Mid-March Mock

[John Hammonds]

Post combine, and after the major free agent moves.  Here's how I stack it all up.  My draft is using the DraftTek big board rankings as a guide.

 

FREE AGENCY MOVES

OT Anthony Castonzo signed to 2-year deal.  We can all breathe again.

DL3T DeForest Buckner signed to multi-year deal.  Instant pro bowl presence at much needed 3-tech.

QB Phillip Rivers signed to 1-year deal.  Gives us proven veteran starter with familiarity with our coaches and their offense.

Lost OL Joe Haeg to Buccaneers.  Bad for us.  Good for him.  He will be missed.

 

Still on the Need to Do List

Re-sign WR Devin Funchess.  Need that quality veteran big body receiver.

Re-sign DE Jabaal Sheard.  Still has a year or two left in him.  We need his edge-setting prowess.

Sign K Chase McLaughlin.  It's time.

 

DRAFT (with DraftTek Big Board Rankings)

Rd 2 / Pick 34 - OT Josh Jones, Houston (Rank 32nd) - Castonzo will not be here forever.  Jones has the tools to be a starting left tackle, but needs to put it all together.  Immediate upgrade to current backup LeRaven Clark, while he learns behind AC.

Rd 2 / Pick 44 - WR Denzell Mims, Baylor (Rank 51st) - Although not the instant star that Lamb and Jeudy are, he shined at the Senior Bowl and looked great at the combine.

Rd 3 / Pick 75 - CB Cameron Dantzler, Miss St (Rank 85th) - Has the size and proven production that CB loves.  Instant replacement to Wilson.  Could challenge Desir.

Rd 4 / Pick 122 - C/G Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin (Rank 86th) - Lindy's has him ranked in the 4th round, so maybe he'll fall this far.  Replaces Joe Haeg.  Probably a better backup than Patterson.  May even contend with Glowinski for a starting spot.

Rd 5 / Pick 160 - TE Dalton Keene, Virginia Tech (Rank 154th) - Athletic, with an infectious Rambo playing style.

Rd 6 / Pick 185 - WR John Hightower, Boise State (Rank 164th) - A little lanky for his size, but productive.

Rd 6 / Pick 193 - CB Stanford Samuels, Florida St (Rank 192nd) - Long and productive.  Can play both CB and S.

Rd 6 / Pick 211 - S Harrison Hand, Temple (Rank 229th) - Ya-Sin's teammate from Temple.  Rugged and tough.  Plays both CB and S.

 

FREE AGENTS NOT RE-SIGNED

K Adam Vinatieri

TE Eric Ebron

S Clayton Geathers

OT Le'Raven Clark

WR Dontrell Inman

 

CUT LIST

CB Quincy Wilson

QB Brian Hoyer

 

 

[DownHillRunner]

12 minutes ago, John Hammonds said:

Post combine, and after the major free agent moves.  Here's how I stack it all up.  My draft is using the DraftTek big board rankings as a guide.

 

FREE AGENCY MOVES

OT Anthony Castonzo signed to 2-year deal.  We can all breathe again.

DL3T DeForest Buckner signed to multi-year deal.  Instant pro bowl presence at much needed 3-tech.

QB Phillip Rivers signed to 1-year deal.  Gives us proven veteran starter with familiarity with our coaches and their offense.

Lost OL Joe Haeg to Buccaneers.  Bad for us.  Good for him.  He will be missed.

 

Still on the Need to Do List

Re-sign WR Devin Funchess.  Need that quality veteran big body receiver.

Re-sign DE Jabaal Sheard.  Still has a year or two left in him.  We need his edge-setting prowess.

Sign K Chase McLaughlin.  It's time.

 

DRAFT (with DraftTek Big Board Rankings)

Rd 2 / Pick 34 - OT Josh Jones, Houston (Rank 32nd) - Castonzo will not be here forever.  Jones has the tools to be a starting left tackle, but needs to put it all together.  Immediate upgrade to current backup LeRaven Clark, while he learns behind AC.

Rd 2 / Pick 44 - WR Denzell Mims, Baylor (Rank 51st) - Although not the instant star that Lamb and Jeudy are, he shined at the Senior Bowl and looked great at the combine.

Rd 3 / Pick 75 - CB Cameron Dantzler, Miss St (Rank 85th) - Has the size and proven production that CB loves.  Instant replacement to Wilson.  Could challenge Desir.

Rd 4 / Pick 122 - C/G Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin (Rank 86th) - Lindy's has him ranked in the 4th round, so maybe he'll fall this far.  Replaces Joe Haeg.  Probably a better backup than Patterson.  May even contend with Glowinski for a starting spot.

Rd 5 / Pick 160 - TE Dalton Keene, Virginia Tech (Rank 154th) - Athletic, with an infectious Rambo playing style.

Rd 6 / Pick 185 - WR John Hightower, Boise State (Rank 164th) - A little lanky for his size, but productive.

Rd 6 / Pick 193 - CB Stanford Samuels, Florida St (Rank 192nd) - Long and productive.  Can play both CB and S.

