Happy and Concerned with Draft

[krunk]

14 minutes ago, Hawkeyecolt said:

Exactly.  At one point the Giants benched Glowinski.  Reed never saw the field 

I'd like to have Reed back if we could.

[throwing BBZ]

5 hours ago, TigerColt said:

Happy with the draft but surprised the Colts didn’t pick up Wypler late when he was available. RAS score of 9.30 with good lateral movement 
Sounds like a Ballard pick to me

 

Josrph

 

You probably don't rate Pinter and French as high as our staff.

17 minutes ago, krunk said:

I'd like to have Reed back if we could.

 

Aim higher.

[compuls1v3]

6 hours ago, DougDew said:

I agree that we got better.  But there is still no dominant EDGE or WR, no Alpha players there.  Its going to have to happen by role playing and situational football.  Most of the playoff teams have one go to guy at those spots that transcends situations.

You don't think Pittman and Pierce are alphas?  Now I know Pittman had a few drop issues last year, but I feel like both those WR fight for the ball every time it's near them.  Am I misunderstanding the term alpha?

[TigerColt]

From PFF

 

OG, Alabama Crimson Tide

Emil Ekiyor Jr. is a redshirt interior offensive lineman that has experience playing in more than 40 career games for the Crimson Tide. Ekiyor has been a key piece for many offensive units that have been highly productive, showing to be a reliable and effective interior offensive lineman. Ekiyor has a thick, sturdy base that serves as the base of power for him to be an effective and impactful offensive lineman.

In the run game, Ekiyor shows to have a quick first step that combined with his body mass can generate power and displace defensive linemen. Ekiyor plays with a physical temperament that looks to finish defenders in the run game. Ekiyor also has the lateral agility and quickness to reach-block defenders and seal them off. Ekiyor also showcases the ability to climb to second-level defenders and make effective blocks, creating lanes for ball carriers. 

In pass protection, Ekiyor shows to have good short-area quickness in how he effectively passes off twists and stunts to stop penetrating defenders. Ekiyor can also handle power rushers by using the power in his lower half to anchor down and minimize the number of knock back defenders can cause. Ekiyor also shows the willingness to engage in hand combat with defenders, throwing initial and counter punches to defeat them. 

Ekiyor’s deficiencies as a player stem from his aggressive nature in that he becomes over-aggressive. In the run game, Ekiyor will get too far extended over his feet, making him lose balance and making him easily sheddable at times. In pass protection, Ekiyor will become over-eager to engage in contact and he will shoot his hands too quickly which results in him overextending causing balance issues. 

Overall, Ekiyor is an experienced offensive lineman with the combination of physical tools and temperament that should make him a starter early in his NFL career if he works on the finer details of his game.

 

I LOVE this pickup!  

[throwing BBZ]

17 minutes ago, compuls1v3 said:

You don't think Pittman and Pierce are alphas?  Now I know Pittman had a few drop issues last year, but I feel like both those WR fight for the ball every time it's near them.  Am I misunderstanding the term alpha?

 

 We are a New creature with better leadership and coaching. 

With a better opportunity to see what we can be.

[TigerColt]

28 minutes ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

You probably don't rate Pinter and French as high as our staff.

 

Aim higher.

No idea how the Colts feel about Pinter or French.  I'm simply comparing the RAS score for Wypler compared to the interior lineman we have on the roster since the Colts appear to value the RAS scores.

Another reason I love the Emil Ekiyor Jr.  pickup.  Good RAS score player.

 

Joseph

[Hoose]

12 minutes ago, throwing BBZ said:

 

You probably don't rate Pinter and French as high as our staff.

 

Aim higher.

I would agree that the Colts should aim higher than Reed. But I hope you agree that the Colts could do a whole lot better than depending upon Pinter to suddenly improve. Which is why many like me were/are hoping for some

new recruits. Fix the RG (and C?) position and then watch this group soar. 

[Stephen]

8 hours ago, DougDew said:

I agree that we got better.  But there is still no dominant EDGE or WR, no Alpha players there.  Its going to have to happen by role playing and situational football.  Most of the playoff teams have one go to guy at those spots that transcends situations.

Cant agree with no alphas at wr either. Pierce has the makings of an alpha especially with his clutch td vs the jags. Problem is bad qb play and coaches forgetting our weapons for quarters at a time

[Nesjan3]

Agreed its pretty scary that we had the worst Oline in the league for the first half of last season and Ballard did absolutely nothing to rectify the problem. They improved down the stretch but were still not great. To just stay the course and think they are going to build off that momentum and magically be good again is kind of silly.

[Jackie Daytona]

12 hours ago, DougDew said:

 

 

I'm assuming the staff thinks French Fries will take the next step.

 

 

 But I think the plan is for French Fries and Freeland to get better with experience. 

 

 

While cute..... You do realize Wesley French plays C for us, kind of muddying up referring to Will Fries the RG as "French" lol

[tfunky14]

Not having a statue, non mobile QB will help improve the O-line so I'm not worried at all.  Besides this same group was ranked tops in the league just 2 years ago. A mobile QB will only help that.  

[Creekside]

10 hours ago, Nesjan3 said:

Agreed its pretty scary that we had the worst Oline in the league for the first half of last season and Ballard did absolutely nothing to rectify the problem. They improved down the stretch but were still not great. To just stay the course and think they are going to build off that momentum and magically be good again is kind of silly.

 

Which is why I think they will still make moves to upgrade the interior line....If we see the need surely Ballard sees it. (?)

[Hoose]

3 hours ago, Creekside said:

 

Which is why I think they will still make moves to upgrade the interior line....If we see the need surely Ballard sees it. (?)

One would hope. I suspect a vet FA signing soon at the RG spot. 

[Solid84]

22 hours ago, TigerColt said:

Happy with the draft but surprised the Colts didn’t pick up Wypler late when he was available. RAS score of 9.30 with good lateral movement 
Sounds like a Ballard pick to me

 

Josrph

I was surprised he didn’t get picked up way sooner. I’ve seen him mocked in the 2nd-3rd round range. 

[ProblChld32]

On 4/30/2023 at 11:07 AM, Hoose said:

So here is my mindset the Day After. 
1. Great job getting our new QB; our two new CBs; our new WR;  and adding pure athleticism and solid football players to the team. Hats off to Ballard and his team for that. 

2. BUT…..the O-line…. are the Colts honestly suggesting that Will Fries or an undrafted free agent is the answer to the RG mess? Or that there was no need to create some competition for Kelly? How in the world could they not draft a player in such a glaring situation of need? 

3. And please don’t suggest that the O line’s problems were just a “coaching” problem. That is drinking some serious koolaid. Ballard is on record saying he needed to address the O line’s problems in the off-season. But the post draft landscape looks like this: two project OTs who need a lot of strength training and other work together with an undrafted free agent G. No vets signed. And Pinter is the only real competition for a badly underperforming Ryan Kelly at Center. 
 

4. So I’m left hoping that there is a FA O lineman or two out there who can ride to the rescue. And that group is thin at best. 
 

5. Just wondering what the rest of this Board thinks. And again, I do see the strengths of this draft. But the O line situation remains, IMO, a significant problem. 

They drafted some Oline guys. If you’re not happy at who and where they drafted those guys at that’s one thing. But they drafted solely based on their board. I’m sure they had some other Oline prospects on their board but if they come off the board before their pick they have to go with the next best guy. If you’re suggesting that you would have liked for them to reach for oline help I think that’s a bad idea. They are likely going to sign some Vet guys to come in and compete, no need to overreact.