Defjamz 2021 Mock Draft and Off-season

[Defjamz26]

This is probably the latest I’ve waited to do one of these. I really wanted to wait until the QB carousel was over and we knew where guys like Darnold, Wentz, and Carr were going (we had no shot at Watson). But there’s enough evidence to suggest that based on his extreme QB caution and frugalness, that Ballard will not be trading for a QB. So this mock solves the QB problem another way.

 

FA

 

Resign:

-Rhodes, 1 year

-Hilton, 2 years

-TJ Carrie, 1 year

-Odum, 2 years

-Burton, 1 year

-Houston, 1 year

 

Signings:

-Mitchell Trubisky, QB 2 years

-Hunter Henry, 4 years

 

Draft:

 

R1,21: Christian Darrisaw, OT Virginia Tech- The name might not be as important as the position here since I think we go LT no matter what. But Darrisaw has the length, experience, and athleticism to start day 1 at LT.

 

R2,53: Patrick Jones, Edge Pittsburgh- Ballard has missed at Edge rusher in this spot, but that’s mostly due to drafting project and tweener players. Jones is a prototypical 4-3 DE who has the physical traits and the production to match. Had a good but not great Senior Bowl. I believe his production will transfer though. Also has high character

 

R3,84: Paulson Adebo, CB Stanford- Sitting out really hurt Adebo as other CBs were able to jump him. Plus he’s mostly a zone corner. Luckily for the Colts that’s exactly what they need. While he’s best in zone he still has press ability that can be further developed. I’m expecting Tell to come back too, who I think the staff really liked before he opted out, but we have to get corner depth because Ya-Sin is a liability until proven otherwise.

 

R4, 122: Nico Collins, WR Michigan- Another opt out. Collins has all the physics traits to be a legitimate “X” receiver in the mold of Metcalf, but he may not be as fast. The Colts haven’t had that type of receiver in awhile. This is a developmental player though.

 

R5, 161: John Bates, TE Boise State- Another Senior Bowl kid. He’s got all the size you could want at the position at 6’5” and 259 LBs., and he excels at blocking. I’m bringing back Burton for a year for Mitch but he and Doyle are both probably done in 2022. At that point you’ll have Henry and Bates. As your TEs

 

R6, 198: Jacoby Stevens, SAF LSU- Basically just safety and special teams depth here. Can maybe fill Odem’s role in 2 years. Plus Hooker will likely be walking in FA.

 

R7, 242: Trey Dean III, CB Florida- Just another shot at some CB depth. Another long corner that fits the Ballard mold. He will have to play ST’s his first year or so. 
 

As it stands now, QB will be an open competition between Trubisky and Eason. I really like the idea of Trubisky in this offense with Frank Reich to coach him up. Despite the opinion on him his stats on the Bears are actually solid. He also is extremely athletic which is something we’ve been missing in our QBs since Luck retired. Also he’s entering an offense that has a top 5 O-line, the NFLs 3rd leading rusher, and better receivers than what he had in Chicago.

 

But this basically just a rough draft. Once we know what guys teams are letting walk and the draft picture shapes up more, I’ll do a 2.0. As always, thoughts and comments below.

[chad72]

I like it. 

 

If we can get Trubisky and Hunter Henry in free agency, that would be a good haul.

 

Love the draft. With the addition of Henry and Doyle still under contract, I am leaning towards that 5th round pick being a LB to bolster our depth.

[Defjamz26]

14 minutes ago, chad72 said:

I like it. 

 

If we can get Trubisky and Hunter Henry in free agency, that would be a good haul.

 

Love the draft. With the addition of Henry and Doyle still under contract, I am leaning towards that 5th round pick being a LB to bolster our depth.

So I thought about putting a LB in. It’s not a huge need but I really like Jabril Cox. He might go early though. My thinking was that Walker leaves in FA and then Okereke slides over to his spot. He’s a better fit for it anyways. Then we have Franklin, Adams, and Speed as depth. We probably could use another LB though in case of injury. But assuming Glasgow makes the roster again that’s a lot of LBs to carry if you add a rookie. Someone would have to go.

