Mock Off-season 1.0

[Caleb3502]

Starting Cap Space: $91,846,470

 

Colts Free Agents 

 

Unrestricted Free Agents

 

DE Jabaal Sheard – 2 Years/$14M (First year fully guaranteed at $7M)

Still a valuable piece defending the run. It's important to have veteran DL on the roster like Sheard and Houston to be mentors to players like Turay, Banogu, and Muhammed. 

 

WR Devin Funchess – 1 Year/$7M ($3M in incentives) 

We didn't really get to see Funchess at all this past season, but I think he's worth bringing back to see what he can do on the field. WR depth was a big issue this year and there's not many realistic options in free agency.  It's a deep WR draft class, but I feel we need veteran players at the positon along with the younger guys. Funchess will still be young himself as he will be 26 at the start of the season. 

 

T Anthony Castonzo – 3 Years/$48M ($26M guarenteed)

While he is pondering retirement, I am going through with the scenario that he continues playing. He is still playing at a high level, and it is very hard to replace the LT. An OT in the draft is still a good idea, since we do not have much depth across the line except for Haeg and Andrews, both I believe will be brought back.  

 

G Joe Haeg – 2 Years/$6.5M ($3.5M cap hit in 2020)

Can play any position on the line and has been our best reserve lineman for the past few seasons. 

 

RB Jonathan Williams – 1 Year/1.325M

Didn't get to play much except for the time Mack was out, but Ballard and our coaches seem to like him and would want to keep him around at least for camp and the preseason. 

 

G Josh Andrews – 2 Years/4.5M ($2.5M cap hit in 2020) 

Like Haeg, he is a solid backup lineman and should be kept for depth. 

 

Restricted Free Agents

 

WR Marcus Johnson – RFA Original Round Tender ($2.144M)

277 yards and 2 TDs really isn't that bad considering he only played in 8 games. He is worth bringing back in camp to fight for the final WR spot. 

 

Exclusive Rights Free Agents

 

WR Daurice Fountain - ERFA Tender (660K)

Might be his last shot at the roster after being on IR all of last year. He seemed to be developing into a decent player so hopefully he can be involved on offense barring no injuries. 

 

S Rolan Milligan - ERFA Tender (660K)

He was always one of those guys I never really understood why he was still on the roster, but he played decently when he was on the field so he's worth bringing back on a cheap tender. 

 

Releases

 

DL Margus Hunt - Saves $4M 

Fell out of the rotation in favor of Grover Stewart. 17 tackles/0 sacks in 2019 after having 30 tackles/5 Sacks in 2018. Not worth the $4M as a 33 year old backup DL. 

 

Money Spent: $40,789,000

Remaining Cap Space: $55,057,470

 

Free Agents

 

DT Javon Hargrave – 4 Years/$60M ($35M guarenteed)

A disruptive 3 Tech on the DL is something the Colts need desperately. Autry has been solid but is also entering a contract year. Stewart did well this year but is more suited as a 1 tech. Pittsburgh will most likely have to choose between Dupree and Hargrave with their cap situation. Hargrave is a solid interior pass rusher and is most likely the 2nd best DT in this free agency class behind Chris Jones, and I anticipate Chris Jones returning to Kansas City. $15M/year might be a bit high but that approximately what the market value is for a young, free agent DT.

  

TE Austin Hooper – 4 Years/$38M ($20M guarenteed)

Reich has been a fan on the 2-TE sets since his time as Philly's Offensive Coordinator with Ertz and Goedert. Colts will most likely not bring back Ebron, so Hooper will fill the void as the receiving TE. Hooper had a very good year with 75 catches/787 yards/6 TDs.  Hunter Henry is another option here but I believe he has had too many injuries to trust him to play a full season. Atlanta has about $7M in cap space, so Hooper's price tag may become unrealistic for them to match. A TE group of Doyle, Hooper, and Alie-Cox is a solid group moving forward. 

