Colts select WR Josh Downs

[DattMavis]

1 hour ago, jbaron04 said:

I always wanted a eldeman/ Wes Walker type WR who just always open underneath. He has the college production and tape and everything so I love this pick

I liked Downs leading up to the draft, but I didn’t watch a ton of tape because I didn’t expect him to be available. From what I’ve watched last night and this morning, the first two names that popped into my head literally were Welker and Edelman. Am I crazy for thinking that? I’ll admit, I haven’t watched a lot, but those were the first guys he reminded me of, with how he moves in his routes to get open.

[chad72]

10 hours ago, danlhart87 said:

 

 

Reggie did glow about Alec Pierce too, let’s see, time will tell. Downs does have great feel for open spaces and has exceptional body control and hands.

 

I do wonder if Ballard’s first under 6-foot WR draft pick is a philosophical change from Reich, and dictated more by Steichen. Note that Reich traded away D J Moore, and signed Adam Thielen and drafted Jonathan Mingo, both tall WRs.

[shasta519]

Really like this pick, given the need at slot. This is also a different type of WR for Ballard to go after, which I really like. He has the college production.

 

Also, if they scouted Downs, that means they saw what Maye can do haha. So if this upcoming season is a wash…

[shasta519]

2 hours ago, Hark said:

Was really hoping to get one of Flowers, Hyatt or Downs, but didn’t see any of them getting past round 2. This is an absolute steal.

Same here. Knew Flowers was a pipe dream, but with Hyatt and Downs both on the board near their pick, I was getting excited.

[chad72]

31 minutes ago, DattMavis said:

I liked Downs leading up to the draft, but I didn’t watch a ton of tape because I didn’t expect him to be available. From what I’ve watched last night and this morning, the first two names that popped into my head literally were Welker and Edelman. Am I crazy for thinking that? I’ll admit, I haven’t watched a lot, but those were the first guys he reminded me of, with how he moves in his routes to get open.

Downs doesn’t have the size of an Edelman, so I’m hoping AR doesn’t lead him into bad traffic like Peyton did with Collie and Clark a lot, the slot is a dangerous place.

 

Wes Welker was smaller and shiftier and less physical than Edelman to me, much like Renfrow too, those 2 (Welker and Renfrow the chain movers) are who Downs reminds me of.

[Rhodelesstraveled]

I do not like Downs because he is a slot only WR.  If he was drafted 5-7 I'd like it.  Not in three with the players we could have had.  

Welker was UDFA and Edelman was a 7th.  

[smittywerb]

From what I’ve gathered, this dude will be one of our safe blankets.  Welker type.  Won’t burn you but will eat you up underneath.  Could also be a red zone threat.  I think him and Woods will be good for those short to medium roles.  Could also see Shane putting him in the backfield with Taylor and running some stuff.

[Rhodelesstraveled]

Red zone threat as a midget?  

[shasta519]

10 hours ago, CR91 said:

Watched a little tape. The kid can get over the top, but he's most dangerous in space. He's very shifty, excellent hands (great diving catches), and understands how to get open with his routes. 

Yep. I don’t see him as a burner in the NFL, though he can threaten from the slot.  So I think the TY comps might be a bit off. 
 

I see him as a short-intermediate weapon with YAC ability. Something the Colts didn’t really have…since forever. 

 

Reminds me of a smaller Christian Kirk and I loved Kirk coming out of college. 
 

This wasn’t a particularly strong WR class, but to get a guy I had in my top 5 in R3 is excellent. 

[Rhodelesstraveled]

Kirk was way faster and shiftier.  Downs is just a guy.  Sorry do not see it

I see a Ballard problem.  It is crystal clear to me

[ColtsLegacy]

1 minute ago, Rhodelesstraveled said:

Kirk was way faster and shiftier.  Downs is just a guy.  Sorry do not see it

I see a Ballard problem.  It is crystal clear to me

 

No one cares.

[danlhart87]

13 minutes ago, Rhodelesstraveled said:

I do not like Downs because he is a slot only WR.  If he was drafted 5-7 I'd like it.  Not in three with the players we could have had.  

Welker was UDFA and Edelman was a 7th.  

Josh Downs is an exceptional route runner with great hands. The kid was a steal!

 

 

 

[shasta519]

15 minutes ago, Rhodelesstraveled said:

I do not like Downs because he is a slot only WR.  If he was drafted 5-7 I'd like it.  Not in three with the players we could have had.  

Welker was UDFA and Edelman was a 7th.  

NE traded a R2 pick to get Welker. 
 

With how the WR position has evolved, all WR positions have become more valuable and coveted. Rising tide lifts all boats and all that.
 

And teams now need to have at least 3 good WRs for each spot in their base 11 personnel packages. 
 

