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csmopar

By csmopar
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Yoshinator Ring of Honor

Yoshinator

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Daniel Jeremiah really is a fair writer. I enjoy his draft stuff for the most part, and this is a decent article. I'm not too surprised he values QB and RB more for production, so based on that, Leonard at 4, Quenton at 6, and Braden Smith at 25 is perfectly fine. Three first rounders is awesome in my book!

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BlueStallion Walk On

BlueStallion

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Ballard's 2018 draft has already proven to be phenomenal, and there could be even more payoff in the future.   We don't know enough yet about Cain and Fountain, but if either one of them develops into a productive starter, this draft haul may be the best ever -- by any team.

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tweezy32 Active Roster

tweezy32

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2 hours ago, csmopar said:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001007053/article/top-25-nfl-rookies-of-2018-saquon-barkley-leads-final-rankings

 

the maniac comes in ranked higher than any other D rookie. Including Chubb. Not sure that’s indicative of anything overall but still, nice to see. 

 

Nelson isn’t much farther down the list either

Might want to look again...  Leonard isn't the highest defense of player on this list.. 

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Jdubu Practice Squad

Jdubu

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2 hours ago, lollygagger8 said:

What a draft by Ballard.....it's not fair to the rest of the league lol 

Now he will have to make solid picks from the other end of the order. CB hit very well in this draft but he has to be capable of sorting through the pile again and showing it’s an evaluation of his talent over being in a great position to pick winners. 1 season grants him fame, but I don’t want a one hit wonder year from our GM so let’s hope the big hits keep rolling in for 2019

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lollygagger8 Hall of Famer

lollygagger8

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Just now, Jdubu said:

Now he will have to make solid picks from the other end of the order. CB hit very well in this draft but he has to be capable of sorting through the pile again and showing it’s an evaluation of his talent over being in a great position to pick winners. 1 season grants him fame, but I don’t want a one hit wonder year from our GM so let’s hope the big hits keep rolling in for 2019

 

Nobody wants that, boss 

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Jdubu Practice Squad

Jdubu

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1 hour ago, BlueStallion said:

Ballard's 2018 draft has already proven to be phenomenal, and there could be even more payoff in the future.   We don't know enough yet about Cain and Fountain, but if either one of them develops into a productive starter, this draft haul may be the best ever -- by any team.

I believe New Orleans had a phenomenal draft in 2017 as well and look how that boosted their program again. Both teams hit a ton in their draft in separate years. Hope we repeat it. 

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Shive Ring of Honor

Shive

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Somehow I'm not surprised DJ ranked Derwin James that high. He calls the Chargers games, so he sees him play on a weekly basis. Just that regular exposure to a talented player will create a bit of bias in rankings like these.

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NewColtsFan Ring of Honor

NewColtsFan

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1 hour ago, BlueStallion said:

Ballard's 2018 draft has already proven to be phenomenal, and there could be even more payoff in the future.   We don't know enough yet about Cain and Fountain, but if either one of them develops into a productive starter, this draft haul may be the best ever -- by any team.

“The best draft haul ever — by any team.”

 

Look...   I appreciate that this is a Colts website with fans looking at things they Colts blue lenses....

 

But that said...   there’s close to zero percent chance of this being the greatest draft of all time.   Sorry.

 

Not with what the Packers did in the 60’s...   the Steelers did in the 70’s...   the 49ers in the 80’s...   and the Cowboys in the 90’s.     And I may be leaving out some efforts by other teams.   

 

This is not meant as a knock on Chris Ballard...   the 18 draft was tremendous.  But when you start talking about historically speaking,  that’s an entirely different discussion...

 

Just saying....

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Lucky Colts Fan Active Roster

Lucky Colts Fan

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3 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Not with what the Packers did in the 60’s...   the Steelers did in the 70’s...   the 49ers in the 80’s...   and the Cowboys in the 90’s.     And I may be leaving out some efforts by other teams.

 

Granted, no team will probably ever do what the '74 Steelers did (4 HoFers in one draft), but that teams' accomplishments can't really be compared to current teams because of the salary cap (and steroids).

 

If Nelson and Leonard keep this up and end up in the HoF, and half the other picks are contributors on a Colts team that wins a few Super Bowls and becomes a dynasty...

 

The '18 Colts draft would at least be in the discussion for 2nd best draft ever.  Maybe the best of the salary cap era.

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Mitch Connors Active Roster

Mitch Connors

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2 hours ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

Granted, no team will probably ever do what the '74 Steelers did (4 HoFers in one draft), but that teams' accomplishments can't really be compared to current teams because of the salary cap (and steroids).

 

If Nelson and Leonard keep this up and end up in the HoF, and half the other picks are contributors on a Colts team that wins a few Super Bowls and becomes a dynasty...

 

The '18 Colts draft would at least be in the discussion for 2nd best draft ever.  Maybe the best of the salary cap era.

 

I agree.  I watched an NFL flims episode on the best drafts ever and the Ravens drafting Jonathan Ogden and Ray Lewis in the same class was very highly regarded. One is an HOFer and the other will certainly be this year or next and thats considered one of the best team drafts ever. They may have had a few other quality players drafted but I cant remember them being mentioned and I didn't look it up.

