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We need a dominant TE

indyagent17

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shasta519 Ring of Honor

shasta519

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I hope that Hunter Henry (or Austin Hooper) hits FA. Henry is a perfect fit...and would compliment Doyle nicely. If that doesn't happen...then I agree that that they should be looking to the draft for a TE.

 

It's interesting that Ballard...who came from a team that drafted and developed a 3rd round TE that changed the team's entire offense...has yet to draft a TE out of 29 picks (20 of which occurred in rounds 2-5). Granted Ballard wasn't actually with the team when they scouted and drafted Kelce...but he saw firsthand the impact that he had.

 

I really thought that drafting a TE would be one of his first moves...and Kittle always just struck me as a guy he would go after...but then he didn't.

 

IF the Colts can't get one of the top FAs...I think we just might see Ballard pull the trigger on TE prospects the next couple of drafts to build up the group.

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Imgrandojji Practice Squad

Imgrandojji

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We actually don't.  Jack Doyle is easy to underestimate, he's a do-it-all type TE who's got very clutch hands.

 

We could get away with using him as a TE1 if we had a good run blocker as TE2.  Ideally I would like to upgrade at TE if possible, but it's not a break-the-bank kind of deal IMHO

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Jackie Daytona Ring of Honor

Jackie Daytona

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Sure, but you nailed it op.... There are so many more needs on this team.... They have a solid TE.  They need a WR CORPS, pass rushing DE that can stay healthy, dominant DT, oh, and ideally a upgrade at QB, you need one of those to throw to a dominant TE.... I mean, with a great QB Ebron WAS a dominant TE.... (And no, Stafford isn't great, he's an above average, solid starter) 

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Jackie Daytona

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2 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Kelce, Kittle, Gronk.  The SB teams do seem to have a theme.....

 

The Packers lost badly.  And NO didn't make it very far.  hmmmm.

Mahomes, Garroppolo, and Brady plus those three?  Is the theme that great QBs coupled with great TEs Trump great QBs without them?  Ok.

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CurBeatElite Active Roster

CurBeatElite

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4 hours ago, shastamasta said:

I hope that Hunter Henry (or Austin Hooper) hits FA. Henry is a perfect fit...and would compliment Doyle nicely. If that doesn't happen...then I agree that that they should be looking to the draft for a TE.

 

It's interesting that Ballard...who came from a team that drafted and developed a 3rd round TE that changed the team's entire offense...has yet to draft a TE out of 29 picks (20 of which occurred in rounds 2-5). Granted Ballard wasn't actually with the team when they scouted and drafted Kelce...but he saw firsthand the impact that he had.

 

I really thought that drafting a TE would be one of his first moves...and Kittle always just struck me as a guy he would go after...but then he didn't.

 

IF the Colts can't get one of the top FAs...I think we just might see Ballard pull the trigger on TE prospects the next couple of drafts to build up the group.

 

Ballard had a pro-bowl TE under contract when he got here (Doyle) and we had a LOT of needs in other areas.  Doesn't surprise me that Ballard looked elsewhere in the draft.

 

Then he signed Ebron before the 2018 season, and I don't think knew Doyle'd miss so much time in 2018.  Again, makes sense.

 

Going into the 2019 season we had a healthy Doyle and Ebron, plus an improving Mo Alie-Cox and some other decent depth at TE.

 

IMO, it makes sense why he hasn't addressed TE through the draft so far.  We had a lot of other needs on the team he inherited.  Going into this season with Ebron coming off a pro-bowl year and Doyle at full health, it would've almost shocked me to see him go TE in the draft.

 

Now, it sounds like we're moving on from Ebron.  If one of the TEs you mentioned becomes a FA, I bet we look seriously at them.  Otherwise, I imagine we take one in the draft.  It went from being a position of strength when Ballard took over to a position where we need to at least add solid depth.  

 

Ebron struggled with drops prior to the 2018 season.  He had a very good year in 2018.  He struggled with drops again last year.  Some may argue he dropped off b/c he had Jacoby instead of Luck, which is probably true to some extent.  However, I'd call the year he didn't have major drop issues more of an anomaly than the norm for Ebron.

 

4 hours ago, Imgrandojji said:

We actually don't.  Jack Doyle is easy to underestimate, he's a do-it-all type TE who's got very clutch hands.

 

We could get away with using him as a TE1 if we had a good run blocker as TE2.  Ideally I would like to upgrade at TE if possible, but it's not a break-the-bank kind of deal IMHO

 

Doyle's a very solid blocker.  He's a good possession TE.  He has made clutch first down and short yardage catches.

