Colts 2021 Draft Watchlists and Team Fits/ Senior Bowl Week (Merge)

[Four2itus]

On 12/14/2020 at 8:14 AM, Defjamz26 said:

Edge:

- Patrick Jones, Pittsburgh

-Carlos Basham, Wake Forest

-Hamilcar Rashed Jr., Oregon State

- Dayo Odeyingbo, Vanderbilt

Im an Oregon State alum and Rashed Jr is a force. 

 

https://www.profootballnetwork.com/2021-nfl-draft-oregon-states-rashed-jr-a-first-round-rusher/

 

He is my hope for this draft.

[Gigc]

All the QBs. I mean, this will be the first even-playing-field evaluation of Mac Jones, Kyle Trask, Jamie Newman, Ehlinger and Franks. 

I'll be very interested to see updates about arm strength, processing, all that stuff

[w87r]

2 hours ago, danlhart87 said:

Mods can we pin this?

I will definitely be watching Jones closely 

I am curious in the months ahead how his stock will change 

Sure why not.

 

Will merge with other pinned thread after Senior Bowl though.

[Lucky Wolf]

I want to see how OT Dillon Radunz does against better competition than he saw at North Dakota State

[danlhart87]

17 minutes ago, Gigc said:

All the QBs. I mean, this will be the first even-playing-field evaluation of Mac Jones, Kyle Trask, Jamie Newman, Ehlinger and Franks. 

I'll be very interested to see updates about arm strength, processing, all that stuff

Isn't Trask not gonna be there

[Hark]

Shaka Toney from Penn State. Could be a pass rush specialist

[Gigc]

Trask is listed on the roster.

[Gigc]

Check that. ESPN is reporting that Trask is going, but not working out or playing. Damn.

[Defjamz26]

Jamie Newman, QB- Really think he’s a sleeper and I like him over Trask and Jones. Athletic, tough, and a big arm.

 

Liam Eichenberg, OT- Could be a starter at LT. Went 2 years without giving up a sack. 
 

Dillon Radunz, OT- Possibly available in the 2nd round. Has a real nasty demeanor as a finisher so would fit well next to Nelson

 

Patrick Jones, DE- Built in more of the prototypical DE frame, but he’s also explosive and had great college production.

[Defjamz26]

Also Senior Bowl measurements are up on the official Twitter for the Senior Bowl. They did it with pictures this time but I’ll post some of the interesting ones

 

How to read the measurements:

The height is listed as a four-digit number. The first digit is feet. The next two are inches. The last digit is eighths of an inch.

 

So, if a player is listed as 5117, that would read as 5' 11 7/8." A 6013 would be 6' 1 3/8" and so on.

 

 

Small!!!!

 

 

 

[Defjamz26]

 

Huge hands

 

That’s a good weight for him. Some had him at like 205

 

 

Freak show alert. I’ve liked him since 2019.

 

Very heavy. He said on a podcast that he feels comfortable at 5-tech 

 

Very small. Was listed at like 6’4” 255.

 

That’s a really good day for him everywhere. Weight, height, and arm length are all great.

 

 

[Defjamz26]

Looks like a Colt to me

 

Got like the perfect TE build.

 

 

Love it. As you guys know I’m a huge fan.

 

Another freak show. Wonder how fast he’ll run at pro day

 

 

[Archer]

Interested in Buffalo EDGE Malcolm Koonce.  Pretty productive at a school that has priced some decent pros in the last decade...

[stitches]

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2021-senior-nowl-roster-players-heights-weights-measurements

 

^ here are the measurements... 

 

Some stuff that jump off the page at me:

-Mac Jones with good size and hands

-Kellen Mond is smaller than I thought

-Nico Collins at 6'4" is nice

-Amari Rodgers with that RB built

-Kenny Yeboah is smaller than I expected, but still long arms...

-Spencer Brown is longm Ben Cleveland is... huge

-Alex Leatherwood might be the winner of the OT in measurements... very very good length with 34 3/8" arm length

-D'Ante Smith is another long OT .... have to watch him. 

