Mechi Becton a possibility at 13?

[Jackie Daytona]

Just now, DownHillRunner said:

 

If Ballard selects Becton at 13 he has to start right away. A top 15 pick is too high for a player to sit on the sidelines for a year or two until AC retires. That is one of the reasons why I would be against the pick. 

Pick him, slide your RT to RG, start Becton at RT for a yr, then if AC retires next year, your fine 

 

Not what I'd do necessarily, but wouldn't be inexcusable

[Zoltan]

23 minutes ago, DougDew said:

I'm too lazy to look up Mariota's combine numbers as they relate to athleticism and the evaluation of his arm talent, but I tend to remember that both were very good.  And Mariota tends to have that unstocky somewhat unthick build and can run fast more than scramble.

 

I'm wondering if the proper comparison for Love at this point in the predraft process would be Mariota?

 

We'd have to consider that Mariota ran more and that Love threw more in their respective offenses, but as far as the description of traits and body type, they seem to be the most comparable, and Mariota was drafted quite high, IIRC. 

 

Maybe a team will take the same route and draft Love high and that would cause an OT to fall.

honestly Mariota could have turned out better IMO, but the guy was ruined by the Titans 5 offensive Coordinators in his first 5 years isn’t what you want when developing a QB. Yeah he had injuries but consistent coaching is important when trying to break a QBs bad habits. 
 

also they really don’t compare they play way different and Mariota doesn’t have the arm strength or touch that Love has

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, CanuckColtsFan said:

I believe he went down 7 lbs

From 357 when  he first weighed in to 364 on the day he worked out. 
 

Where he lost weight was leading up to the Combine.  He’s been listed at 369 all season long.   So at some point he dropped 12.    Weighed in at arrival.   And weighed again on the workout day. 

[Breeze]

48 minutes ago, Shafty138 said:

Pick him, slide your RT to RG, start Becton at RT for a yr, then if AC retires next year, your fine 

 

Not what I'd do necessarily, but wouldn't be inexcusable

Ensures an elite offensive line for years.  Who knows, the new OT could force AC to the right side to finish his career.  A lot of flexibility with this scenario.

[Moosejawcolt]

15 hours ago, pacolts56 said:

Moose....to be fair.... Jeremiah worked as a college scout for 3 different NFL teams, including a stint under Ozzie Newsome in Baltimore, who was as solid a GM on draft day as they come.

 

Your right about some of these other analysts.... but Jeremiah has credentials.

 

And yes....Becton could be gone by the #13 spot.

Of course Jeremiah and Brooks have credentials.  My biggest issue with both of them is at the combine.  A guy runs a great 40 or throws a 40 yard pass and they say " wow he just made some money or he just rocketed up the draft". Every credible exec states it doesn't work that way.   They get caught up in the combine hype.

[chad72]

Tristan Wirfs says "don't forget about me".  I'd look long and hard at this guy if he is there at No.13

[pacolts56]

42 minutes ago, Moosejawcolt said:

Of course Jeremiah and Brooks have credentials.  My biggest issue with both of them is at the combine.  A guy runs a great 40 or throws a 40 yard pass and they say " wow he just made some money or he just rocketed up the draft". Every credible exec states it doesn't work that way.   They get caught up in the combine hype.

Sure.... there's some TV/Draft-season hype to all this..... but remember, those credible GMs are pathological liars from February thru April as well.

 

Just enjoy the smoke and mirrors and hope the chips fall our way. 

 

 

 

 

[DownHillRunner]

1 hour ago, Shafty138 said:

Pick him, slide your RT to RG, start Becton at RT for a yr, then if AC retires next year, your fine 

 

Not what I'd do necessarily, but wouldn't be inexcusable

 

 

Move Braden to RG and Becton at RT. I suppose that could work. 

[Four2itus]

Use him at fullback. 

