You grade the Colts 2019 NFL Draft

[J@son 7,312]

5 hours ago, Coltsman1788 said:

I don’t think they are guys that defensive coordinators stay up at night worrying about. They move around the line a lot and get scheme & finesse sacks.  They are also small for that position.  We can still use them in the rotation but I prefer adding a bigger more physical DT who can collapse the middle of the pocket. 

 

Well that may be what you prefer but if Reich and Ballard feel differently, and most of their acquisitions say that they do, then you're kinda out of luck

[Pacergeek 403]

Easily an A. Drafted the top CB @ 46. Bongabu will be known as this year’s Leonard. Will be top pass rusher very soon. Khari will start, and contribute day 1

[2006Coltsbestever 24,352]

1 minute ago, Pacergeek said:

Easily an A. Drafted the top CB @ 46. Bongabu will be known as this year’s Leonard. Will be top pass rusher very soon. Khari will start, and contribute day 1

I gave it a B, and I can see several of the guys we just drafted having good years. Time will tell. 

[Pacergeek 403]

Parris will be top Rookie WR, by far. Unfair he gets Luck as his QB. I feel sorry for my boy Hollywood Brown. Lamar Jackson won’t be able to get him the ball. Parris makes the grade A +

[Pacergeek 403]

Just now, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I gave it a B, and I can see several of the guys we just drafted having good years. Time will tell. 

B is a fair grade. Grigson made us cynical that our draftees will bust, and Polian towards the end. Gotta get used to having great draft picks again

[2006Coltsbestever 24,352]

1 minute ago, Pacergeek said:

B is a fair grade. Grigson made us cynical that our draftees will bust, and Polian towards the end. Gotta get used to having great draft picks again

Yeah B is solid, I really liked this draft. I gave last years an A after the draft but I was so happy we drafted Nelson is why. I wanted him over Chubb. When Chubb went 5th, I was still nervous that Ballard may take a linebacker but he took Nelson, so I was like oh yeah! This year by getting Campbell we basically got our T Hill without the baggage, Mahomes is going to lose his T Hill. That Campbell pick was great. Luck has to be happy with that.

[Coltsman1788 3,394]

14 minutes ago, J@son said:

 

Well that may be what you prefer but if Reich and Ballard feel differently, and most of their acquisitions say that they do, then you're kinda out of luck

Possibly but we don’t  know exactly what Ballard is thinking until the end of the offseason.  Still plenty of time for moves to be made. He uses all of the offseason and is constantly looking for talent at good value. 

[Coltsfan66 313]

3 hours ago, rock8591 said:

One of the reasons why I thought our run D was good last year was due to Hunt and Autry both being tall with long arms. 

 

Much tougher to engulf than short players like Keyunta Dawson, Eric foster, etc.

Someone gets it!

[threeflight 530]

I feel as if I am in an alternate reality because everyone complains how negative I am on Ballard and most of those same people are giving this draft a low B to C.

 

I give it an A-/B+.

 

Thought he did a great job.

[Coltsfan66 313]

I will defer my grade to 3 years from now, lol! 

 

I am very happy with it and I would lean towards an "A", but what do I know?

[2006Coltsbestever 24,352]

13 minutes ago, threeflight said:

I feel as if I am in an alternate reality because everyone complains how negative I am on Ballard and most of those same people are giving this draft a low B to C.

 

I give it an A-/B+.

 

Thought he did a great job.

Yeah I gave it a B which I think is a great grade and fair. I am guessing you have to love the Campbell pick. That is a heck of a speedy weapon to have for Luck. Luck has a Lamborghini in the garage now ready to jet out. 

[threeflight 530]

Just now, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Yeah I gave it a B which I think is a great grade and fair. I am guessing you have to love the Campbell pick. That is a heck of a speedy weapon to have for Luck. Luck has a Lamborghini in the garage now ready to jet out. 

Yes I do love it.  Could be just what the Colts needed.

[2006Coltsbestever 24,352]

Just now, threeflight said:

Yes I do love it.  Could be just what the Colts needed.