Rd 6 / Pick 211 - S Harrison Hand, Temple (Rank 229th) - Ya-Sin's teammate from Temple.  Rugged and tough.  Plays both CB and S.

 

FREE AGENTS NOT RE-SIGNED

K Adam Vinatieri

TE Eric Ebron

S Clayton Geathers

OT Le'Raven Clark

WR Dontrell Inman

 

CUT LIST

CB Quincy Wilson

QB Brian Hoyer

 

 

 

 

 

I love this draft, but can I ask why you didn't mock a Quarterback? I just can't see Ballard not drafting a Quarterback unless he truly believes Chad Kelly is the future QB of this team. 

[Indeee]

10 minutes ago, DownHillRunner said:

 

 

 

I love this draft, but can I ask why you didn't mock a Quarterback? I just can't see Ballard not drafting a Quarterback unless he truly believes Chad Kelly is the future QB of this team. 

Ballard's kids believe Chad is the future, as do I. That my friend is all the proof needed. 

[John Hammonds]

33 minutes ago, DownHillRunner said:

 

 

 

I love this draft, but can I ask why you didn't mock a Quarterback? I just can't see Ballard not drafting a Quarterback unless he truly believes Chad Kelly is the future QB of this team. 

Certainly!

Once you lay it all out, the logic gets pretty simple.

Rivers is signed to a 1-year deal.  He is the starter.  He is on the roster.

What about JB?  He is in the 2nd year of a VERY expensive contract.  Plan A would normally be to trade him.  But the entire league knows by now that he is not starter material.  We will not find anybody willing to take over that contract for what they're getting.  Not gonna happen.  Plan B would be to release him.  Thing is, that contract money would still count for a major hit against our cap.  A hit for which we are getting nothing.  Bottom line:  He's too expensive to trade, and too expensive to cut.  But it's not all bad.  He is still probably the best backup in the league.  But he's still an expensive one.
SO!  We have Rivers and we have Jacoby.  Two QB's on our active roster.

If we draft a QB, that's now three.  If you draft one, he absolutely has to be on the active roster.

And the bottom line here is simple:  It is impractical to carry three QB's on the active roster.  And four in-house, if you count Swag on the practice squad.

Therefore, we will not be drafting a QB this year.  We can't.  We simply can't.

 

Now, I expect us to draft one next year.  That's just about a certainty.  JB will have played out his contract and we can release him, and we'll be trying to figure out if we can fit a Rivers contract in with all the veterans that we we want to re-sign.  Oh, yeah.  We'll be drafting one in 2021.  Just not this year.

[AZColt11]

Nice mock but a few things.  I doubt Mims lasts that long, no QB in your mock, and I wouldn't give up on a CB that is just 23 years old.  But if it panned out like that then I would be OK with it.

[indyman411]

Overall, you did a good job. But do you think the Colts need 3 DB’s?  1-2 maybe, not 3. IMO.

[WifiGuy]

21 hours ago, John Hammonds said:

Certainly!

Once you lay it all out, the logic gets pretty simple.

Rivers is signed to a 1-year deal.  He is the starter.  He is on the roster.

What about JB?  He is in the 2nd year of a VERY expensive contract.  Plan A would normally be to trade him.  But the entire league knows by now that he is not starter material.  We will not find anybody willing to take over that contract for what they're getting.  Not gonna happen.  Plan B would be to release him.  Thing is, that contract money would still count for a major hit against our cap.  A hit for which we are getting nothing.  Bottom line:  He's too expensive to trade, and too expensive to cut.  But it's not all bad.  He is still probably the best backup in the league.  But he's still an expensive one.
SO!  We have Rivers and we have Jacoby.  Two QB's on our active roster.

If we draft a QB, that's now three.  If you draft one, he absolutely has to be on the active roster.

And the bottom line here is simple:  It is impractical to carry three QB's on the active roster.  And four in-house, if you count Swag on the practice squad.

Therefore, we will not be drafting a QB this year.  We can't.  We simply can't.

 

Now, I expect us to draft one next year.  That's just about a certainty.  JB will have played out his contract and we can release him, and we'll be trying to figure out if we can fit a Rivers contract in with all the veterans that we we want to re-sign.  Oh, yeah.  We'll be drafting one in 2021.  Just not this year.

Great post   Well thought out

[John Hammonds]

4 hours ago, indyman411 said:

Overall, you did a good job. But do you think the Colts need 3 DB’s?  1-2 maybe, not 3. IMO.

I was thinking the same thing as I was laying it out.  Do we really need three?  And yet, I was envisioning a situation where we cut Quincy Wilson because he just hasn't gotten it together, and that we would eventually replace Desir.  Little did I know that I would be that prescient, and post my mock a day and a half before the Colts released Desir outright.  Huh.  Well, now maybe we do need 3 DB's!

[funktacious2]

I'm not even confident Mims will be there at 34 let alone 44, but some other promising receiever will probably be there so no biggie.