If this year's tight end class is regarded as one of the weakest.....

[chrisfarley]

Fleener will probably be split out as a slot reciever 50% of the time

did you know he played Safety and WR in his Junior year at Stanford. Pretty complex guy.

[schwamm]

We don't draft again until the 5th and any of the remaining solid corners will likely be off the board by then. We have ZERO man coverage corners on the roster right now. I don't know how Pagano plans to "build the monster" without the ability to leave our corners on an island, on occasion. You can't do much creative blitzing with Db's who are incapable of covering a receiver 1-on-1at times.

I really like Menzie, and he should be available at our first pick in the 5th.

[Deano1818]

did you know he played Safety and WR in his Junior year at Stanford. Pretty complex guy.

Maybe we could feed him and make him a NT...... Lol

[Warhorse]

The QB class is considered weak as well...after the top. How did we do with that?

[betheafan41]

This is all true, but would Jacob Tamme or Dallas Clark not have sufficed in the same role they have planned for Fleener? I just feel like it was pointless to let go of our former tight ends if you're only going to end up replacing them with a player of similar strength's and weaknesses. Why create an unnecessary hole that now HAD to be filled (wasting high draft picks in the process)? The whole thing just seemed redundant to me...

dallas clark had an issue with staying on the field. he was always getting hurt. Fleener is bigger then clark and prob will be better then clark and tamme. i wasnt so sure about these offensive picks but you got to think about it...although defense is the biggest need, you also gotta show Luck your willing to provide offensive weapons for him to work with. he didnt necesarilly have alot of weapons to go to. Wayne and Collie was about it. the only pick i didnt like was the one the colts traded up for and that was the WR who is 5'9. yeah he may be a good KR/PR guy but if that was the case they could have waited until the 7th round to get someone to fill that role. but as a WR he will barely be able to out jump most of the DB's in the league.

[Tark The Shark]

I just saw that Allen was available and surprised he was. I said we would take him.....all we had was Eldridge....and he was injured. All the analysts said was the "Colts have not TE," We have two now with appealing skills.

True, I just think that some question getting two TEs when we have plenty of holes all over the place.

I don't mind picking the top 2 TEs in this draft. I think it will be a great building block for Luck.

[buccolts]

In a weak TE class, getting what had been considered the top two sure beats getting the middle two. Plus, with the skill sets of the guys we got, I can see them both on the field at the same time, as many have mentioned.

Running a 2 TE set, knowing both TEs are good receivers, it gives you great flexibility to audible in and out of plays and have good personnel on the field for each play. Fleener will spread out periodically. Not sure about Allen.

I like it.

[BrentMc11]

True, I just think that some question getting two TEs when we have plenty of holes all over the place.

I don't mind picking the top 2 TEs in this draft. I think it will be a great building block for Luck.

I agree wih you. I am amazed nobody is talking about Hilton. He is a receiver version of Sproles....about the same size. Sproles was a 4th rounder nobody talked about.

[Tark The Shark]

I agree wih you. I am amazed nobody is talking about Hilton. He is a receiver version of Sproles....about the same size. Sproles was a 4th rounder nobody talked about.

Nobody is talking about Hilton cause he is from Florida International which isn't exactly a powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination.

But everytime I hear more about Hilton, the more I think of is Desean Jackson.

Just heard that Polian compared the combo of Fleener/Allen to a more athletic Clark/Pollard combo.

[BrentMc11]

Think about all of the WRs from no man's land. TO and Jerry Rice come to mind as well as Pierre Garcon (Not my fav.)

I like that comparison because Pollard as we know played basketball at Bradley.

I know we have soooooo many needs, but I am happy so far.

[Jay Kirk]

I agree wih you. I am amazed nobody is talking about Hilton. He is a receiver version of Sproles....about the same size. Sproles was a 4th rounder nobody talked about.

Hes a very good return man also

[Scott Pennock]

who I was very high on

And ultimately, this is what it boils down to............YOU and all the other 'fans' who don't know squat about the extensive film sessions and scouting on campus that the professionals in the front office of the Colts have put in nor the mini-camps prior to the draft that the coaching staff got one on ones with our current players..............

Because it doesn't suit your tastes (and I mean all people that are complaining, not just you personally), then it obviously was wrong!

[MSColtsFan]

I agree wih you. I am amazed nobody is talking about Hilton. He is a receiver version of Sproles....about the same size. Sproles was a 4th rounder nobody talked about.

I see DeSean Jackson, not Sproles. Sproles is much shorter and heavier. Hilton's size based on combine measurements are nearly identical to Jackson's. What I am already tired of hearing is 'returner'. Yes, he will be that, but his production at WR was awesome, and I see no reason he won't see time on the field on offense. I think the Colts saw WR who can return, not the other way around.