Yeah we did need it. I love that pick.

[HOF19 600]

My biased grade (because of my bias for Marvell Tell …. I am a USC fan)  would be a B ………. But I gotta say been doing a fair amount of searching on the Net for draft grades....Can't find one that dislikes our 2019 draft ….. For whatever that is worth...….. GO COLTS !

[Lucky Colts Fan 5,422]

34 minutes ago, threeflight said:

I feel as if I am in an alternate reality

 

I know.  This isn't normal for the forum to be so positive/quiet after the draft.

 

You'd think with some of our picks being unknown/"reaches", this board would be going nuts right now, but it's not.

 

It's like people are actually being reasonable and waiting to see how Ballards' picks turn out. 

[shastamasta 2,080]

I am in that B-C range as far as immediate impact...which is what made last year's class what it was. But there is a ton of upside...and I think that is what will make or break it.

 

Let's also not forget that Ballard said this was a depth draft...and then they traded down from the 1st. Really hard to grade right away, given the approach.

 

Individually, I am lukewarm on some of the guys, but I love Campbell and Tell (especially if ultimately plays S). Intrigued by Banogu (though wish he had more bend) and Green. The late-round OL players are your standard picks...hopefully one of them can provide good depth.

[Introspect 234]

1 hour ago, Pacergeek said:

Parris will be top Rookie WR, by far. Unfair he gets Luck as his QB. I feel sorry for my boy Hollywood Brown. Lamar Jackson won’t be able to get him the ball. Parris makes the grade A +

^This is so damn true my dawg!

[ar7 373]

Too early for a grade, imo, but one question you have to ask is what is the grade based on? If part of what you judge the draft class on is whether or not you get a foundational/premium player(s)  (like Nelson/Leonard in 2018) then this draft might not be viewed as highly. Heck, I'm not sure it's clear there is even a plug and play pick like Ryan Kelly in 2016.

 

A couple of things I liked about this draft for the Colts:

 

- The more time goes by I become more confident that Ballard has a clear picture in his mind for how he wants to build the team. You might disagree with some of his decisions but I think he has a plan and is following it. I think that's essential for a leader in any business.

 

- The early draft picks allow the Colts to be more versatile. They can play more man with Rock, can do more with the linebackers now, and Paris can add a completely new dimension to the offense. This is where this draft class is most likely to help the Colts, imo.

 

Time will tell how well these guys play but I like the potential of this draft class.

[BigQungus 244]

I’ve done about 3 polls now and every time I second guess my answer after I put it 

 

i gave an A but I now give it a B. I wanted more d linemen. Really though if Ben banogu turns out to be an edge rusher, I can’t complain. Yes, depth would be nice, but I think quality was a little more important. If we spent a high pick on an edge then I can’t complain. I also wanted another DT, but if tyquan Lewis shifts inside, which is what they’ve been indicating, then I guess it’s not that big of a deal

 

Great, now I don’t know whether I should give it an A or a B. Maybe I should’ve given it an A after all.

 

To be clear, I don’t give a fig about what I think. My opinion is insignificant when it comes to the draft simply because I don’t get paid to scout hundreds of prospects. I’m not qualified to sit here and speculate about whether Ballard did his job well or not before his picks even hit the field. I give Ballard’s opinion far more weight than even my own, and I really can’t say that for many things because I’m generally a prideful person lol

[rock8591 1,036]

1 hour ago, Coltsfan66 said:

Someone gets it!

 

I neglected to mention, both Woods and Stewart are 6'4'', and Ward is 6'5''.

 

When we ran the 3-4 with shorter and heavier players on the DL, they still got pushed around.

 

e.g.

Josh Chapman 6'0'' 340 lbs

Arthur Jones 6'3'' 337 lbs

RJF 6'3'' 297 lbs

and later David Parry 6'1'' 317 lbs

 

Polian years facing NE:

Dan Kleck 5'11'' 280 lbs

Eric Foster 6'2'' 288 lbs

Darrell Reid more of the same.