[DaColts85]

Having Doyle plus Moe and adding Henry then drafting one would not be a huge need. Plus we like the UDFA guys. We also have Skai Moore at LB who opted out for COVID last year so we depth. 
 

I have said a few times but I highly doubt Rhodes signs another one year deal. After a great year he is not riding a one year deal at the later stages of his career. 2 years minimum. More than likely he gets a 3 year with a structure that eases a team out after the 2nd year. 

[aReggie7]

I really like this mock.

 

At this point I think signing Trubisky or even Marcus Mariota is what i'd like to see the Colts do. Too many question marks about the QBs the Colts can potentially trade for for me to feel good about it. JMO though.

 

I think Henry would be a good signing. I think this team needs another dynamic element to the offense. The current tight ends would not prevent me from signing Henry if I was the Colts.

 

I really like the first 3 picks you mocked from the positions to the actual players. I think they seem like the type of players the Colts like.

 

I think the Colts are likely to add a second tackle in the round 4-5 range over more skill position players. I think they will look to improve the depth on the offensive line from the draft and come away with a couple of linemen.

[Hark]

Nice job. Really like your first 4 draft picks. Haven't watched Trubisky enough to really have an opinion on him.

[MikeCurtis]

I like it

 

I dint know what to think about Trubuski, but the rest seems solid

 

[Defjamz26]

4 hours ago, DaColts85 said:

Having Doyle plus Moe and adding Henry then drafting one would not be a huge need. Plus we like the UDFA guys. We also have Skai Moore at LB who opted out for COVID last year so we depth. 
 

I have said a few times but I highly doubt Rhodes signs another one year deal. After a great year he is not riding a one year deal at the later stages of his career. 2 years minimum. More than likely he gets a 3 year with a structure that eases a team out after the 2nd year. 

Well isn’t Moe a FA? Plus with Burton and Henry, they’ve had some injury concerns. This is insurance and long term thinking. Eventually you would have Henry and Bates as your top 2 TEs.

[DaColts85]

1 hour ago, Defjamz26 said:

Well isn’t Moe a FA? Plus with Burton and Henry, they’ve had some injury concerns. This is insurance and long term thinking. Eventually you would have Henry and Bates as your top 2 TEs.

So you are wanting to spend money on a FA that has injury issues? Moe is a restricted so he will easily be resigned unless we just do t want him. Him Pascal and Odum all are. 

[Defjamz26]

11 minutes ago, DaColts85 said:

So you are wanting to spend money on a FA that has injury issues? Moe is a restricted so he will easily be resigned unless we just do t want him. Him Pascal and Odum all are. 

Well Henry has a lot of upside as a TE. He played 14/16 games this past season. But there’s nothing wrong with having insurance. Plus we should be developing a young TE of our own anyways.

 

I’m also not a huge fan of Moe. He’s just a slightly better Erik Swoope IMO. He can go.

[DaColts85]

Moe has constantly been underutilized and could be a dominant red zone guy they just don’t use him. He also is a great blocker. That being said, I am all for grabbing one that is athletic and can be a game changer. 

[NewColtsFan]

For what it’s worth....   Patrick Jones was judged by ESPN and PFF evaluators as having one of the five worst Senior Bowl weeks.  They say he went from a possible late first rounder to a more likely late third rounder.  A fall of two rounds.

 

Among the other players who had a bad week, was DD’s favorite, Leatherwood, the Bama OL.   He graded out very poorly in practices. 

[PrincetonTiger]

Not Bad

[DaColts85]

8 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

For what it’s worth....   Patrick Jones was judged by ESPN and PFF evaluators as having one of the five worst Senior Bowl weeks.  They say he went from a possible late first rounder to a more likely late third rounder.  A fall of two rounds.

 

Among the other players who had a bad week, was DD’s favorite, Leatherwood, the Bama OL.   He graded out very poorly in practices. 

Yea Leatherwood showed he struggles with speed on the edge for sure. I would still be fine with drafting him in the second round though. I do see him getting drafted and probably becoming a guard in the NFL. 