[DougDew]

1 hour ago, Zoltan said:

honestly Mariota could have turned out better IMO, but the guy was ruined by the Titans 5 offensive Coordinators in his first 5 years isn’t what you want when developing a QB. Yeah he had injuries but consistent coaching is important when trying to break a QBs bad habits. 
 

also they really don’t compare they play way different and Mariota doesn’t have the arm strength or touch that Love has

I was just wondering what the thought was then, not now. 

 

Even though he was in a more run oriented O at Oregon, I thought the post combine analysis was that he had a talented arm.  We knew he was athletic.

[pacolts56]

5 minutes ago, Four2itus said:

Use him at fullback. 

[Jdubu]

2 hours ago, Shafty138 said:

Ballard is actually the opposite. He pretty much tells you what he's doing..... Then.... He does it.

True, mostly but when is the first time he throws that curve ball when you’re looking for the fastball he throws 99% of the time. It just takes once. This high up in the draft, this would be a perfect time to mix everyone up. 
 

all I can say is that it’s draft season, FA is right around the corner, we have some needs and we have tons of cash and cap space. Everyone with talent and desire to get paid is linked to us. Top draft picks are linked to us. We have AC apparently coming back but he isn’t signed so who knows, he could be smoke screening it too. Do we stay with JB or Kelly and take a top WR or DE instead of a QB at 13? The reason to throw all the misinformation and wonder is to keep people like us talking, guessing and looking at their favorite team all season long. It’s exciting. 

[DougDew]

3 hours ago, Shafty138 said:

Pick him, slide your RT to RG, start Becton at RT for a yr, then if AC retires next year, your fine 

 

Not what I'd do necessarily, but wouldn't be inexcusable

Yes.  And it puts Glow on the bench as a backup.

 

Look how drafting Becton or Wirfs and placing them at RT helps the oline:

 

1.  RT is upgraded since either is probably better than Smith.

2.  RG is upgraded since Smith is better than Glow.

3.  DEPTH at G is upgraded since Glow is better than Haeg.

4. DEPTH at T is upgraded since Smith is better than Clark. (Smith slides over again)

 

4 positions are upgraded with one pick.  That's called value.

[Zoltan]

54 minutes ago, DougDew said:

I was just wondering what the thought was then, not now. 

 

Even though he was in a more run oriented O at Oregon, I thought the post combine analysis was that he had a talented arm.  We knew he was athletic.

I put the first part because to show how important having consistency for a developing QB. 
 

the second part was more of from the combine. His combine performance was actually better than Loves, Love had bigger hands and longer arms. As for marcus in his analysis they said his play style and lack of pocket presence put him at risk of injury and that he had an average arm. Watching there play styles I really don’t see to much in common. 

[stitches]

If he's there, he should be an option... but he probably won't be there. 

[CanuckColtsFan]

3 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

From 357 when  he first weighed in to 364 on the day he worked out. 
 

Where he lost weight was leading up to the Combine.  He’s been listed at 369 all season long.   So at some point he dropped 12.    Weighed in at arrival.   And weighed again on the workout day. 

That is interesting how much weight he's losing and gaining. 

 

I guess as a percentage of weight its under 4%

[BluHorzhu]

18 hours ago, Breeze said:

I like the idea of getting one of the OT’s at 13.  Start him at right tackle, move Smith to his natural position at right guard.  That’s a pretty good offensive line and you’ll have AC’s replacement already primed and ready in a couple years if not sooner.

 

This is a spirited thread here fellas.  Like it.  A couple viewpoints:

It has been said by many that if you have the opportunity to land a blue chip player in the draft, you take it regardless of positional need.  As it relates to LT, Castonzo has yet to re-sign and at this point I doubt it happens until after the draft by the mere fact that a great OT prospect may indeed fall to #13.  In that case, it would be hard to pass on a guy like that.  

 

One of the ways to mitigate QB woes is to strengthen your line and buy him more time.  Drafting OT and kicking Braden Smith inside would make Indy's line the best in the NFL.  Not sure how complicated that would make re-signs in the future, but it would go a long way toward

a) attracting QBs to Indy AND

b) buying yourself more time to make a wise move in the future

 

You can always move some parts around via trades, so I don't see any major issues with drafting BPA instead of pure need.  