- Carlos Basham is heavy at 281lbs

- Ade Ogundeji is interesting... long prospect. Payton Turner too... 

- Long LBs(Ballard special) - Derrick Brown(Purdue), Baron Browning, Hamilcar Rashed Jr.(Oregon State), Janarius Robinson(Florida), Charles Snowden(Virginia)

-CBs that clear Ballard's 32" arm threshold: DJ Daniel(Georgia), Ifeatu Melifonwu(Syracuse), Robert Rochell(Central Arkansas),  Benjamin St-Juste(Minnesota)...

-I wonder if Hamsah Nasirldeen can be potential S->CB conversion project?

[chad72]

1 hour ago, stitches said:

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2021-senior-nowl-roster-players-heights-weights-measurements

 

^ here are the measurements... 

 

Some stuff that jump off the page at me:

-Mac Jones with good size and hands

-Kellen Mond is smaller than I thought

-Nico Collins at 6'4" is nice

-Amari Rodgers with that RB built

-Kenny Yeboah is smaller than I expected, but still long arms...

-Spencer Brown is longm Ben Cleveland is... huge

-Alex Leatherwood might be the winner of the OT in measurements... very very good length with 34 3/8" arm length

-D'Ante Smith is another long OT .... have to watch him. 

- Carlos Basham is heavy at 281lbs

- Ade Ogundeji is interesting... long prospect. Payton Turner too... 

- Long LBs(Ballard special) - Derrick Brown(Purdue), Baron Browning, Hamilcar Rashed Jr.(Oregon State), Janarius Robinson(Florida), Charles Snowden(Virginia)

-CBs that clear Ballard's 32" arm threshold: DJ Daniel(Georgia), Ifeatu Melifonwu(Syracuse), Robert Rochell(Central Arkansas),  Benjamin St-Juste(Minnesota)...

-I wonder if Hamsah Nasirldeen can be potential S->CB conversion project?

 

For all the long armed defenders that we draft, none of our LBs have more than 7 passes defensed (Darius Leonard):

 

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/defense-pass-defenses

 

I feel that it is a tad overrated, instincts trump over arm lengths any day for me.

[Scott Pennock]

On 1/25/2021 at 6:25 PM, chad72 said:

Jaelon Darden, North Texas, WR - go check him out. He has got the measurables Ballard desires, will make a potential Z replacement for TY, IMO, explosive athlete.

 

Ben Skowronek, Notre Dame, WR - could this guy play the X WR role? He reminds me of McCaffrey Sr., the guy that is not afraid to go down the middle for contested catches and is a good red zone target for your QB.

 

Anyone else have thoughts on these two? Potential Day 3 guys, IMO, that the team could utilize well.

Jaelon is very similar to TY in skillset and would love him in the slot here in Indy....

[Scott Pennock]

3 hours ago, chad72 said:

 

For all the long armed defenders that we draft, none of our LBs have more than 7 passes defensed (Darius Leonard):

 

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/defense-pass-defenses

 

I feel that it is a tad overrated, instincts trump over arm lengths any day for me.

That would be 3. The aforementioned Leonard, Okereke and one of our ST studs in Speed.

 

Okereke has outplayed Walker, imho

[stitches]

9 hours ago, chad72 said:

 

For all the long armed defenders that we draft, none of our LBs have more than 7 passes defensed (Darius Leonard):

 

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/player-stat/defense-pass-defenses

 

I feel that it is a tad overrated, instincts trump over arm lengths any day for me.

It has more to do with our scheme than with our players' specific strengths IMO. This scheme relies heavily on the LBs and safeties ability to rally to the ball when the pass is completed and not so much on sticking with the receiver and disrupting his ability to catch(this is part of the frustration with the scheme for me... we allow short passes to be completed on a whim and then rely on the secondary line of defense to get there and limit the damage). The length for our LBs serves multiple purposes not just in pass-defense - it is also useful keeping clean from blocks with long arm when in pursuit of a RB or a pass-catcher.