[Defjamz26]

11 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

For what it’s worth....   Patrick Jones was judged by ESPN and PFF evaluators as having one of the five worst Senior Bowl weeks.  They say he went from a possible late first rounder to a more likely late third rounder.  A fall of two rounds.

 

Among the other players who had a bad week, was DD’s favorite, Leatherwood, the Bama OL.   He graded out very poorly in practices. 

Daniel Jeremiah still really likes Patrick Jones though, and he did get a sack during the game. If Jones is a 3rd rounder at worst that’s even better for us. 
 

And Leatherwood is a guard at the next level.

[Shive]

15 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

For what it’s worth....   Patrick Jones was judged by ESPN and PFF evaluators as having one of the five worst Senior Bowl weeks.  They say he went from a possible late first rounder to a more likely late third rounder.  A fall of two rounds.

 

Among the other players who had a bad week, was DD’s favorite, Leatherwood, the Bama OL.   He graded out very poorly in practices. 

This was my first thought. He may end up having a good pro career, but tanking the Senior Bowl isn't a good sign and Ballard has shown that he likes drafting players that played well at the Senior Bowl. I'm still looking at the Edge class, but I'm starting to like 

Dayo Odeyingbo in the 2nd.

 

6 hours ago, DaColts85 said:

Yea Leatherwood showed he struggles with speed on the edge for sure. I would still be fine with drafting him in the second round though. I do see him getting drafted and probably becoming a guard in the NFL. 

Most projected him to guard in the NFL due to his struggles with speed rushers and I don't think he helped dispel that notion.

[NewColtsFan]

6 hours ago, DaColts85 said:

Yea Leatherwood showed he struggles with speed on the edge for sure. I would still be fine with drafting him in the second round though. I do see him getting drafted and probably becoming a guard in the NFL. 

 

4 hours ago, Defjamz26 said:

Daniel Jeremiah still really likes Patrick Jones though, and he did get a sack during the game. If Jones is a 3rd rounder at worst that’s even better for us. 
 

And Leatherwood is a guard at the next level.

 

3 minutes ago, Shive said:

This was my first thought. He may end up having a good pro career, but tanking the Senior Bowl isn't a good sign and Ballard has shown that he likes drafting players that played well at the Senior Bowl. I'm still looking at the Edge class, but I'm starting to like 

Dayo Odeyingbo in the 2nd.

 

Most projected him to guard in the NFL due to his struggles with speed rushers and I don't think he helped dispel that notion.

I agree about Leatherwood.   I posted that because I know he has a big fan here who thought he might be a candidate for Left Tackle.  

[Hoose]

The one guy no one seems to talk about as the Colts' future QB is Trubisky. He's a free agent and his team is heavily mentioned in the Wentz sweepstakes. He's interesting because you can argue persuasively that the guy has never been handled well by his coaches. Could he find new life with the Colts, ala Tannehill? Perhaps. He certainly is a better choice than some of the other options being mentioned around here (Mariota; Winston; Ryan, etc.). 

 

I like the position choices for the first 5 picks you have for the draft, and Darrisaw would be an excellent first pick. Not sure about the DE or CB selected in rounds 2 and 3, but those positions are definitely high on the needs list. 

 

And I like getting a young TE like Henry in FA. That is a position badly needing a talent upgrade. 

 

Where I would change things in your proposal is not going after a FA wide receiver. That is one position where, with the right player, the Colts offense could soar. Give me Allen Robinson and I'd be a happy camper. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to work on this. Its appreciated. 

 

 

[MikeCurtis]

6 hours ago, Hoose said:

The one guy no one seems to talk about as the Colts' future QB is Trubisky. He's a free agent and his team is heavily mentioned in the Wentz sweepstakes. He's interesting because you can argue persuasively that the guy has never been handled well by his coaches. Could he find new life with the Colts, ala Tannehill? Perhaps. He certainly is a better choice than some of the other options being mentioned around here (Mariota; Winston; Ryan, etc.). 