[John Hammonds]

19 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

In another thread,  I said of Bechton that he's way, WAY too big for my comfort level.   He's been listed at 369 all season long.    My preference is 325 or less.

 

But I have to give the kid a shout-out.   Not only did he test exceptionally well for a big man of any size,  but especially his size,   but he also did so at....   359 pounds.   Seems the kid showed up 10 pounds lighter for the combine.    You gotta give credit where it is due.   He's still too big for my comfort level.    If he's this big now,  how big will he be in 5 years,  8 years,  10 years?    That scares me off.

 

But mad props to him for taking this seriously and showing up trying to be the best he can be.

 

I am soooo in agreement.  Everybody is all "Wow!  This guy ran a 5.1 at 360+ pounds!"  And I'm sitting over here saying "Why is this guy this size at all???"  His being this large this early severely concerns me.  If I'm determined to pick OL, and I have Bechton and Wirfs in front of me, I'm going Wirfs.

[NewColtsFan]

57 minutes ago, John Hammonds said:

I am soooo in agreement.  Everybody is all "Wow!  This guy ran a 5.1 at 360+ pounds!"  And I'm sitting over here saying "Why is this guy this size at all???"  His being this large this early severely concerns me.  If I'm determined to pick OL, and I have Bechton and Wirfs in front of me, I'm going Wirfs.

I’m nit saying Be thin can’t be good.  And I’m encouraged that he wants to lose more weight.

 

But if you’re 360 at 21. 22...  what will you be at 25, 28, 30?   Guys that big  tend to get bigger as they get older...

[aaron11]

8 hours ago, Zoltan said:

honestly Mariota could have turned out better IMO, but the guy was ruined by the Titans 5 offensive Coordinators in his first 5 years isn’t what you want when developing a QB

 

they tried turning him into a pocket passer too when hes really more of a spread or read option qb.  i think at some point over the 5 years you need to play to your struggling qbs strengths to help him out 

[coltsfanatic24]

How many great offensive linemen does one team need? This Colts team has a top 3 offensive line and all the starters are coming back. I know AC considered retiring but he’s coming back on a likely two year deal.

 

The team has so many needs and offensive line is very low on the list. What we do need are playmakers on the defensive line and at WR. If all of the defensive prospects that Ballard want are off the board at 13 then I would go with Lamb or Jeudy. I have them ranked higher than Becton and would have an immediate impact. 

[CheezyColt]

25 minutes ago, coltsfanatic24 said:

How many great offensive linemen does one team need? This Colts team has a top 3 offensive line and all the starters are coming back. I know AC considered retiring but he’s coming back on a likely two year deal.

 

The team has so many needs and offensive line is very low on the list. What we do need are playmakers on the defensive line and at WR. If all of the defensive prospects that Ballard want are off the board at 13 then I would go with Lamb or Jeudy. I have them ranked higher than Becton and would have an immediate impact. 

I have to agree with this. Our OL at this point, in terms of round drafted, is 1, 1, 1, 4, 2. The idea that we draft an OT in Rd 1 to play RT and move Smith to RG would result in a 1, 1, 1, 2, 1... all of which would have been drafted by this franchise. That's an insane amount of resources spent on the OL when we're already getting top of the league performance from that unit. I am in 100% agreement that we need to draft 1 or 2 OL in this draft, with an OT by the end of day 2... but at some point you hit the point of diminishing returns. I wouldn't necessarily be mad about taking an OT in round 1 this year with the idea of replacing Costanzo, but it would seem a bit redundant to me.