 

BTW 7 passes defended is not a little for a LB. For example - Bobby Wagner has 8, Fred Warner has 6... Demario Davis has 5... Lavonte David has 6... It's very much in line with all the best LBs in the league. 

[DougDew]

I fail to understand why Alex Leatherwood is not been talked about more as the LT.  IMO, he is the obvious choice for our pick at 21.  A perfect match of need and value, IMO.

 

A couple of other thoughts. 

 

Radunz has short arms and smallish hands for a LT, and at just over 300 pounds, he would seem to be physically overmatched against NFL talent.  He may have the technique and tenacity, but I would rather start with a guy who wasn't physically challenged.

 

As a pure pocket passer, Mac Jones is too short at 6.2.5...only 5/8 inch taller than the "short" Jake Fromme from last year, and he's noticeably skinnier.  Pass.  Too bad, I liked him, but the measurables just aren't there. 

[Colt Overseas]

I thought I'd post some Day 1 hightlights. Bard Kelly on twitter is a good follow for people looking to see some 1v1 action.

 

As usual, alot of WRs looked really good in the 1v1s in the open space. The WRs getting the most hype on twitter from various draft analysts were Tylan Wallace and D'Wayne Eskridge.

 

Wide Receivers:

 

D'Wayne Eskridge - He is a hybrid RB/WR, looked really crisp is his route running

 

https://twitter.com/BradKelly17/status/1354276907416768513

 

Tylan Wallace - Seems to be a Van Jefferson type, average size but a really refined route runner

 

https://twitter.com/BradKelly17/status/1354268650690273281

 

Demetric Felton

 

https://twitter.com/BradKelly17/status/1354275310758486022

 

Shi Smith - This guy can fly

 

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1354285860720693250

 

Nico Collins - Looked a little stiff in and out of his breaks, but strong and fast in the vertical plane

 

https://twitter.com/BradKelly17/status/1354267906264207360

 

Kadarius Toney - Too fast lol

 

https://twitter.com/BradKelly17/status/1354291270403969028

 

Sage Surratt - Big and strong but doesn't have long speed

 

https://twitter.com/BradKelly17/status/1354266048913170432

 

Cornerbacks - Some of the better performers

 

Keith Taylor - I really like him, he is long so Ballard will be watching him no doubt

 

https://twitter.com/BradKelly17/status/1354271439436845057

 

Thomas Graham Jr

 

https://twitter.com/All22_Addict/status/1354291439878828032

 

Ifeatu Melifonwu - GOt beat a couple of times, he has alot of work to do on his technique, but you can see in the below play, his recovery speed. Has alot of upside 

 

https://twitter.com/realcorykinnan/status/1354273487498727425

 

 

 

[DaColts85]

1 hour ago, DougDew said:

I fail to understand why Alex Leatherwood is not been talked about more as the LT.  IMO, he is the obvious choice for our pick at 21.  A perfect match of need and value, IMO.

 

A couple of other thoughts. 

 

Radunz has short arms and smallish hands for a LT, and at just over 300 pounds, he would seem to be physically overmatched against NFL talent.  He may have the technique and tenacity, but I would rather start with a guy who wasn't physically challenged.

 

As a pure pocket passer, Mac Jones is too short at 6.2.5...only 5/8 inch taller than the "short" Jake Fromme from last year, and he's noticeably skinnier.  Pass.  Too bad, I liked him, but the measurables just aren't there. 

I have talked about Leatherwood. Personally I think he fits us. Good size and arm length. Plays very well and is use to a pro style offense already. Plug and play. 

[Shive]

1 hour ago, DougDew said:

I fail to understand why Alex Leatherwood is not been talked about more as the LT.  IMO, he is the obvious choice for our pick at 21.  A perfect match of need and value, IMO.