 

We should all be thrilled to even think thats a possiblity with Nelson and Leonard - although very early.

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Jdubu Practice Squad

Jdubu

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1 hour ago, braveheartcolt said:

Potentially not even the best draft of the year!! While we should be excited, I think some are gushing a wee bit to much. Still, it is nice to be positive....

Who would you have ranked higher in drafting this year if not the Colts? 

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Boiler_Colt Walk On

Boiler_Colt

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6 hours ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Daniel Jeremiah really is a fair writer. I enjoy his draft stuff for the most part, and this is a decent article. I'm not too surprised he values QB and RB more for production, so based on that, Leonard at 4, Quenton at 6, and Braden Smith at 25 is perfectly fine. Three first rounders is awesome in my book!

Jeremiah also works for the Chargers organization as a radio host. So he may be a tad biased towards James.

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Myles Ring of Honor

Myles

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5 hours ago, Lucky Colts Fan said:

 

Granted, no team will probably ever do what the '74 Steelers did (4 HoFers in one draft), but that teams' accomplishments can't really be compared to current teams because of the salary cap (and steroids).

 

If Nelson and Leonard keep this up and end up in the HoF, and half the other picks are contributors on a Colts team that wins a few Super Bowls and becomes a dynasty...

 

The '18 Colts draft would at least be in the discussion for 2nd best draft ever.  Maybe the best of the salary cap era.

I agree.   Hines and Wilkins could also end up being very strong in coming years.   Same with Adams and Turray.  

You also have to include the 2nd round pick in 2019 we got from the Jets since it was part of a 2018 draft trade. 

 

Here's a shout out to Andy Benoit and is poor skills.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/04/26/indianapolis-colts-nfl-draft-picks-selections-grades

 

Round 1, Pick 6 (No. 6 overall)

Quenton Nelson, OG, Notre Dame

Andy Benoit's grade: D+

Many view Nelson as the best guard prospect since Zack Martin. And true, the Colts aren’t great at guard. (Jack Mewhort is fine on the left side, but the right side has seen a rotation of right tackle type fringe backups such as Joe Haeg and Denzelle Goode.) That said … have you seen this defense? It's only true three-down players are safety Malik Hooker and corner Quincy Wilson—and both have played just half a rookie season in the NFL. Every other player, save for maybe edge men Jabaal Sheard and John Simon if we’re being generous, is a situational piece. And with most of the lineup built for Chuck Pagano’s scheme, not new coordinator Matt Eberflus’s, it’s hard to envision many situations where those guys would work. The Colts can block better now, but it won’t matter if their opponents score 40 each week. And while protecting Andrew Luck is obviously important, you do that by scheming more quick-strike throws, not banking so heavily on his blockers.

Scouting Report: He’s the complete package at guard—one evaluator told Albert Breer that Nelson is a better prospect than Zack Martin was coming out of Notre Dame. Nelson is a violent mauler with brute strength and a nasty disposition, but blends it with nimble athleticism that allows him to thrive in space and as a pass protector.

Round 2, Pick 4 (No. 36 overall): Darius Leonard, LB, South Carolina St.

Andy Benoit's grade: B

GM Chris Ballard must really like Leonard because he passed on Roquan Smith, Tremaine Edmunds and Leighton Vander Esch in Round 1. With the overwhelming number of desperate defensive needs in Indianapolis, Ballard wouldn’t do that unless he thought the value in Round 2 was almost comparable. Stylistically, Leonard fits new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus’s Tampa 2-based 4-3 zone scheme. (Though to play for Eberflus, a linebacker must be at least decent in man coverage.)

Round 2, Pick 5 (No. 37 overall): Braden Smith, G, Auburn

Andy Benoit's grade: D-

Drafting a once-in-a-generation guard like Quenton Nelson in the first round was befuddling given Indianapolis’s endless list of needs on defense. (In terms of three-down players, every position except Malik Hooker’s free-safety spot and Quincy Wilson’s corner spot could use an upgrade.) Taking another guard, despite having Jack Mewhort on the roster? Perplexing beyond comprehension. Either Mewhort or Smith will move to right tackle. Theoretically, Andrew Luck will be better protected than ever, but the best way to protect Luck is to install more quick-strike passes, not hope his new blockers can keep him clean.

Round 2, Pick 20 (No. 52 overall): Kemoko Turay, DE, Rutgers

Andy Benoit's grade: C-

Well, at least it was a defender. Turay is so raw that Mike Mayock even declared that Turay’s best season in college was as a freshman. You can never have too much edge talent in a 4-3 scheme, but from 30,000 feet, the Colts, four picks into this draft, still need to overhaul more about two-thirds of their defense.

Round 2, Pick 32 (No. 64 overall): Tyquan Lewis, DE, Ohio State

Andy Benoit's grade: B

If you’ve been reading the analysis on the Colts’ previous picks, you know Lewis will have a chance to play significant snaps right away.

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Jdubu Practice Squad

Jdubu

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1 hour ago, braveheartcolt said:

Well, Cleveland have three in the top ten. Other teams can pick good players too. I"m happy with our lot.

Yeah Cleveland would also be a solid choice. They are set up long term as well if they get the right leaders and then pay their talent. I like what Cleveland has done although they’ve had to be really bad for too many years to build this team. 

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