 

CB Logan Ryan – 2 Years/$25M ($12M guaranteed)  

He will be 29 at the start of the season but is coming off a very impressive season: 113 Tackles, 18 Pass Deflections, 4 FF, 4 INT, 4.5 Sacks. Suffered a broken fibula in 2018 but has only missed 3 games in 7 seasons. All around CB that will excel in any system. Titans have around $51M in cap space, but have other free agents like Tannehill, Henry, and Conklin. Desir and Moore both missed time this year due to injuries, so it’s important to have solid options at CB. Ryan isn't a name I have seen mentioned on here as a potential free agent target, but I feel he would be a good pick up for the secondary on a similar contract that Ballard did with Justin Houston, who is close in age to Logan Ryan and in a similar situation where his team couldn't afford to keep him.  

 

Money Spent on Free Agents: $37,000,000

Cap Space Remaining: $18,057,470

 

Draft

 

Round 1 Pick 13: QB Jordan Love – Utah State

Love has been talked about extensively on the site so I won’t go into too much detail on his skill set.  We all know he has a big arm but can struggle with decision-making. I think he has the physical tools to exceed at the NFL level, and I feel a lot of his bad habits can be fixed with Frank Reich.  I anticipate Herbert being off the board, as well as Derrick Brown, Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb. Taking Javon Kinlaw here is a very tempting, but if we can sign Hargrave or another solid DT, I think we can grab a DT on Day 2. With all the time Ballard and company as spent scouting Love, I feel that if they really want him, they will take him when they can at #13. A trade down is possible, but it would not be unrealistic if a team like New England would get him or maybe even Tampa Bay would take him after Winston’s 30-30 season.      

 

Round 2 Pick 34: DT Neville Gallimore – Oklahoma

He's very athletic and extremely quick for being 304 lb. Reportedly ran a 4.76 40 time at Oklahoma. Has great effort and range as a 1-Tech. Doesn't have the pass rush ability to be a 3-tech, but does a good job at getting through the line as a 1-tech due to his initial quickness off the line and power. Can play all 3 downs and would be a great piece next to Hargrave in our defense, with Autry and Stewart in the rotation as well.  

 

Round 2 Pick 44: WR Brandon Aiyuk – Arizona State

Fantastic vertical WR with YAC ability. Creates issues for DBs trying to defend him one-on-one. Runs sharp routes and can effectively track down the ball. Has shown ability as a dynamic return specialist. Struggles in press coverage but does a terrific job in space and on deep routes. A lot of speed on the field with Campbell, Hilton, and Aiyuk. 

 

Round 3 Pick 75: CB Cameron Dantzler – Mississippi State

Solid zone cornerback who works well on the outside. Good length at 6'2" but need to add more weight to his frame as he is 185 lb. Has pretty good ball skills when disrupting the pass but struggles at times on deep balls. His biggest issue is run defense and physicality in man-to-man. However, I think he has the length and flexibility to excel in the zone, and play a similar role as Desir in our defense, who will be 30 years old this season.   

 

Round 4 Pick 112: OT Trey Adams – Washington

Big OL at 6'8". Has great power at the point of attack and can push defenders out of the play. Durability and injuries are the main concerns and the reasons why he isn't projected to be a top prospect. He is a high risk, high reward type of prospect. He can develop into a solid starter on the OL after Castonzo is gone or if Bradem Smith replaces Glowinski at RG as long as the knee and back issues do not become a problem. 

 

Round 5 Pick 142: S Antoine Brooks Jr – Maryland

Versatile player who can play as a nickle LB, nickle CB, S, and ST. A great tackler and blitzer due to his high motor and stout build. Will struggle in deep pass coverage but is good in short-to-mid range coverage. Won't be a starter but will be great in sub packages and has a ST ace. 

 

Round 6 Pick 173: RB A.J. Dillon – Boston College

He is a bruiser at 250 lb. I like our running back group of Mack, Hines, and Wilkins, but we are missing a bigger back that we can use on shart yardage and goal-line situations. Doesn't have much athletic traits due to his size, but if he needs a yard, he will probably get that yard. 

 

Round 6 Pick 190: WR Binjimen Victor – Ohio State

Tall WR at 6'4". Has good ball skills and strong hands. Does a decent job after the catch and is a decent route runner. He needs to add more to his frame as he is 199 lb, which would help is struggles at being physical. 