 

 

 

I dont know... I hate to disagree with a fellow Colts fan

 

But "Certainly a better choice"  

 

Everyone listed has holes including Trubiski

 

They ALL come with Risk

 

Chicago doesnt have a QB on the roster  (It AINT Foles) to replace Trubiski, but are letting him walk..... 

 

IMHO There should be a message there

 

 

Could Trubiski develop?... Who knows?...  If he is your ONLY option to start, you may be in trouble

[DougDew]

Excellent Mock. 

 

FA: Trubisky and Henry will probably make our offense better than last year, IMO.  Always take a step forward if you can.

 

RD1:  The best OT on the board here.  Darrisaw, Eichenberg, Mayfield, Leatherwood. Could trade down a bit, but waiting until pick 55 is dangerous.

 

RD2: I think an LDE that does NOT run around the OT provides the best way to contain a sideways running QB, then let Buckner and the RDE clean up.  I hope that all around LDE is Jones.  Concerned about a mixed Senior Bowl.  Maybe another LDE would work.

 

RD3:  CB is good value here.  I was thinking Greg Newsome from Northwestern, but the kid from Stanford could be better.

 

RD4.    I'd take a smallish ILB/S here to roam the middle.  Tony Fields/Grant Stuard/Devine Diablo would be good.  Or another pass rusher.

 

RD5.   We have MAC to take over for Doyle's blocking and chain moving.  We have Hunter for the seam. I'd simply search the late rounds or UDFAs for developmental role TE.    We need a bigger backup to JT.  Hines should NOT be the first backup at RB, and Wilkins isn't my favorite.  Stevie Scott, RB, IU.

 

Later rounds are good.

[yankeeclipper]

Like the draft picks: I doubt Colts resign Burton. Houston is on bubble. They either resign him or Autry. Could let both walk too. I do think Colts will get EDGE out of FA pool. They may also sign WR - pretty good list receivers in FA market. Robinson would be great pick up if we also sign Trubisky.

 

Like Henry signing. I may be OK about Trubisky  signing - would not cost us draft capital and perhaps Reich can coach him up. I think we will also look at OT in draft at least for depth or a LT option if by chance until our rookie pick can claim the job.

 

Resign:

-Rhodes, 1 year YES - may need 2nd year

-Hilton, 2 years YES

-TJ Carrie, 1 year YES

-Odum, 2 years YES

-Burton, 1 year NO

-Houston, 1 year DEPENDS?

 

Signings:

-Mitchell Trubisky, QB 2 years OK

-Hunter Henry, 4 years YES

[Defjamz26]

On 2/10/2021 at 7:15 PM, MikeCurtis said:

I dont know... I hate to disagree with a fellow Colts fan

 

But "Certainly a better choice"  

 

Everyone listed has holes including Trubiski

 

They ALL come with Risk

 

Chicago doesnt have a QB on the roster  (It AINT Foles) to replace Trubiski, but are letting him walk..... 

 

IMHO There should be a message there

 

 

Could Trubiski develop?... Who knows?...  If he is your ONLY option to start, you may be in trouble

It’s not a matter of Mitch developing. It’s about him possibly flourishing in a new environment. Also it’s interesting that @Hoose mentioned Ryan Tannehill because that’s not only a good comp in terms of the player, but also in terms of his situation. Again look at Trubisky’s career numbers when he was a starter. They’re not amazing but they are far from poor. He never really had great talent in Chicago on offense. 
 

You bring him here with an elite O-line, more stable coaching situation (I think he had 3-4 different people calling plays for him over his tenure there), a really good running game, a solid set of receivers (that might get upgraded in the draft/FA), and a GM that will always supply the QB with talent, and he could go from average to great. Plus he’s athletic enough to run the ball and Reich hasn’t had that in his offense since Luck. Just imagine the possibilities.

 

And best of all he will be cheap. 

[BProland85]

I would like signing FA DE Carl Lawson instead of resigning Houston but other than that I like it! This would be a draft if Ballard and company believe in Eason to start in a year or so. 

[NorthernColt]

Personally I don't fully buy the Patrick Jones hype. Plus I think he'd better fit a 3/4 Scheme instead of being a down linemen. Play strength scares me, especially considering his weight is already up.