Josh Williams, Montae Reagor, Larry Tripplett all 6'2'' to 6'3'' at most.

Freeney at Mathis 6'1''.

 

[richard pallo 2,175]

A.  Hard not to feel excited about this draft considering Ballards recent success.  I think Rock, Campbell, Okereke and Willis are going to be the big impact players.  Willis and Okereke are my favorites to earn a starting role.  I have to think Rock will earn a starting role pretty quickly as well.  I can see Campbell being our are new KR to start the season and seeing plenty of action.  I'm not worried about DT.  He has plenty of time to address that spot.  Trading Ridgeway makes me think he already has a plan in place.  

  

[Coltsfan66 313]

22 minutes ago, rock8591 said:

 

I neglected to mention, both Woods and Stewart are 6'4'', and Ward is 6'5''.

 

When we ran the 3-4 with shorter and heavier players on the DL, they still got pushed around.

 

e.g.

Josh Chapman 6'0'' 340 lbs

Arthur Jones 6'3'' 337 lbs

RJF 6'3'' 297 lbs

and later David Parry 6'1'' 317 lbs

 

Polian years facing NE:

Dan Kleck 5'11'' 280 lbs

Eric Foster 6'2'' 288 lbs

Darrell Reid more of the same.

Josh Williams, Montae Reagor, Larry Tripplett all 6'2'' to 6'3'' at most.

Freeney at Mathis 6'1''.

 

Me thinks you are on to something Sir!

[JPFolks 878]

18 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

Not everyone is on the Suh wagon as you seem to be.

As usual you misquote me.  But that is your thing... misleading comments.  I am not advocating FOR Suh, I asked a QUESTION about whether the draft leaves room/need for someone like Suh or Liuget.  Big difference.  I am for any DT better than what we have.  Pick whoever.  If they find a UDFA that is at least better than what we have at the bottom (they better since they traded Ridgeway, we have no depth at this point).  I called it BEFORE they traded Ridgeway when "some" people were saying we were all set, no need to do anything.  I knew they couldn't be happy with the status quo and of course their desire for "competition" which would mean signing people at least better than the weakest guy on the team, otherwise there would be no competition.  So, minus Ridgeway, they better sign someone good or the interior DL will have taken a step backward in  year where so many great young DT's were added to teams.  Speed is great until you're in short yardage at key moments against teams with power backs.  

[crazycolt1 10,814]

1 hour ago, JPFolks said:

As usual you misquote me.  But that is your thing... misleading comments.  I am not advocating FOR Suh, I asked a QUESTION about whether the draft leaves room/need for someone like Suh or Liuget.  Big difference.  I am for any DT better than what we have.  Pick whoever.  If they find a UDFA that is at least better than what we have at the bottom (they better since they traded Ridgeway, we have no depth at this point).  I called it BEFORE they traded Ridgeway when "some" people were saying we were all set, no need to do anything.  I knew they couldn't be happy with the status quo and of course their desire for "competition" which would mean signing people at least better than the weakest guy on the team, otherwise there would be no competition.  So, minus Ridgeway, they better sign someone good or the interior DL will have taken a step backward in  year where so many great young DT's were added to teams.  Speed is great until you're in short yardage at key moments against teams with power backs.  

I didn't misquote you at all. Between this thread and another you advocated signing Suh.

If that is your opinion you are certainly entitled to that opinion.

I just don't happen to agree.

Evidently Ballard don't agree either. As heavy this draft was with defense he didn't take that "monster" you are referring to.

I am sure if Eberflus wanted that "monster" Ballard would have accommodated him.

If there is one thing I have learned is Ballard is not signing any high dollar free agents. You should know this too so I was surprised when you advocated for that to happen.

I have pretty much backed you up in all of your comments except for this one so your comment about me making misleading comments are unwarranted.

I have gotten past our past issues so I had hoped you had too.