 

Round 7 Pick 227: LB T.J. Brunson – South Carolina

Plays with tenacity and a very high motor. Known as a leader at South Carolina that energizes his team. He's smaller at 6'1" 219 lb and has average athleticism. He is rarely out of position and is a strong tackler. 

 

Money Spent on Draft Picks: Approximately $10,000,000

Cap Space Remaining: $8,057,470

[#12.]

Williams was pretty good when given the opportunity.  Wouldn't doubt if another team gets him and gives him more playing time.  

[stitches]

Great effort. And while I kind of doubt Ballard will spend this much money, we can still hope for another month or two. AC will be the key here IMO. It all starts with him. Lets hope we get good news soon. Otherwise - you've addressed most of our needs and have added a lot of talent to this roster. If we did something like this IMO we will have good enough roster to compete for the playoffs this coming year and depending on how Love develops maybe compete for superbowls down the road. 

[richard pallo]

Great job.  I agree with a lot of people that getting AC to resign is the key.  We can afford to pay him as one of the top LT's like we say he is.  I'm hoping we get it done this week.  I personally think we will need to spend more to keep Funchess.  We wanted to give him a long term deal last year but he wanted the one year prove it deal.  Then the freak injury derailed his and our plans.  And now we don't have Luck.  I think he will be highly sought after by a number of contenders.  I hope he stays but I think Ballard might have his work cut out for him.  We can only hope.  

[MPStack]

My only opinion would be Logan Ryan is not going to sign for just 2 years, at 29 and coming off a solid year. 
 

Nice job though!

[CR91]

We have never been that active in FA to sign that many top tier talent

[hoosierhawk]

Likey!! Would be happy with this.

[funktacious2]

Count me among those who would be pretty happy with this. Probably my favorite mock thus far. 

 

It starts with your Free Agency. It's not perfect. As others have already said I have my doubts we spend that much. You can tell Ballard wants to be frugal and have cap to extend contracts. Just look at our 2021 FA class and you will see what I mean. But I like who you chose and how it will impact our draft.

 

This is why I don't really do many mock drafts before FA. Free agency can often be about putting the team in the best position to enter the draft with options. The draft afterall is actually unpredictable at times. It helps to have contingencies. Hargrave, for example, does that. He's not only an upgrade up front, he may make passing on Kinlaw more viable. And if we pick Herbert or Love we don't have to suffer the potential drop off in DT talent come round 2. If our QB is gone, we could still grab Kinlaw and doubt down on our D-line, or we could take the BPA of a likely WR, OT, or pass rusher being there. Or we could even trade back, get another second, still get an impact player, maybe get someone like Fromm, Eason, or Gordon with one of our 2nd or 3rds.  Without Hargrave, if we miss out on Love, Herbert, Brown, AND Kinlaw, I'm feeling disappointed about our D-line potentially. I'm sure there are others who could surprise, but this is a nice example of how FA can influence a draft. 

 

 

[colts52761]

Thought Hargrave was more likely to play NT instead of 3 tech?

[Caleb3502]

16 hours ago, colts52761 said:

Thought Hargrave was more likely to play NT instead of 3 tech?

He played NT in Pittsburgh due to their 3-4 scheme. Hargrave is 6'2" 305 lb and has good quickness off the line to rush the passer, so he would be suited as a 3-tech in our 4-3 defense.  Autry is our current 3 tech and runs a 5.07 40 time, which is actually slower than Hargrave's 4.93 40 time.  

[Hoose]

Thanks for the hard work on this thread. 

I like the first three draft picks. I can definitely see that happening.

The Colts need play makers and Love, Gallimore and Aiyuk would fill that need. I don't believe Adams will last until the 4th round though. Maybe the third round if his injury history continues to dog him past the combine etc. He'd be a great value in the 3rd round. 

 

I'd love to see Hargrave and Hooper as free agent pickups. Those two positions make sense in FA since the dline cannot get better by the draft alone IMO. The Colts also need an impact TE. 

 

All in all a fun and well thought out off season.