At This Point, We Need.....

[MikeCurtis]

On 4/5/2020 at 9:58 AM, TheNextGM said:

At this point we need a good draft. Hopefully a couple targets of CB fall to us. 
 

Higgins at 34.

Gladney at 44.

Kmet at 75.

 

Sign Clowney.

Start the season. 

 

Higgens makes me nervous.... 

 

He could do nothing against top flight CBs in college.... no separation

 

Watch the Ohio State game

 

Mims will be a better pro

[BornHoosier]

28 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I like Kmet a lot, he looks NFL ready and we need another TE.

How about Claypool @ 44?  He looks NFL ready too at 6’4”, a 4.4 forty w/ hands that a gorilla glue can envy!  Not sure why I’m the only one to see this dream

[2006Coltsbestever]

12 minutes ago, BornHoosier said:

How about Claypool @ 44?  He looks NFL ready too at 6’4”, a 4.4 forty w/ hands that a gorilla glue can envy!  Not sure why I’m the only one to see this dream

I doubt he's there at 44 but I agree that he looks NFL ready too.

[BornHoosier]

2 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I doubt he's there at 44 but I agree that he looks NFL ready too.

I’ve looked at a lot of Mocks & top 50’s and don’t recall Claypools name on any of them?  Maybe that’s what has me opportunistic is these Mel Kipers of the world that don’t know crap.   

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, BornHoosier said:

I’ve looked at a lot of Mocks & top 50’s and don’t recall Claypools name on any of them?  Maybe that’s what has me opportunistic is these Mel Kipers of the world that don’t know crap.   

I will even be surprised if Kmet is there at #34, he may be though. If he is, I would take him without hesitation. 

[Dark Superman]

WR, TE, OL depth.

[NewColtsFan]

34 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I will even be surprised if Kmet is there at #34, he may be though. If he is, I would take him without hesitation. 

Who is mocking him to go in the first?

 

I haven’t seen very much of that....

 

[BornHoosier]

5 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Who is mocking him to go in the first?

 

I haven’t seen very much of that....

 

That’s my point is his value is top 15 but since America is all over Bama & Clemson, they don’t realize a steal in Kmet!  If ND had a real qb, both Kmet & Claypool would be top 15!  Lets STEAL the 2020 virtual draft!

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 hour ago, NewColtsFan said:

Who is mocking him to go in the first?

 

I haven’t seen very much of that....

 

Not many but he looks so NFL ready. I wouldn't be shocked is all I am saying if he went late in the 1st round. If someone really wants a TE, he could go before round 2.

[Jackie Daytona]

On 4/4/2020 at 6:23 PM, MikeCurtis said:

At this point we still need:

Primary “Larger, more urgent holes”

Starting WR

Receiving  TE

Starting LDE

 

Secondary “Smaller, less urgent holes”

An OT to develop

A QB to develop

Depth on IOL

A DB or two to develop

 

I agree for the most part, but I really think the team feels ok if they are looking at starting Muhammed at LDE, with Turay coming off his break, and Banogu in year two.... as well as whatever is left of Tyquan getting a shot at LDE, since hes pretty much persona non grata at DT....

 

I might move Interior OL a bit up the urgency of needs list, since there pretty much aren't even any warm bodies there.

 

Good post!

[CurBeatElite]

On 4/4/2020 at 7:07 PM, CR91 said:

 

Which is where Buckner comes in. He can play all over the line then he can kick inside and bring Turay in. We need our young pass rushers to get some experience. We don't even know if Rivers will be here past this season.

 

Justin Houston's also on the wrong side of 30.  He played well last year, but I believe he's a FA after this season and he won't have many more left at a high level.  That said, I don't think DE is a huge need right now.  

 

Also, I think Reich, Ballard and Co. did their due diligence on the QBs in this draft.  Either they like one who they think will fall to us, or they don't like any of them enough to trade up for them (i.e., Burrow/Tua).  They may have their sights set on replacing the QB after next year.  This year, with Rivers as starter and Brissett/Kelly as backups, I think the QB position is in pretty good shape.

 

On 4/4/2020 at 7:36 PM, EastStreet said:

You'll likely see Autry play there on running downs, and Turay play on there on passing downs.