Leatherwood has the size and length, but his biggest issue is with lower body flexibility. That's why we've seen a lot of folks projecting him to kick inside to G where that's not as much of an issue.

 

Luckily, he's lining up at LT for the Senior Bowl, so we'll see how he holds up against some really athletic edge rushers. If he shines, we could see him very much in the LT conversation and move up draft boards, but if he struggles I think it would confirm the current speculation.

[DougDew]

41 minutes ago, Shive said:

Leatherwood has the size and length, but his biggest issue is with lower body flexibility. That's why we've seen a lot of folks projecting him to kick inside to G where that's not as much of an issue.

 

Luckily, he's lining up at LT for the Senior Bowl, so we'll see how he holds up against some really athletic edge rushers. If he shines, we could see him very much in the LT conversation and move up draft boards, but if he struggles I think it would confirm the current speculation.

I have read where he is one of the more athletic and polished NFL ready pass blockers in the rookie class.  More so than someone like Eichenburg who may only be a RT. 

 

His issue is tenacity in run blocking.  Sort of a mild Tony Ugoh concern.  But maybe playing next to Nelson would help show him the way.

[DaColts85]

3 minutes ago, DougDew said:

I have read where he is one of the more athletic and polished NFL ready pass blockers in the rookie class.  More so than someone like Eichenburg who may only be a RT. 

 

His issue is tenacity in run blocking.  Sort of a mild Tony Ugoh concern.  But maybe playing next to Nelson would help show him the way.

This is what I have seen. I mean Alabama typically has athletic pass rushers and he goes against them in practice everyday. To me this guy looks the most pro ready next to a Sewell, Darrisaw, or Slater. Referring to a 1st round LT type. I feel like many scouts are just saying they are RT or Guards to cover themselves. 
 

I am curious to see more of what scouts have to say about Eichenberg. The little I have heard is that he has issues with speed. Not a great run blocker and looks like a RT. 

[DougDew]

13 minutes ago, DaColts85 said:

This is what I have seen. I mean Alabama typically has athletic pass rushers and he goes against them in practice everyday. To me this guy looks the most pro ready next to a Sewell, Darrisaw, or Slater. Referring to a 1st round LT type. I feel like many scouts are just saying they are RT or Guards to cover themselves. 
 

I am curious to see more of what scouts have to say about Eichenberg. The little I have heard is that he has issues with speed. Not a great run blocker and looks like a RT. 

Yeah.  The final position suggestion is helpful, but I read the players' writeups to get the details about what the pundits are using to make their conclusions.  They talk about Leatherwood's athleticism and Eichenbergs lack of it.  That, and some other things,  just tells me LT vs RT, despite what they ultimately say about position.

 

Length, weight, and high athleticism despite the long length and weight are the most important physical attributes of an NFL LT.  From that flows all of the other stuff. JMO.

[PrestonColt]

OT Eichenberg and Radunz and leatherwood IMO will get the most attention since, leatherwood had injury concerns, Radunz needs to prove against real comp. and eichenberg if he can prove he can be a plug in LT at the next level
Players Im hype to watch are Sage, I am so up and down on him and I wanna see how he plays
the weigh in for Ifeatu is amazing, if he can play well at the bowl is size is amazing. 
also I wanna see if Jamie Newman can sling it and Pat Jones can do anything too 

[stitches]

Amari Rodgers is intriguing. He's considered predominantly a slot receiver so I don't know how high that will get him but just look at the suddenness of his breaks and how he creates separation at the top of the routes:

 

 

Cade Johnson, WR, South Dakota State seems to be getting some buzz too:

 

 

 

Nico Collins:

 

 

Some Tylan Wallace(he's one of my favorites):

 

 

Kedarius Toney(another favorite of mine):

 

[stitches]

Day 2 is about to start, I will be watching what they show on ESPN U. Hopefully my stream holds up. 