 

That said, I don't think Doyle has the speed to stretch the field as a TE1.  I could be wrong, but I'd say Doyle is a 'do-it-most' type of TE with the major knock on him being a true TE1 being that he isn't fast or athletic enough to stretch the field and be a serious vertical receiving threat.

 

2 hours ago, zibby43 said:

If Cole Kmet is available at 44, get him. 

 

13 minutes ago, DougDew said:

Yes.  Kmet is my favorite TE in the draft.

 

 

I like Kmet... but more and more he's being called the top TE in the draft and all projections I see on him are going mid-late first round.  Highly doubt he's around at 44.

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DougDew

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15 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

Ballard had a pro-bowl TE under contract when he got here (Doyle) and we had a LOT of needs in other areas.  Doesn't surprise me that Ballard looked elsewhere in the draft.

 

Then he signed Ebron before the 2018 season, and I don't think knew Doyle'd miss so much time in 2018.  Again, makes sense.

 

Going into the 2019 season we had a healthy Doyle and Ebron, plus an improving Mo Alie-Cox and some other decent depth at TE.

 

IMO, it makes sense why he hasn't addressed TE through the draft so far.  We had a lot of other needs on the team he inherited.  Going into this season with Ebron coming off a pro-bowl year and Doyle at full health, it would've almost shocked me to see him go TE in the draft.

 

Now, it sounds like we're moving on from Ebron.  If one of the TEs you mentioned becomes a FA, I bet we look seriously at them.  Otherwise, I imagine we take one in the draft.  It went from being a position of strength when Ballard took over to a position where we need to at least add solid depth.  

 

Ebron struggled with drops prior to the 2018 season.  He had a very good year in 2018.  He struggled with drops again last year.  Some may argue he dropped off b/c he had Jacoby instead of Luck, which is probably true to some extent.  However, I'd call the year he didn't have major drop issues more of an anomaly than the norm for Ebron.

 

 

Doyle's a very solid blocker.  He's a good possession TE.  He has made clutch first down and short yardage catches.

 

That said, I don't think Doyle has the speed to stretch the field as a TE1.  I could be wrong, but I'd say Doyle is a 'do-it-most' type of TE with the major knock on him being a true TE1 being that he isn't fast or athletic enough to stretch the field and be a serious vertical receiving threat.

 

 

 

 

I like Kmet... but more and more he's being called the top TE in the draft and all projections I see on him are going mid-late first round.  Highly doubt he's around at 44.

I hate to say this, but I watched him play against Georgia early in the season and thought there couldn't possibly be a better TE in college than him.  Its not surprising he's now being called the top TE in the draft. 

 

 

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Douzer

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7 hours ago, indyagent17 said:

I know we have more pressing issues but George Kittle went in the fifth round so I hope Ballard can find a gem later in the draft 

Yep, and it's no coincidence that arguably the 2 best TE's in football will be playing in the Super Bowl Feb 2.

One only has to think back to how much Gronk meant to Brady, Clark meant to Manning, or Clark meant to Montana.

Jason Witten, Jimmy Graham, Julius Thomas, Vernon Davis, Heath Miller, Greg Olsen. You know their names because they make big plays.

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Shadow_Creek

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8 hours ago, shastamasta said:

I hope that Hunter Henry (or Austin Hooper) hits FA. Henry is a perfect fit...and would compliment Doyle nicely. If that doesn't happen...then I agree that that they should be looking to the draft for a TE.

 

It's interesting that Ballard...who came from a team that drafted and developed a 3rd round TE that changed the team's entire offense...has yet to draft a TE out of 29 picks (20 of which occurred in rounds 2-5). Granted Ballard wasn't actually with the team when they scouted and drafted Kelce...but he saw firsthand the impact that he had.

 

I really thought that drafting a TE would be one of his first moves...and Kittle always just struck me as a guy he would go after...but then he didn't.

 

IF the Colts can't get one of the top FAs...I think we just might see Ballard pull the trigger on TE prospects the next couple of drafts to build up the group.

Ballard didn't draft that TE from Alabama we had but he was grooming him for the future till he was taken off of wavers 

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CurBeatElite

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2 hours ago, DougDew said:

I hate to say this, but I watched him play against Georgia early in the season and thought there couldn't possibly be a better TE in college than him.  Its not surprising he's now being called the top TE in the draft. 

 

 

 

Randy Moss' son (I think Thad is his first name) announced an early entry into the NFL Draft.