So naturally, even slot WRs are getting drafted earlier. Plus, I think Downs can some nice things in motion. 
 

Diversifying the skill set of the current WR group was a must. 

[ColtsLegacy]

19 minutes ago, Rhodelesstraveled said:

I do not like Downs because he is a slot only WR.  If he was drafted 5-7 I'd like it.  Not in three with the players we could have had.  

Welker was UDFA and Edelman was a 7th.  

 

Redo their drafts and both are top 10 picks. Miami later traded Welker to Pats for a 2nd round pick before Welker was even Welker. So yeah, that's a(nother) bogus comment.

[shasta519]

Dude has great hands, but I would also say that part of that is because Maye throws a great ball. Has so much touch and knows how to drop it in there. You can see it in just a handful of Downs clips. 
 

But the contested catch rate is awesome. 

[Shive]

22 minutes ago, Rhodelesstraveled said:

I do not like Downs because he is a slot only WR.  If he was drafted 5-7 I'd like it.  Not in three with the players we could have had.  

Welker was UDFA and Edelman was a 7th.  

I don't understand how you don't see the value of a player like this, but I'm not sure that I've ever seen you say something positive on this forum, so I'll just chalk this opinion up to another pessimistic take. 

 

16 minutes ago, Rhodelesstraveled said:

Red zone threat as a midget?  

He plays much bigger than his stature, has one of the highest contested catch rates in this class despite being one of the shortest, and is an amazing route runner that gets separation. Yes, he can be a weapon in the redzone.

 

Its obvious you haven't watched much, if any, of Downs' tape, because if you had, you wouldn't be saying the ridiculous stuff that you are. Have your bad take, but don't expect anyone to agree with you...

[Kemisk]

22 minutes ago, Rhodelesstraveled said:

I do not like Downs because he is a slot only WR.  If he was drafted 5-7 I'd like it.  Not in three with the players we could have had.  

Welker was UDFA and Edelman was a 7th.  

 

[chad72]

30 minutes ago, Rhodelesstraveled said:

Red zone threat as a midget?  

More like pylon or pick plays that slot WRs run in the end zone. Renfrow’s famous college play was a pick play Watson threw for game winning TD for Clemson vs Alabama to win the national championship.
 

Welker caught so many towards the outside of a pylon from Brady and Peyton but in all of this, the caveat is you need the accuracy from the QB, everything hinges on AR improving. So many variables here.

 

 

[GoColts8818]

29 minutes ago, Kemisk said:

 

Sounds like they see him as a smaller TY.

[Indyfan4life]

39 minutes ago, Shive said:

I don't understand how you don't see the value of a player like this, but I'm not sure that I've ever seen you say something positive on this forum, so I'll just chalk this opinion up to another pessimistic take. 

 

He plays much bigger than his stature, has one of the highest contested catch rates in this class despite being one of the shortest, and is an amazing route runner that gets separation. Yes, he can be a weapon in the redzone.

 

Its obvious you haven't watched much, if any, of Downs' tape, because if you had, you wouldn't be saying the ridiculous stuff that you are. Have your bad take, but don't expect anyone to agree with you...

You can’t talk to this guy. He does nothing but complain and cry about every step this franchise makes, yet refuses to actually say why he continues to be a fan or come here. 
 

Reggie Wayne did nothing but rave and say positive things about Downs. I think I’ll listen to what a guy like Wayne has to say over negative Nancy here hate-posting from his basement. 

[DougDew]

Nice pick.  We've needed a reliable Slot for years.  Hopefully AR can get him the ball on the short patterns, because Downs really doesn't have the deep speed.  Unless its going to be AP, we still seem to not have that take the top off element after three rounds.

 

More stacked boxes?

[DougDew]

1 hour ago, shasta519 said:

I see him as a short-intermediate weapon with YAC ability. Something the Colts didn’t really have…since forever. 

Yes.  I didn't see this before I made my post above.

[compuls1v3]

3 hours ago, John Hammonds said:

Just watched highlight vid on Josh Downs.

Electric.  More quick than fast.  Plays tiny.  Every time he gets hit, I expect him to leave pieces behind.  Amazing hands.  Catches EVERYTHING.  Makes me think he'll have a similar career path to TY Hilton.  He's drafted specifically to be a slot, and then winds up the best receiver on the team.

Speaking of TY, is this karma or what?

2012

1st round - Andrew Luck, QB

3rd round - TY Hilton, WR

2023

1st round - Anthony Richardson, QB

3rd round - Joshua Downs, WR

What do you mean plays tiny? Just  curious. 

[Shaolin06]

It's probably just me but his route running ability reminds me of a young antonio brown. He is very precise in his breaks I think he could be special if used right. 