[ColtsAC 171]

I say C....Sweat and Brown would have had a bigger immediate impact though I do like Campbell. The rest seem very average at best to me now but I need to give them time to prove what kind of a class they are. I'm pulling for the 5th rounder though and his comeback from adversity and really the road the Rock had to take when his school quit football. I do wonder if he proves to be fast enough. I think Tell's height might come in handy against wr-like TEs and taller Wrs like the bball player from Stanford.

[ColtsAC 171]

If this draft class leads to the Colts signing Ajayi, since no rb was taken, and he is healthy that would help the Colts I think. I was hoping the Colts would have had a chance at Jacobs.

[Four2itus 3,036]

A.

 

Character men who lead, work hard, and love the game. 

 

Nicely done Colts. 

[austriancolt 433]

Trading out of the 1st round and pickung up another 2nd rounder nex year was a great decision. Rock Ya-Sin and Campbell are some great value picks, I'm not so sure about Banogu and if he offers more than the guys we already have on the roster. Okereke is a nice pickup in the third I hope he turns out to be another great LB pick like Leonard. But I don't relly like the rest. So I give it a B-

[ThorstenDenmark 267]

Like the draft class, but I'm in no way sold or convinced that this class delivers more than 2 starters. 

Like Rock ya-sin and Pariss, but the rest of the class is a bit meh to me. 

 

Really hope im wrong

[Myles 2,618]

Like others on here, I can't really grade the draft at this time.   It'll take 2 years till we know.   To me, most important will be who we passed up on.   Will players drafted after #25 be much better than we got at #46?    Will we have passed on great players to draft a dud?

Right now, Ballard has earned the benefit of the doubt and he did pick positions of need.  

[smittywerb 372]

I'm saying B right now but this draft could very well turn into an A.  I think Parrish is going to come out the gate putting up impressive numbers.  All he has to do is get into space.  TY will command doubles, Ebron is going to eat in the middle, and hopefully Funchess is going to draw some attention.

[chad72 10,325]

There is a Bill Polian like feel to Ballard's drafting. If you guys remember, it was hard to predict who Polian would pick in Rounds 2 and onwards as well, and a lot of times, we would be calling those draft picks reaches only to find out they were far more valuable to our system than others' thus justifying the draft capital invested. Like Polian, the Rounds 1-3 picks will typically be the ones making the most plays and leading to more wins than later round picks. As long as those picks continually hit, we will be in good shape. Only time will tell if we have unearthed any late round Robert Mathis or Antoine Bethea. It wasn't till a few years later that Robert Mathis started flourishing after playing time on special teams initially. 

 

However, with Polian, quality depth was lacking in the case of an injury to someone in the starting 11 on defense at least, and special teams was the ugly step child. That aspect is different in Ballard's drafting, IMO. 

 

Winning in the regular season can make you overlook a lot of draft misses but winning in the playoffs will shine the spotlight more on a rounded team, that I am hoping will be different in the Ballard era.

[SouthernIndianaNDFan 652]

On 4/27/2019 at 8:01 PM, MTC said:

My grade is meaningless, but I would say C+. 

 

I think this class is full of potential, but I do not see many immediate impact players. Rock Ya-Sin and Parris Campbell will see a lot of action, but everyone else will be rotational or special teams. 

 

Idk, I think Rock, Parris, Banogu, and Okereke will all see quite a bit of action, especially as the year progresses. Who would they have grabbed at 26 that would have made an immediate impact is the question? And are they better than the combo of Banogu and whoever is selected at the beginning of next year's 2nd? Too early to tell. I give them an A, they addressed every need we had, and got scheme-specific players. It really reminds me of a Patriots draft, and isn't that what everyone is trying to emulate?

[Barry Sears 1,123]

I'll give it a "B" right now...I can't agree with Mel Kiper...LOL.  Hard to grade a draft this early, but I love that we can now draft for depth more so than for need(s).  Ballard has my respect 100% and I know this coaching staff can develop these athletes.  Also love the drafting of high character players...makes a big difference in the locker room.

[Colts Fan In L.A. 44]

On 4/27/2019 at 7:22 PM, Rally5 said:

Could have had both...

Yup. That killed me

[JPFolks 878]

22 hours ago, crazycolt1 said:

I didn't misquote you at all. Between this thread and another you advocated signing Suh.

