prospect, but also because Ballard felt comfortable about getting Leonard. 

[MPStack]

I've grown to like the BPA approach, especially if that selection is productive early on. The farther down the draft board the Colts move with winning games, makes it bit challenging to think where Ballard goes in the 1st. With a loaded DL class its seems logical selecting one in the 1st Rd, but I would have zero issues selecting even an OL, if that player was the Colts HRP on their board and could either start or provide quality backup insurance to the line.

 

Anyways, I love the draft and watch from start to finish almost yearly. I'd like to see the Colts go DL, CB and WR in no particular with their first three picks.

 

 

[Boiler_Colt]

I think Ballard views the first round as true BPA and rightly so. It seems the second round he's targeted specific needs. If the BPA in the first round happens to be a DL, Ballard won't hesitate to take one.

 

I still think first round DE/DT and second round WR. The value for both should be there.

[rock8591]

The team's at a decent place (8-8, 9-7, 10-6) such that we can afford to take BPA.

 

Better to take a player at a non-premium position than to reach for need.

 

e.g. George Kittle instead of Zach Banner, JuJu Smith-Schuester instead of Quincy Wilson, LeVeon Bell instead of Bjoern Werner.

 

If a Saquon Barkley type player is available at ~15-20 when we pick, then go for it.

[crazycolt1]

5 hours ago, rock8591 said:

 

e.g. George Kittle instead of Zach Banner, JuJu Smith-Schuester instead of Quincy Wilson, LeVeon Bell instead of Bjoern Werner.

 

 

I guess if all GMs use hindsight for their draft they would all win super bowls.

[Yoshinator]

2 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

I guess if all GMs use hindsight for their draft they would all win super bowls.

Actually, if all GM's used hindsight, there would be no reaches, steals or big busts in the draft, everyone would have solid to equal teams, and it'd be a lot of close matches every week with equal teams competing for the SB because every GM would hit on their draft picks as well as possible. However, not every team would win a SB. At best, they'd all win one every 32 years. LOL! Think of it as true equality.

[NewColtsFan]

10 hours ago, rock8591 said:

The team's at a decent place (8-8, 9-7, 10-6) such that we can afford to take BPA.

 

Better to take a player at a non-premium position than to reach for need.

 

e.g. George Kittle instead of Zach Banner, JuJu Smith-Schuester instead of Quincy Wilson, LeVeon Bell instead of Bjoern Werner.

 

If a Saquon Barkley type player is available at ~15-20 when we pick, then go for it.

 

Well...   if we’re talking premium positions  vs non-premium then we should be clear... 

 

Chris Ballard called guard a premium position after he took Nelson at 6 and people asked him how he could use the 6th overall pick on an interior lineman.

 

I doubt there are many (any?) here who agree with him.   So his views are different.

 

I just disagree with the premise of the thread.    If Ballard likes a DT best of all in the first round then he will take him. The idea that it’s looking like a Day 2 need is complete nonsense....

 

Sorry. 

[Defjamz26]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

 

Well...   if we’re talking premium positions  vs non-premium then we should be clear... 

 

Chris Ballard called guard a premium position after he took Nelson at 6 and people asked him how he could use the 6th overall pick on an interior lineman.

 

I doubt there are many (any?) here who agree with him.   So his views are different.

 

I just disagree with the premise of the thread.    If Ballard likes a DT best of all in the first round then he will take him. The idea that it’s looking like a Day 2 need is complete nonsense....

 

Sorry. 

It looking like a day 2 need doesn’t mean how I think you’re interpreting it. You know that sometimes I may not word things how I meant for them to be taken.

 

What I was implying was that given that the top 3/4 IDL (Williams, Oliver, Davis, and Simmons) could be gone by our pick, that maybe our IDL might come from day 2 because there’s so much depth in this class. That’s why I said on my OP that if Simmons is there, you run the card in because he has the best chance of being there when we pick. But after him, the other guys could all likely be had on day 2.

 

Perhaps I should have said “IDL might have to be addressed on day 2”.