[danlhart87]

 

 

 

[CR91]

1 hour ago, shasta519 said:

Yep. I don’t see him as a burner in the NFL, though he can threaten from the slot.  So I think the TY comps might be a bit off. 
 

I see him as a short-intermediate weapon with YAC ability. Something the Colts didn’t really have…since forever. 

 

Reminds me of a smaller Christian Kirk and I loved Kirk coming out of college. 
 

This wasn’t a particularly strong WR class, but to get a guy I had in my top 5 in R3 is excellent. 

 

He's a Hunter Renfrew Cole Beasley type of WR, but a little faster

[Gigc]

He looks pretty damn good to me. Don't know if the multiple-move routes will work as well in the pros, but man. He's quick, he gets open, he catches the ball and he's tough as hell. I saw him take a couple of HUGE shots over the middle in his tapes. Got back up. He's also very feisty.

He doesn't seem to have the ultimate take-the-top off speed to be a TD threat on every catch, BUT... he looks good to me.

[MacDee1975]

8 hours ago, James said:

For a typical Ballard wide receiver, yes he is.

 

Still a beast.

 

 

 

Maybe you should've added that qualifier in your original comment then.

 

Because for an NFL wide receiver, he isn't "very small".

[sb41champs]

Chris Ballard is nailing the "need picks" in this draft!!

 

Reggie Wayne KNOWS wide receiver talent - and - Ballard & Steichen listened.

 

Welcome to Indy Mr Downs!!

[John Hammonds]

6 hours ago, compuls1v3 said:

What do you mean plays tiny? Just  curious. 

Tiny.  He's no help as a blocker in the run game.  Anyone that tackles him, absolutely rag dolls him.  He doesn't barrel through people.  He doesn't muscle his way through a tackle.  If he bounces off, hooray.  Otherwise, every tackler overwhelms him.

That being said, he makes the most of what is in his tool kit.  He's jittery.  He's quick.  He'll sidestep you and make the impossible catch.  Sure, he's gonna get mauled when he gets tackled.  But he made the catch.  Have a nice day.

 

 

[jbaron04]

8 hours ago, DattMavis said:

I liked Downs leading up to the draft, but I didn’t watch a ton of tape because I didn’t expect him to be available. From what I’ve watched last night and this morning, the first two names that popped into my head literally were Welker and Edelman. Am I crazy for thinking that? I’ll admit, I haven’t watched a lot, but those were the first guys he reminded me of, with how he moves in his routes to get open.

Yea man I was thinking the same thing with just how fluid and open he gets , 

[Stephen]

8 hours ago, shasta519 said:

Really like this pick, given the need at slot. This is also a different type of WR for Ballard to go after, which I really like. He has the college production.

 

Also, if they scouted Downs, that means they saw what Maye can do haha. So if this upcoming season is a wash…

Maye didnt look all that good on tape. Alot of his passes were behind downs or way ahead of him

[danlhart87]

 

 

 

[krunk]

13 hours ago, Rhodelesstraveled said:

Kirk was way faster and shiftier.  Downs is just a guy.  Sorry do not see it

I see a Ballard problem.  It is crystal clear to me

It's sad how terrible your are at this!

I like Downs.  Really nice player!

[stitches]

Dane Brugler scouting report on Josh Downs from The Beast(Draft guide): BTW it's worth buying a subscription to the Athletic only for this Draft Guide. It's probably the most detailed publicly available draft guide out there...

 

6. JOSH DOWNS | North Carolina 5086 | 171 lbs. | 3JR Suwanee, Ga. (North Gwinnett) 8/12/2001 (age 21.71) #11

 

BACKGROUND: Joshua “Josh” Downs, who is the middle child of three, was born and raised northwest of Atlanta and grew up in a football family. He also played basketball, baseball, soccer and track, but football was his focus since he was six years old. Through elementary and middle school, Downs was often coached by his father and played youth football for Peachtree Ridge. He enrolled at North Gwinnett High School (teammates with Green Bay Packers running back Tyler Goodson), where he was called up to varsity as a freshman. As a sophomore, Downs helped lead the program to 14 wins and the 7A state championship in 2017 with 63 receptions for 1,019 yards and nine touchdowns. He again led North Gwinnett to the playoffs as a junior and finished the 2018 season with 37 catches for 624 yards and nine touchdowns. Downs enjoyed his most productive season as a senior with 83 catches for 1,290 yards and 14 touchdowns, adding a passing touchdown (game-winner). He earned first team All-State and All-County honors and helped lead the team to a 12-2 record. Downs finished his prep career with 187 catches for 3,019 yards and 32 touchdowns. He also lettered one year in basketball and two years in track, finishing third at the 2018 7A state championships in the triple jump (46 feet 7.5 inches) and fourth in the long jump (22-5.5).