If that is your opinion you are certainly entitled to that opinion.

I just don't happen to agree.

Evidently Ballard don't agree either. As heavy this draft was with defense he didn't take that "monster" you are referring to.

I am sure if Eberflus wanted that "monster" Ballard would have accommodated him.

If there is one thing I have learned is Ballard is not signing any high dollar free agents. You should know this too so I was surprised when you advocated for that to happen.

I have pretty much backed you up in all of your comments except for this one so your comment about me making misleading comments are unwarranted.

I have gotten past our past issues so I had hoped you had too.

Read the first post I made at the top of the thread. I ACTUALLY say that I couldn't imagine signing a guy like Suh, but maybe all these high quality guys leave room for someone like him.  How does that equate to endorsing Suh? It doesn't.  It was a question which opened the discussion.  As people responded, they kept bringing up Suh, so I responded to those direct responses.  Suh would not be the worst DT on our roster.  He would likely start.  He'd certainly significantly increase competition which is what they say they want in all position groups.  Right now we have no real competition on the roster that leaves that position group improved over last year.   As it stands, it is weaker.  They need to bring someone in.  I don't care (as I said many times) WHO that person is, I simply listed the top 2 FA DT's to start the discussion.  If I am advocating Suh specifically, why would I start the entire discussion off saying I couldn't imagine signing someone like him? There's nothing to get "past" for me.  I go from discussion to discussion and agree or disagree.  But I don't like being misquoted when I was plainly clear at the start of the post.  

[throwing BBZ 2,413]

On 4/28/2019 at 6:20 AM, colts8718 said:

Trading Ridgeway  not understanding this move 

 

  I am excited we got Campbell. That is an A.
  Pretty much has to be an Incomplete otherwise. Ya Sin doesn't excite me.
  Talk to me the last quarter of the season.
  And i had LB as our second biggest need, so it was addressed. So a B.
  Lots of players to develop. and we did mighty good at that last season.
 The future looks BRIGHT. I give that an A. Go Colts!
 

 Hassan looks like a guy who can't quite understand FB. 
He played little last season because of that i believe.
 I don't believe in the word bust, some guys just don't have the x factor to compete at this level.
That is why we wait 2-3-4 years to see if the light comes on for these young men.
I wish him well and hope it clicks for him. Has does have physical gifts.

[Four2itus 3,036]

14 hours ago, ThorstenDenmark said:

Like the draft class, but I'm in no way sold or convinced that this class delivers more than 2 starters. 

Like Rock ya-sin and Pariss, but the rest of the class is a bit meh to me. 

 

Really hope im wrong

To the bolded...do you mean starters this season? IMO, any team who has 10 wins and drafts at 26 ....and gets 2 starters this season, has done an outstanding job.

[Scott Pennock 2,044]

Grading this draft on it's own merit would be an error in my opinion. This is Ballard's 3rd draft at the helm and Ballard/Dodds/Hogan's 2nd draft while specifically selecting players for their desired 4-3 Tampa Two defense and Reich's offense. To understand and appreciate this draft we must first look back at 2017 and 2018....

 

2017 

Hooker - FS

Wilson - CB

Hairston - CB

Moore - CB (UDFA)

Walker - MLB

Basham - DE (now with Jets)

Stewart - DT

 

Sanchez -P (UDFA)

 

Mack - RB

Banner - OT (now with Steelers)

Alie-Cox - TE (UDFA)

 

Ballard doubled down on defensive backs the first year looking for man corners and a centerfield type safety. This was a successful draft in that we have solid (or better) starters in Mack, Sanchez, Moore, Hooker and Walker. Wilson has matured and I think we'll see the best of him moving forward. Stewart showed flashes last year and actually took a majority of Al Woods snaps from him as the season wore on. Ali-Cox is on the verge of a breakout and may make Doyle expendable. Hairston is goung to have a battle on his hands between Collins and Milton for a roster spot.