 

Hard to really judge how good he was because he had such a good team at LSU, the best QB in NCAA, the best WR corps in the NCAA, etc...  but from the bit I got to watch him in the college football playoffs/national final, he looks very athletic, comes from a good pedigree and seems to be a better teammate than his dad.

 

A few other guys we have a shot at in rounds 2-3 (or 3-4):

 

Albert Okwuegbunam - Mizzou - 6'5" 255 lbs.  Runs in the 4.6 forty range.  Had 43 receptions in 2018-19 and digressed to 26 receptions this past year (could be a good thing, may drop his stock, though I think he's still got stud potential).

 

Jared Pinckey - Vanderbilt -- 6'4" 260 lbs.. a 4.7 guy, had 50+ receptions as a junior, missed time as as senior and had 20 receptions in 7+ games.  Would be nice if he was slightly faster, but guy is a player and will likely be available in the mid rounds.

 

Colby Parkinson - Standford - 6'7" 251 lbs.  Had 48 receptions last year.  Physical freak with some rawness to his game.  

 

There are another 5-6 guys who look like they can produce in the NFL and will be available in the mid-rounds.  

 

I think we're certainly going to address TE this offseason (especially if we let Ebron walk).  It's probably a good offseason to do so as the draft looks pretty solid at TE and there is possibility of 2-3 FAs being available.

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shasta519

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1 hour ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

Randy Moss' son (I think Thad is his first name) announced an early entry into the NFL Draft.

 

Hard to really judge how good he was because he had such a good team at LSU, the best QB in NCAA, the best WR corps in the NCAA, etc...  but from the bit I got to watch him in the college football playoffs/national final, he looks very athletic, comes from a good pedigree and seems to be a better teammate than his dad.

 

A few other guys we have a shot at in rounds 2-3 (or 3-4):

 

Albert Okwuegbunam - Mizzou - 6'5" 255 lbs.  Runs in the 4.6 forty range.  Had 43 receptions in 2018-19 and digressed to 26 receptions this past year (could be a good thing, may drop his stock, though I think he's still got stud potential).

 

Jared Pinckey - Vanderbilt -- 6'4" 260 lbs.. a 4.7 guy, had 50+ receptions as a junior, missed time as as senior and had 20 receptions in 7+ games.  Would be nice if he was slightly faster, but guy is a player and will likely be available in the mid rounds.

 

Colby Parkinson - Standford - 6'7" 251 lbs.  Had 48 receptions last year.  Physical freak with some rawness to his game.  

 

There are another 5-6 guys who look like they can produce in the NFL and will be available in the mid-rounds.  

 

I think we're certainly going to address TE this offseason (especially if we let Ebron walk).  It's probably a good offseason to do so as the draft looks pretty solid at TE and there is possibility of 2-3 FAs being available.

 

Pinkney is very interesting. He was rated really high after his junior season.

 

Hopkins is probably the prize, but I think he sneaks into the 1st round if he tests well.

 

I like Breeland as a late Day Two guy...and I love a dice roll on Calcaterra from OU (if he can bulk up).

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zibby43

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2 hours ago, Shafty138 said:

Kmet looked good this year, but had what, 13 catches before that?  I'd hope they don't draft a TE that early, but who knows.... Cole capitalize d on a weak year for his position, that's for sure.

 

He only played 9 games as a sophomore.  And he played them on an excruciatingly painful high ankle sprain that he suffered early in the season against Ball State.  He was supposed to be out 4-6 weeks, but made it back in 2.  He also broke his collarbone in camp this year when Alohi Gilman landed on him and a drill.  Kmet made it back by the UGA game and starred in his first appearance of his junior season. 

 

He's an extraordinarily fast healer.  He plays through pain.  He runs through arm tackles/contact.

 

As a junior, Kmet tied the all-time record for TDs by a TE at ND (which is Tight End U - Fasano, Eifert, Rudolph, Niklas, Mack, and now Kmet, just in recent years).  I imagine his production next year would've been record setting with his QB and all 5 OL returning.

 

At the end of the day, I don't think the Colts will even sniff having a shot at him.  Kmet may go in the first round (perhaps to NE). 

 

He's the clear #1 TE in the draft at this point, and the only "weakness" in his game is that he could still develop/get stronger as an inline blocker. 

 

 

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13 hours ago, shastamasta said:

 

Pinkney is very interesting. He was rated really high after his junior season.

 

Hopkins is probably the prize, but I think he sneaks into the 1st round if he tests well.

 

I like Breeland as a late Day Two guy...and I love a dice roll on Calcaterra from OU (if he can bulk up).

 

Yes, oddly guys like Pinkney, Okwuegbunam, and McKeon (Michigan) all digressed as receivers last season compared to seasons before.  