 

A four-star recruit, Downs was the No. 17 wide receiver in the 2000 recruiting class and the No. 13 recruit in Georgia. Although his home state Georgia never offered, he attracted several high-profile scholarship offers, including from Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State and Tennessee. Because of his father, he grew up an NC State fan and was likely headed there until his uncle (current Lions CBs coach Dre Bly) was hired by North Carolina head coach Mack Brown to be the Tar Heels’ cornerbacks coach. Downs gave North Carolina a longer look and decided to commit after his second visit to Chapel Hill, enrolling early in January 2020. Downs’ father (Gary) played running back at NC State and was picked in the third round (No. 95 overall) of the 1994 NFL Draft, playing seven seasons in the NFL for the New York Giants (1994, 1996), Denver Broncos (1995) and Atlanta Falcons (1997-2000). Gary coached for several years at the high school level (2003-14) and is currently the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator at FCS-level East Tennessee State (hired in 2015). His older sister (Kameron) played soccer at Kennesaw State (2017-21). His younger brother (Caleb) was a five-star safety recruit in the 2023 class and signed with Alabama. His uncle (Bly) played cornerback at North Carolina and was a second-round pick (No. 41 overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft, playing 12 seasons in the NFL. Downs opted out of the 2022 bowl game and skipped his senior season to enter the 2023 NFL Draft.

 

STRENGTHS: Dynamic athlete with above-average agility … masterful at controlling his acceleration to tease defensive backs … shifty route runner with the footwork to shake coverage early or at the break point … instinctive and finds the blind spots of defenders … does a great job finding holes in the defense, especially on scramble plays … has a larger catch radius than most his size and consistently pulls down throws … drop rate declined each season, and he accounted for only three drops on 116 targets in 2022 … surprisingly efficient with crowded catch points … averaged 10.4 yards per punt return (21/282/0) … his dedicated work ethic was instilled in him by his father, who was raised in a military family, played in the NFL and is a longtime coach … became just the fourth player in ACC history with 100- plus catches in a single season and is one of only three players with 200-plus receptions in North Carolina history.

 

WEAKNESSES: Very undersized and won’t get much bigger … didn’t see much press coverage in college, and free releases won’t be as common in the NFL … I expected more YAC and forced missed tackles on his film … has room to tighten up his routes (tends to drift, taking too many steps at times, etc.) … has shown improved focus, but his drops are usually a result of his eyes prematurely peeking upfield … doesn’t have the body to shield defenders from the catch point, and his average play strength shows in traffic … lack of size/length limits his effectiveness as a blocker … most likely a slot-only NFL player (almost 90 percent of his career snaps in college came in the slot) … missed two games as a junior because of a minor lower body injury (September 2022).

 

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at North Carolina, Downs was primarily a slot receiver in former offensive coordinator Phil Longo’s version of the Air Raid scheme. One of the most prolific receivers in school history, he set the single-season records for catches and receiving yards in 2021 and leaves Chapel Hill No. 3 in career receptions (202) and No. 5 in receiving yards (2,483). With his athleticism and route-running prowess, Downs looks like a predator playing with his prey, patiently throttling his speed with a clear understanding of how to get open and move the sticks. He is obviously undersized, but he has the catch radius of a bigger player, and his competitive chip comes from always being a little smaller on the football field. Overall, Downs’ lack of size will face more resistance vs. physical NFL coverage, but he is a tough cover in the slot one-on-one thanks to his gear changes and shifty route running. He projects as a three-level slot weapon for an NFL offense and adds punt return value.

 

GRADE: 2nd Round (No. 41 overall)

[CheezyColt]

This is someone who I always seemed to grab in those mock draft simulators. His write ups were always good so I tended to grab him. Just watched some of him and damn does he pop! Excited about this one!

[2006Coltsbestever]

8 minutes ago, CheezyColt said:

This is someone who I always seemed to grab in those mock draft simulators. His write ups were always good so I tended to grab him. Just watched some of him and damn does he pop! Excited about this one!

Maybe the next TY?

[Breeze]

On 4/29/2023 at 10:41 AM, Indyfan4life said:

You can’t talk to this guy. He does nothing but complain and cry about every step this franchise makes, yet refuses to actually say why he continues to be a fan or come here. 
 

Reggie Wayne did nothing but rave and say positive things about Downs. I think I’ll listen to what a guy like Wayne has to say over negative Nancy here hate-posting from his basement. 

I’m guessing he’s actually a fan of one of our rivals who’s here with a fake account simply to throw shade on everything Colts.  There’s a lot of those out there.  Not sure what drives them.

[James]

His route running is elite. Good luck trying to cover this player.

[Coltsbluefan]

He will be a fan favorite..one of the best picks in the entire draft.