 

 

[stitches]

D'Wayne Eskridge is getting some R1(?!?!?!?) hype from McShay on the live stream from the Senior Bowl:

 

 

 

Dane Brugler thinks he can be Terry McLaurin type of riser thanks to the Senior Bowl. The bad thing about him - he will be 24 before the draft. 

[stitches]

Both Eskridge and Nico Collins doing well so far. 

[stitches]

Here's one of the physical freaks at the Senior Bowl, making a great play:

 

 

 

[chad72]

1 hour ago, stitches said:

Here's one of the physical freaks at the Senior Bowl, making a great play:

 

 

 

 

Illegal contact past 5 yards, all day in the NFL.  

 

That contact past the 5 yard mark allowed him to close up with Noah. I do like Noah Gray of Duke for the TE spot.

[chad72]

IF, I repeat, a BIG IF, we don't give up our first rounder for a QB, I have a sneaky feeling Jaylen Waddle will be there at No.21.

 

I also like Jaelon Darden as a 4th rounder for slot for us, could be very dangerous there. 

 

[Colt Overseas]

One player I've been looking out for is Patrick Jones II in his 1v1 drills. He hasn't wowed yet to be honest, just one or two good reps I could find.

 

A side note, Dillon Radunz looks excellent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DaColts85]

Mac Jones is making every throw. The guy is impressive and has put it in tight windows. Making a case for a first round pick for sure. 
 

Also I would love to have Amari Rogers. He is a good WR. 

[Colt Overseas]

Ugh, I wish my tweets would embed, sorry folks.

 

Carlos Basham having a very strong Senior Bowl. Has won plenty on 1v1s. He is technically very refined with his hands and, of course, has all that power at 280lbs. He will go in the top 50, no question.

[Defjamz26]

Yeah I also really love Tylan Wallace as well. He’s got that toughness you like to see too when you watch the tape. He just seems like a Colt to me. Comp for me was AJ Brown but he’s not as fast. I also heard someone on Twitter say Tyler Lockette and that’s not a bad one either.

 

Glad to hear Radunz doing well. He could stand to add 10 lbs. of muscle but he’s got the traits. Like him in the 2nd round.

[poilucelt]

On 1/25/2021 at 4:23 PM, Colt Overseas said:

Draft SZN is in full swing now with this being Senior Bowl Week. I thought I'd make a thread of players to look out for and the type of players Ballard will be interested in drafting.

 

Here is a link to the rosters anyway:

 

https://www.al.com/sports/2021/01/full-rosters-released-for-2021-reeses-senior-bowl.html

 

My 4 favorite prospects are:

 

Nico Collins WR, Michigan: Big WR target. 6'4 225lbs but is super explosive. Reminds me alot of a Chase Claypool or Denzel Mims player, big, fast, can beat press man and make plays down the field. He didn't play this year because of Covid, and I would expect him to go in the 2nd round about where we are picking. I think he would be an excellent Z receiver in the NFL like the aforementioned Claypool.

 

Ifeatu Melifonwu CB, Syracuse: I've wrote the same in another thread, but he is a long corner, 6'3 213lbs, outstanding athlete, really explosive and fluid. Will run in the early 4.4s I'd say. Wouldn't have great ball production, but he has a high ceiling as a boundary corner. The type of CB Ballard will love. Could be there in the 3rd.

 

Payton Turner DE, Houston: Heavy LDE like Autry. Still quite raw, but has good power moves and effort. Will be interesting to see how he does lined up against NFL caliber tackles.  

 

Hunter Long TE, Boston College: Not the best athlete but good enough. Has great hands and good in contested catch situations. I like him as a Doyle replacement as he is a very willing blocker and has good size. 

 

Anybody else have any favorites?

 

Tylan Wallace

Spencer Brown

Chazz Surratt

[Shive]

5 hours ago, Colt Overseas said:

Ugh, I wish my tweets would embed, sorry folks.

 

Well the most recent ones...lol

[Colt Overseas]

4 hours ago, Shive said:

 

Well the most recent ones...lol

 

Thank you!