 

Autry and Buckner can both play outside in this scheme.  Sounds like Ballard still has hopes for Tyquan Lewis to improve (to TL's benefit, he's battled nagging injuries most of his career -- but I don't know if I believe he's going to be the answer, even if he is healthy).  I also won't be shocked if Sheard comes back.  As far as I can tell, he's still a FA.  He does very well against the run and isn't terrible at getting to the QB.  Anyway, I think this is the deepest DL we've had in quite some time.

 

On 4/4/2020 at 10:14 PM, Moosejawcolt said:

Agreed on wr.  I believe Hilton is a free agent after this year and going to b 31. I doubt he makes it through the season injury free.  Time to look for his replacement.

 

Agreed... two straight years Hilton was severely hampered by lower leg injuries.  At his size, he relies on his speed and agility to be good in this league.  When he's not full speed, his drop off is very noticeable (for instance, a guy like Calvin Johnson, when he was playing and usually had some sort of nagging injury, because he was so big and strong could get away better off than TY if he wasn't full speed because he had tremendous physical attributes aside from speed).  

 

That said, I'm not sure if we want to look for TY's replacement, per se.  I feel as though a guy like Campbell, who has better size than TY, is that speed demon, quick, super athletic guy that can make things happen after the catch.  I'd really like to see us get a bigger WR who can dominate because of size/strength (and speed) rather than just speed.  

 

On 4/5/2020 at 1:08 AM, NewColtsFan said:

 

What in the world would make you think that?

 

What has happened this off-season to make you come to that conclusion?

 

 

The only thing I could think is when Reich said he's really happy with our WR depth.  Though, I read that more as he's happy that we have 4-5 guys who will likely be very solid 4th and 5th WRs.  I know they're high on Campbell.  Pascal played well last year (I think he's an average-above average #3 WR, and a very good 4th WR).  Then it seems like a lot of hope for Fountain.  

 

I agree with you... we need a WR who can complement TY.  Especially given TY and Campbell's health issues last year.  That's 2 years in a row where calf/ankle injuries have severely hampered TY.  For a guy his size who depends on his speed and agility, and at his age, I would bet he's going to continue to have nagging injury issues.  

 

___________________________

IMO, the biggest needs on this team going into this season are:

1) WR (preferably a bigger guy who could be a 1A/1B to TY, allowing Campbell to be used kind of as a flex or slot guy)

2) TE (receiving TE who can stretch the field, allowing Doyle to be the blocking TE and the TE for outlet passes and short  yardage situations)

3) Secondary depth (I am fine w/ Hooker and Willis starting, and even though the backups Odum/Milligan are very solid on STs, I'd like someone, potentially re-sign Geathers, who could replace Willis without declining if need be ... also think we'll be OK with Rhodes and Ya-Sin being starting outside CBs with Moore in the slot, but unless Tell or Wilson make leaps, I worry a bit about depth there -- could also see Wilson being tried out more at S this year).  

4) OL Depth -- Haeg was our swiss army knife, and we lost Andrews to NYJ who was a quality backup C.  Maybe Javon Patterson recovers from injury and is a solid backup C.  I have faith in L. Clark as a backup T, but I think we need to add some depth across the entire line.  Not safe to assume we'll be the only team to have all our starters play every game next year.

5) Edge DL -- I'm fine with Houston, Turay, Banogu going into the season as Buckner and Autry can play rush edge if needed... but it'd be nice to add another piece or two there (I'm not faithful that T. Lewis is going to be more than what we've already seen from him).

 

Other things for further down the line:

1) QB

2) WR -- even if we add another piece this  year, TY's a FA after the season and getting older

3) OT -- Castonzo isn't going to be around forever

4) Upgrades whereever else -- as Ballard always says, he's always looking for ways to improve this team.

[WoolMagnet]

TE has been moving up my “urgency” scale recently.

Thinking about past success of TEs here with Peyton and Luck, how Rivers had success with a pretty good one, and how much Reich talked about TE use when he first got here.

  We let that TE go to washington last year, but he was more of a blocker anyway.  Travis showed some playmaking ability, but never really took the next step.

  Anyone think Claypool could be transitioned.  I’d love to see a TE with some twitch and physicalness.  I really like Allie-Cox, but if he or Doyle go down, we will be in a bad spot.  This offense NEEDS a good TE, right?

[EastStreet]

37 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

 

Justin Houston's also on the wrong side of 30.  He played well last year, but I believe he's a FA after this season and he won't have many more left at a high level.  That said, I don't think DE is a huge need right now.