 

I think Hopkins can also be a stud, and you're right, he's going to have to test well to move himself up in the draft.

 

A couple small(er) school guys I like are: (1) Harrison Bryant (FAU) who had 61 receptions last year and at 6'5", 240 lbs and a 4.7 forty, he seems like with some NFL coaching could be something special,  (2) Matt Bushman (BYU) had 49 receptions as a sophomore, 29 as a junior, 47 as a senior and has good size at 6'5" 245 lbs and speed (4.7 forty), and (3) Adam Trautman (Dayton) who had 70 receptions and 14 TDs last year and is a 6'6", 250+ lbs guy who runs around a 4.7.

 

 

 

12 hours ago, zibby43 said:

 

He only played 9 games as a sophomore.  And he played them on an excruciatingly painful high ankle sprain that he suffered early in the season against Ball State.  He was supposed to be out 4-6 weeks, but made it back in 2.  He also broke his collarbone in camp this year when Alohi Gilman landed on him and a drill.  Kmet made it back by the UGA game and starred in his first appearance of his junior season. 

 

He's an extraordinarily fast healer.  He plays through pain.  He runs through arm tackles/contact.

 

As a junior, Kmet tied the all-time record for TDs by a TE at ND (which is Tight End U - Fasano, Eifert, Rudolph, Niklas, Mack, and now Kmet, just in recent years).  I imagine his production next year would've been record setting with his QB and all 5 OL returning.

 

At the end of the day, I don't think the Colts will even sniff having a shot at him.  Kmet may go in the first round (perhaps to NE). 

 

He's the clear #1 TE in the draft at this point, and the only "weakness" in his game is that he could still develop/get stronger as an inline blocker. 

 

 

 

I think the biggest weakness in Kmet's game is his speed.  He's listed as a 4.85 forty.  He's got the size, the strength, the hands and the 'football player' things going for him.. he seems to play faster than that, but it is never easy to judge against college competition compared to the NFL.  Regardless, I think he's gonna be a very good NFL player.  

 

For the Colts, though, with Doyle already in place... I think we'd almost be better off with a faster guy who can almost by a hybrid WR/TE (which Ebron kind of was in year 1 in Indy).

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Indyfan4life Ring of Honor

Indyfan4life

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You see what our TE groups looked like with Manning and Luck throwing the ball. Doyle requires a good QB to get him open, or at least let him create something. 
 

Also, while I’m a fan of Doyle, it seems like he goes down too easily. Seeing Kittle drag three guys down field reminded me of why having that dominant type of player on offense is so special and needed. 

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Hoose Team Captain

Hoose

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One guy that hasn’t been mentioned in this thread is Hunter Bryant from Washington. He’s the kind of “receiver first” TE  the Colts are missing right now. Great route runner with hands and speed. And I think he could still be on the Board in the 3rd round. Someone to keep an eye on. 

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Steamboat_Shaun Walk On

Steamboat_Shaun

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On 1/21/2020 at 4:03 PM, DougDew said:

I hate to say this, but I watched him play against Georgia early in the season and thought there couldn't possibly be a better TE in college than him.  Its not surprising he's now being called the top TE in the draft. 

 

Based on the dozens of mock drafts I've done this month, Brycen Hopkins seems to be the top TE in this class. He's the first one off the board every time.

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16 minutes ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

Based on the dozens of mock drafts I've done this month, Brycen Hopkins seems to be the top TE in this class. He's the first one off the board every time.

Agreed about what the pundits think.  Kmet just seems like a guy BB would take at 28 and become the next all pro.  I'm not a big fan of the one dimensional receiving TE, and Kmet seems like Doyle, only younger, bigger, and a better receiver.  And with his length and long strides, he could get down field quicker than he looks.

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Steamboat_Shaun

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1 hour ago, DougDew said:

Agreed about what the pundits think.  Kmet just seems like a guy BB would take at 28 and become the next all pro.  I'm not a big fan of the one dimensional receiving TE, and Kmet seems like Doyle, only younger, bigger, and a better receiver.  And with his length and long strides, he could get down field quicker than he looks.

 

Gotcha. I'm basing it totally on what I'm seeing with the player rankings, & I'd be lying if I said I've seen enough of either guy to make that distinction.

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Edo Walk On

Edo

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Hey guys I don't know if it has be brought to you attention yet, but if we need a dominant TE, we could find it at the FA.
Austin Hooper, who made it to the Pro Bowl this year is FA at the end of the season. It could be a really good fit for us. 
What do you guyw think about it !?

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