Archer's Last 2021 Colt Mock Draft

[Archer]

This draft is a tough one.  I have a spattering of players at various positions I love, but if they’re gone at at those picks, I’d be likely to add a players at totally different positions.  Ultimately, I feel good in predicting our LT with the first pick, but after that I’d love to find a way to get Tommy Tremble, D’Wayne Eskridge, and Elerson Smith.  I almost wouldn’t care what happened the rest of the draft if I could come away with all those players.  Unfortunately, I’m hearing now that Eskridge has a few suitors in the 2nd that’ll make it difficult to pick up all three of those.  So, here’s my plan:

 

Round 1 (21): Trade down to the end of the 1st/beginning of the 2nd.  While I think the end of the 1st is most likely, that would probably require us to kick in a later pick to get that trade partner’s 2nd.  So, I predicting for this mock that we trade with the Falcons for their #35 and #68, which works out perfect point-wise.

 

Round 2 (35): Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota St.  I’m much higher than most people on Radunz.  He’s a great run-blocker on the 2nd level.  He has a nasty attitude.  He’s very reliable in pass pro, with good feet.  And he’s a heck of an athlete, testing favorably athletically to bigger named OTs like Jenkins and Mayfield.  His arms are a little short, but still above established minimums at 33 ¼“.

 

Round 2 (54): Tommy Tremble, TE, Notre Dame.  I feel like we need young blood at TE, even though we have two aging veterans that can get the job done right now.  Tremble is a beast with the right attitude that should produce big plays in the receiving game, but also get the dirty work done while blocking.  He blocks much better than he should be able to at his size.

 

Round 3 (68): Elerson Smith, DE, Nothern Iowa.  Very underrated IMO.  His pro day was eye-popping.  83”wingspan, 33 ¼ arms, 41.5” vertical, 10’7” Broad Jump, 26 bench press reps, 7.00 3-cone, 4.39 short shuttle.  Ballard loves those toolsy DEs in the 2nd that he can develop, and Smith comes at a discount (the 3rd). 

 

Round 4 (124): Chris Rumph II, LB, Duke.  Hopefully, we can catch a break and get Rumph here.  I feel like his tape was pushing him to the 3rd, but then he was unable to work out at his pro day due to injury.  He was an incredibly productive, pass-rushing, undersized EDGE at Duke, but I like him as a LB.  The way Eberflus likes to simulate blitz, I feel like he could be a weapon for the Colts.  You stand him up at the line with five other DLs and LBs, and Rumph could rush the edge, blitz the middle, or drop into coverage with equal effectiveness.

 

Round 5 (165): Feleipe Franks, QB, Arkansas.  I’m not sure we’ll bring in a veteran back-up QB at this time.  Wentz doesn’t need one in the locker room, and Eason will be learning a lot from Wentz.  I feel like Franks could become the right QB in the right round, just like Eason was last year.  Franks had a really good year last year as an athletic QB.  He didn’t previously look draft-worthy at Florida, but he looks like a good value in the 5th after his 2020.

 

Round 6 (206): William Bradley-King, DE, Baylor.  We’re relying on jumps in productivity from Turay, Lewis, and Banagu this year.  But, it’d be nice to bring in multiple youngsters to improve the depth.

 

Round 7 (248): Sam Webb, CB, Missouri Western St.  The CB position got pretty crammed when we re-signed both Rhodes and Carrie (especially since I really like Tell).  I didn’t want to draft anyone high enough that they would be a roster certainty.  Webb is interesting – he was on a lot of small school sleeper lists, but I can’t find any evidence that he participated in any pro days.  This is a long shot, but he’s got the size and speed (I believe) to develop as a boundary CB.

 

 

[chad72]

I like it a lot. Your first 3 picks would be starting no later than the middle of the season to me.

 

Franks, I am not sure of, I don't see draft worthy status in him, to be honest. We might as well sign a vet and use that pick for defensive depth. If we go DE by Day 2, I am not sure Ballard goes DE again, just a hunch, LBs and DBs play more special teams, and that is what I think Rounds 6 and 7 players might be drafted by him, for depth and special teams, unless it is a steal of a player that dropped like the famous Deon Cain  

 

Overall, a very good draft. You get 3 starters out of any draft, that is a great draft to me.

[Archer]

Hate to amend my final answer.  And I realize I’m only documenting it in case I absolutely nail it, which I’m sure I won’t.  But I decided that I’d rather go with Eskridge in the 2nd.  Athletically, he tested almost identical to T.Y. coming out of college.  T.Y. would be a perfect mentor.
 

2) Dillon Radunz

2) D’Wayne Eskridge

3) Elerson Smith

4) Chris Rumph II

5) Nick Eubanks

6) William Bradley-King

7) Sam Webb

 

[stitches]

I like both option. Several of my favorites in those.