Houston may be on the wrong side of 30, but he was by far our best, and easily the most well rounded DE we had last year. 11 sacks and 15 TFLs lead the team by a wide margin last year. Unless he drops off big time, he's back IMO. If anything, I think he'll be more dangerous this year than last with the addition of Buckner. Team's won't be able to double him nearly enough. He may not get as many sacks given he's sharing the eats, but IMO his pressures go up at minimum. 

37 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

Also, I think Reich, Ballard and Co. did their due diligence on the QBs in this draft.  Either they like one who they think will fall to us, or they don't like any of them enough to trade up for them (i.e., Burrow/Tua).  They may have their sights set on replacing the QB after next year.  This year, with Rivers as starter and Brissett/Kelly as backups, I think the QB position is in pretty good shape.

It's a wildcard IMO. While I believe Rivers will be back for a 2nd year, he's on a one year contract as far as the draft is concerned. I don't think trading the 13 had anything to do with them liking or not liking a QB at 13. I think it was simply a no brainer move given the opportunity to get Buckner. I don't see them trading up, and if they do, it won't be much. If Love or Herbert for instance dropped to 34, I'd bet a good money they'd grab them. Perhaps they make that move if they drop into mid/late 20s. I certainly wouldn't be surprised. 

37 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

Autry and Buckner can both play outside in this scheme.  Sounds like Ballard still has hopes for Tyquan Lewis to improve (to TL's benefit, he's battled nagging injuries most of his career -- but I don't know if I believe he's going to be the answer, even if he is healthy).  I also won't be shocked if Sheard comes back.  As far as I can tell, he's still a FA.  He does very well against the run and isn't terrible at getting to the QB.  Anyway, I think this is the deepest DL we've had in quite some time.

We need Buckner inside. We've needed improvement at 3T for too long. If he plays a lot outside, it'll be a big disappointment IMO. I don't mind him playing outside on a goal line or short yardage situation (where they might line both Stewart and Day up inside), but other than that, he needs to be a 3T.

 

Lewis hasn't shown anything, and while I haven't totally given up on him, he'd have played more if he was trending well. He's likely only still in the discussion simply because he's cheap. He played more late in the year, and was pretty bad when he was in. Sub 50 PFF IIRC.

 

On Sheard.... While I'd love to have him back for depth at a bargain price, he wan't good vs the run at all. Here's a nugget from PFF ranking the top FAs available (there are several DEs available that are arguably better).

 

Quote

 

37. EDGE JABAAL SHEARD

In his third season with the Colts in 2019, Jabaal Sheard had a year he probably wants to forget. He finished the season with the lowest PFF grade in his nine-year career by far and with his run-defense and tackling being his downfall. Shear posted a 47.7 run-defense grade ranking 101st of 106 qualifying edge and missed tackles at one of the highest rates with missing 25% of his attempts. His pass-rushing was below-average too, owning a grade in that facet that didn’t crack the 50th percentile.

 

37 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

Agreed... two straight years Hilton was severely hampered by lower leg injuries.  At his size, he relies on his speed and agility to be good in this league.  When he's not full speed, his drop off is very noticeable (for instance, a guy like Calvin Johnson, when he was playing and usually had some sort of nagging injury, because he was so big and strong could get away better off than TY if he wasn't full speed because he had tremendous physical attributes aside from speed).  

 

That said, I'm not sure if we want to look for TY's replacement, per se.  I feel as though a guy like Campbell, who has better size than TY, is that speed demon, quick, super athletic guy that can make things happen after the catch.  I'd really like to see us get a bigger WR who can dominate because of size/strength (and speed) rather than just speed.  

I'm with you here. We've been in need of a legit X for a while, and that's by far our biggest need. Funch was an attempt, but "we hardly new yee..." lol... 

 

I'm not ready to totally give up on TY yet. Based on what Reich and Ballard said about gradually moving Campbell outside, it's pretty obvious they see him as the potential heir to Z. I think guys like Fountain and Dulin are also great developmental prospects for the Z and slot bucket. 

37 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

The only thing I could think is when Reich said he's really happy with our WR depth.  Though, I read that more as he's happy that we have 4-5 guys who will likely be very solid 4th and 5th WRs.  I know they're high on Campbell.  Pascal played well last year (I think he's an average-above average #3 WR, and a very good 4th WR).  Then it seems like a lot of hope for Fountain. 