 

5-6 solid starters - grades out as a B to me

 

2018

Nelson - LG

Smith - RT

Hines - RB

Wilkins - RB

Cain - WR 

Fountain - WR 

Ishmael - WR (UDFA)

 

Leonard - LB

Adams - LB

Franklin - LB

Moore - LB (UDFA)

Turay - DE

Lewis - DE

Killings - CB (UDFA)

Odum - DB (UDFA)

 

Traded with the Jets to pick up additional draft capital (more on that later). With the switch in both offensive and defensive philosophies an influx of talent was needed in offensive skill positions AND the linebacking corps. So Ballard/Dodds/Hogan double downed at OL, RB, WR, LB AND DL.......Two Rookie All-Pro's later, a starting Right Tackle, two RB's that contributed well, and Lewis/Turay combining for 6 sacks as rookies along with a developing Adams this class was amazing. The fact that the uber talented Fountain should contribute this year (after basically red shirting his rookie year) and Cain's potential availability, the offense will be even more dynamic than last year. 

 

Two All-Pros already makes this an A, however in my mind its an A+ because of all the other contributors.

 

Speaking of that Jets trade, here's how it looks now that we hit 2018:

 

Jets’ haul

QB Sam Darnold

 

Colts’ haul

OL Quenton Nelson

OL Braden Smith

DE Kemoko Turay

RB Jordan Wilkins

CB Rock Ya-Sin (2018 2nd Rounder)

 

Having prefaced this draft with the last two under Ballards regime, I felt like this draft was always going to be about filling in the blanks with more competitive depth and creating different wrinkles within the base and nickel/dime packages.

 

2018

Ya-Sin - CB

Tell - CB

Willis - SS

Banogu - Edge

Green - DE

Speed - LB

Okereke - LB

 

Barton - OT

Patterson - C

Campbell - WR

 

With the offensive talent more or less in place with the addition of Funchess the only playmaker selected was Campbell, who will likely start in the slot. Barton is an experienced tackle with upside and Patterson is known as a mauler at all 3 inside positions.

 

The defense is where is gets fun, so follow along!

 

Rock gives us another press man type corner to pair with Desir and Wilson that will allow Eberflus to play some Cover 3 like Seattle and let Hooker eat like he did his rookie year.

 

Willis is said to be outstanding at covering tightends from his box safety position which may make either Geathers or Farley expendable.

 

Tell is a long and lean safety that they intend on converting to the hybrid nickel/dime position that Wilson was playing last year which may make Odum expendable. Though I could see Tell as a practice squad candidate as well if Collins balls out.

 

Okereke and Speed add extreme athleticism and speed the the linebacking corps and could push Walker for a starting spot. Franklin, Adams, Moore and Thomas better bring it this TC!

 

Green will likely be groomed to take over for Sheard as the strong side defensive end, if in fact they don't do the same with Muhammad this year as well. Though I could see Green as a Practice Squad candidate as well.

 

Lastly, I see Banogu playing a lot of downs in various spots - kinda like how Houston moves Clowney around. At SAM he could cover the flat, set the edge or rush the passer. Put his hand in the dirt on obvious passing downs. Or stand him up stacked over Turay or Houston and bring both of the edge like the Chiefs did to us....so many possibilities for Eberflus to experiment with.

 

On it's own merit, this draft won't net us the amount of starters we're accustomed to, but, there will be contrubutions made across the board by all of them. I will give this draft a B+ purely based on the athleticism added and the 2020 2nd round pick!

 

To be were we are talent wise (minus Luck) in 3 drafts is uncanny and a tribute to the front office and their scouting staff with the additions of Glowinski, Sheard, Hunt, Desir, Muhammad, Ebron, et al.

 

Pieced all together, the only 2 holdovers from Grigson on defense is Geathers (re-signed on a one year deal) and Farley (tendered and signed 1 year deal). This is now Ballards 4-3 Tampa 2 that he desired.

 

Three year grade for me: A-

 

[2006Coltsbestever 24,352]

So far I give Ballard's these grades:

2017 - B

2018 - A

2019 - B