[coltsfanatic24]

4 minutes ago, CheezyColt said:

I have to agree with this. Our OL at this point, in terms of round drafted, is 1, 1, 1, 4, 2. The idea that we draft an OT in Rd 1 to play RT and move Smith to RG would result in a 1, 1, 1, 2, 1... all of which would have been drafted by this franchise. That's an insane amount of resources spent on the OL when we're already getting top of the league performance from that unit. I am in 100% agreement that we need to draft 1 or 2 OL in this draft, with an OT by the end of day 2... but at some point you hit the point of diminishing returns. I wouldn't necessarily be mad about taking an OT in round 1 this year with the idea of replacing Costanzo, but it would seem a bit redundant to me.

Drafting a offensive linemen at 13 would be very redundant and I would lose some confidence in Ballard if he were to do that. Also, eventually they’re going to have to pay Nelson, Kelly, and Smith top money at their position. 

[CheezyColt]

Just now, coltsfanatic24 said:

Drafting a offensive linemen at 13 would be very redundant and I would lose some confidence in Ballard if he were to do that. Also, eventually they’re going to have to pay Nelson, Kelly, and Smith top money at their position. 

I agree.  It wouldn't make me think less of Ballard, necessarily, because we know it's an upcoming need. It would make me feel like 2020 was more of a punt than if we took a different, hoghly rated prospect. We're pretty sure that if we got one of the top 4 OT in this draft, that we got a probable LT to replace AC in 1 or 2 years. That's a position that takes premium draft capital, so addressing that when we have the chance to do so without trading up and spending more picks kind of makes sense to me. But with the current state of the team, taking a position of more immediate need would be more exciting and probably more immediately beneficial. I just try to envision myself and what I would do if my entire professional life depended on each pick... (which makes me extremely flip-floppy and totally unqualified for the position, lol). I don't want an OT at 13... but it wouldn't be damning in my eyes. Just pretty redundant and disappointing. 

[indyman411]

On 2/28/2020 at 10:12 PM, Breeze said:

I like the idea of getting one of the OT’s at 13.  Start him at right tackle, move Smith to his natural position at right guard.  That’s a pretty good offensive line and you’ll have AC’s replacement already primed and ready in a couple years if not sooner.

This is my thought on this. Even if not Becton, get an OT to move Smith to his natural guard position and the OL gets really solid. 

[Orioles22]

We need a defensive tackle most of all - no way I'd use a first-round pick this year for an offensive tackle. I'd go with a receiver at 34, and then possibly an offensive lineman.

[funktacious2]

On 2/28/2020 at 9:18 PM, Chloe6124 said:

I don’t think we  take a ot at 13 to sit a year. Maybe a second round pick to develop for a year. That would mean your passing up a QB, DT that can have immediate impact, or a stud WR. That doesn’t make sense.

In fairness an OT could still start at RT this year and slightly upgrade over Smith or kick Smith into the inside. It's not like it can't have an immediate impact. Talent is talent at 13. Not saying it's my favorite options, but saying it doesn't make sense seems like an overreaction.

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

1 minute ago, funktacious2 said:

In fairness an OT could still start at RT this year and slightly upgrade over Smith or kick Smith into the inside. It's not like it can't have an immediate impact. Talent is talent at 13. Not saying it's my favorite options, but saying it doesn't make sense seems like an overreaction.

A WR or DT would have better impact right away. We have a pretty good oline alteady. I like this idea if we already had a QB and didn’t need a WR or DT so bad. This would be a really good scenario.

[funktacious2]

2 minutes ago, Chloe6124 said:

A WR or DT would have better impact right away. We have a pretty good oline alteady. I like this idea if we already had a QB and didn’t need a WR or DT so bad. This would be a really good scenario.

Like I said, OT isn't my first choice. Just discussing how it still makes plenty of sense if CB and Reich like the talent.

[richard pallo]

We were so lucky to not have any injuries on the OL last year.  Unfortunately we only have two backups worth any consequence.  So getting a top level OT early in the draft probably makes a lot of sense.  I hope Ballard addresses the OL in FA as well because I think the likelihood of the Colts having another year with no injuries on the OL is highly unlikely.  

[LockeDown]

We still have room to improve on our Oline. Wouldn’t you want to dominate in the playoffs no matter who you play?