I think it's more they view 2019 as simply bad luck (health wise). TY's health is a huge concern, but Campbells was a bunch of weird unrelated stuff and not indicative of his college years. Pascal is a very solid 4th through 6th option. Fountain and Dulin have nice ceilings. I think we'll keep 6 this year, but I think we have 4 quality options and just need the health gods to smile on us a bit. They owe us.

37 minutes ago, CurBeatElite said:

IMO, the biggest needs on this team going into this season are:

1) WR (preferably a bigger guy who could be a 1A/1B to TY, allowing Campbell to be used kind of as a flex or slot guy)

2) TE (receiving TE who can stretch the field, allowing Doyle to be the blocking TE and the TE for outlet passes and short  yardage situations)

3) Secondary depth (I am fine w/ Hooker and Willis starting, and even though the backups Odum/Milligan are very solid on STs, I'd like someone, potentially re-sign Geathers, who could replace Willis without declining if need be ... also think we'll be OK with Rhodes and Ya-Sin being starting outside CBs with Moore in the slot, but unless Tell or Wilson make leaps, I worry a bit about depth there -- could also see Wilson being tried out more at S this year).  

4) OL Depth -- Haeg was our swiss army knife, and we lost Andrews to NYJ who was a quality backup C.  Maybe Javon Patterson recovers from injury and is a solid backup C.  I have faith in L. Clark as a backup T, but I think we need to add some depth across the entire line.  Not safe to assume we'll be the only team to have all our starters play every game next year.

5) Edge DL -- I'm fine with Houston, Turay, Banogu going into the season as Buckner and Autry can play rush edge if needed... but it'd be nice to add another piece or two there (I'm not faithful that T. Lewis is going to be more than what we've already seen from him).

 

Other things for further down the line:

1) QB

2) WR -- even if we add another piece this  year, TY's a FA after the season and getting older

3) OT -- Castonzo isn't going to be around forever

4) Upgrades whereever else -- as Ballard always says, he's always looking for ways to improve this team.

As noted above, QB only if the right guy drops to late first or early second. TE, I think you might see they have more confidence in MAC than some think. I agree on secondary, but I'm still a little concerned with CB. I'm really hoping Rhodes returns to form though. OL depth is a little hard given we really don't know how they view some of the guys that got zero PT last year. One thing is obvious though, either this year or next, we'll need a legit OT. 

 

Good post CBE

[EastStreet]

1 hour ago, WoolMagnet said:

TE has been moving up my “urgency” scale recently.

Thinking about past success of TEs here with Peyton and Luck, how Rivers had success with a pretty good one, and how much Reich talked about TE use when he first got here.

  We let that TE go to washington last year, but he was more of a blocker anyway.  Travis showed some playmaking ability, but never really took the next step.

  Anyone think Claypool could be transitioned.  I’d love to see a TE with some twitch and physicalness.  I really like Allie-Cox, but if he or Doyle go down, we will be in a bad spot.  This offense NEEDS a good TE, right?

I'm gonna bet MAC get's a lot of love this year. I'll also bet Hines, or RB in general is a bigger recipient that TE2 this year.

[WoolMagnet]

8 minutes ago, EastStreet said:

I'm gonna bet MAC get's a lot of love this year. I'll also bet Hines, or RB in general is a bigger recipient that TE2 this year.

True about Hines.  Rivers is gonna be workin him hard I’ll bet.

Rivers helped Ikeler look like an all-pro.

[EastStreet]

32 minutes ago, WoolMagnet said:

True about Hines.  Rivers is gonna be workin him hard I’ll bet.

Rivers helped Ikeler look like an all-pro.

Hines will be used more than a gold rush era lady of the night on pay day.

I think Mack also sees his pass catching profile go up.

 

I really am stoked to see Hines get some balls in space.

 

 

[TheNextGM]

Trade #44 for Von Miller.

Draft Claypool at 34 (although I think he’ll be gone)

[Stephen]

21 hours ago, WoolMagnet said:

TE has been moving up my “urgency” scale recently.

Thinking about past success of TEs here with Peyton and Luck, how Rivers had success with a pretty good one, and how much Reich talked about TE use when he first got here.

  We let that TE go to washington last year, but he was more of a blocker anyway.  Travis showed some playmaking ability, but never really took the next step.

  Anyone think Claypool could be transitioned.  I’d love to see a TE with some twitch and physicalness.  I really like Allie-Cox, but if he or Doyle go down, we will be in a bad spot.  This offense NEEDS a good TE, right?

Any tight end in in the 2bd would be a reach. Wr and cb are the best value  at 34 or one of the qbs.