[BrentMc11]

Hes a very good return man also

I honestly feel he is a WR version of Sproles.,,,,remember Sproles was basically a rtn man when he started...then started moving everywhere. That is my vision for this young man...4.3....I like it.

[WSnotch]

We got the two BEST te's in the draft.

[BrentMc11]

I see DeSean Jackson, not Sproles. Sproles is much shorter and heavier. Hilton's size based on combine measurements are nearly identical to Jackson's. What I am already tired of hearing is 'returner'. Yes, he will be that, but his production at WR was awesome, and I see no reason he won't see time on the field on offense. I think the Colts saw WR who can return, not the other way around.

I will not argue...I am happy with Jackson or Sproles. Sproles is 5 '6" My point was actually a WR version of Sproles.

[Jay Kirk]

I agree Brent hes a good receiver,i was just stating he is very good return man,It appears a few people got up on wrong side of bed in here lol,Im happy with what we got

[Andy]

The class may be weak, but that doesn't mean Allen and Fleener are weak...

[Jay Kirk]

My opinion of Fleener is maybe in the long run a tougher more durable DC

[Jay Kirk]

Allen can run routes catch ball plus he can block for the run

[chad72]

Fleener should put on 5-10 lbs of muscle and will lose just a tad speed but still be a matchup nightmare, being 3 inches taller than Dallas Clark. So, if he puts on just a tad weight without losing too much speed, we could have a Graham, if not Gronk.

The positive aspect is, like with Harvin or DJax, if we have T.Y.Hilton in formations where the possibility of a reverse is included in the play, the LBs will have to honor it at all costs, something we never had, Garcon was the only one we had if we used him that way. That will free up the release of TEs from the line of scrimmage. Arians is a smart OC, he ends up maximizing what he has, whether it is a slower blocking TE or a faster receiving TE.

[GoColts8818]

Why is everyone so happy that we just wasted 2 high picks on that very position?......

That just means there isn't much depth at the tight end spot. It doesn't mean the guys the colts took wont be good. For example this is supposed to be a fairly weak qb class as well. With that said the two best players in this draft were still qbs. It just means there wasn't as much behind them as in normal years same with the tight end spot. From what I've read the two guys at the top of it (both of which are now colts) were thought to be good players it's the guys behind them that make it a weak class.

[Larry Horseman]

Tamme is not a world-beater, but he is certainly a capable stop-gap tight end for one year until you get your upgrade next year. I'm not so sure Fleener is anymore the world-beater you say Tamme isn't. Creating needless holes on offense, only to replace said player with a player of similar skillset is mind-numbingly stupid. We passed on the opportunity to upgrade O-line, D-line and secondary to be cute and keep up with the Jones' (i.e. New England)

Oh, and why is everyone so sure Donnie Avery is going to be our starter? For all we know, he could just be a camp body who doesn't even make the final roster. The guy hasn't proven anything and has yet to stay healthy for a full season

Do you really think Tamme would have signed a one year deal with the Colts? And why in the world would either side want to do that...I was happy they let him walk. Both TEs are a serious upgrade to him.

Between Wayne, Collie, Avery, Hilton, Fleener, and Allen, the receiving corps is looking strong with a combination of experience, route running, size, speed, blocking, and youth. It looks to me like the Colts are moving towards having multiple players/packages as opposed to what we have gotten used to during the later Manning years.

[Horseshoe79]

Hilton has the speed to outrun people so he doesnt need to jump catch balls. I think he will be able to stretch the field so that will open up the underneath stuff. A guy with that speed can also be used as a decoy from time to time on other plays as long as you get the ball to him so that you make the D stay honest.

[jtrester]

Tamme is not a world-beater, but he is certainly a capable stop-gap tight end for one year until you get your upgrade next year. I'm not so sure Fleener is anymore the world-beater you say Tamme isn't. Creating needless holes on offense, only to replace said player with a player of similar skillset is mind-numbingly stupid. We passed on the opportunity to upgrade O-line, D-line and secondary to be cute and keep up with the Jones' (i.e. New England)

Oh, and why is everyone so sure Donnie Avery is going to be our starter? For all we know, he could just be a camp body who doesn't even make the final roster. The guy hasn't proven anything and has yet to stay healthy for a full season

Jacob Tamme signed a 3 yr. - 9 Million dollar contract. He will be 29 when it ends

Fleener and Allen combined will make less than that 9 Million mark and we will probably lock them up for four years.

We swapped in younger, and arguably, more talented TE's for a person who was a backup to a man that no longer is playing. I think it was a great move, not to mention the comfortability for our rookie QB.

Bruce Arians started Peyton with a 1-2 punch of tight ends - Pollard and Dilger. This isn't about the Patriots, it is about our O-Coordinator's system.

I am not anointing Donnie Avery. I was pointing out that people were complaining about him. We drafted a younger, faster, version with Hilton.