Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Biggest Takeaways from Indianapolis Colts OTAs

Episode Date: May 29, 2021

On today's episode, Evan is joined by Stampede Blue's Stephen Reed to react to the biggest takeaways from Indianapolis Colts OTAs. With a shortened offseason period before training camp in late July, there were many storylines that foreshadow what could happen in July, August, September, and beyond for Indy.First up, consensus rave reviews for new QB1 Carson Wentz. Whether it be his arm talent or leadership abilities, Wentz made a strong, immediate impression on his new team. How will the offense look with Wentz under center?Kwity Paye and Tyquan Lewis seem Locke dinto the starting defense end roles next to DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. Both seem poised for huge years In 2021 for Indy.Is Ben Banogu on the hot seat? The former 2nd-round pick in 2019 could be an early cut candidate, and he continues to lose snaps to new additions during OTAs.Closing out the show, Evan and Stephen go over two impressive rookies on offense who turned heads: Kylen Granson and Michael Strachan. Will Strachan be this year's version of Dezmon Patmon as a redshirt? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello everybody, welcome back to the latest episode of Locked On Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Today's always your host, Evan Sedry, joined by Stephen Reed of Stampede Blue, as we're going to recap OTAs. It was about a two-week long process for the Colts. They had a little truncated OTA portion this year due to COVID-19, and really just the

player association kind of fighting back a little bit and wanting to get more freedom for their players in the offseason, especially what's happened in the last calendar year. The Colts and their players decided upon a two-week-long mini-camp, sort of OTAs, whatever you want to call it there. We're going to call it OTAs because this is pretty much their OTA portion because they're not going to be on the field again together for another eight straight weeks until they're in Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana at the end of July for the start of training camp.

A really important time for the Colts to really get that team chemistry going, to install anything new that they want to. But, Stephen, you're joining us tonight to talk through OTAs and the biggest takeaways. How are you doing tonight on this Friday night? Hey, Evan, I'm doing well tonight. Yeah, just a fun, fun day., fun day and, you know, Colts wrapping up OTA. So it's nice to come on and have a little chat about it.

Yeah, honestly, Steven, this is probably the last time we're gonna be talking about like on field Colts action for eight weeks. But once we get to that eight week mark, and the Colts are on the field, we're gonna be getting about six to seven straight months of Colts talk with on field action. So that's gonna be getting about six to seven straight months of Colts talk with on-field action. So that's going to be a lot of fun here. We're going to get you guys through the dead period here on Locked on Colts throughout that time. But let's tell them the biggest story of OTAs,

and that was quite easily Carson Wentz and his adjustments to the Annapolis Colts. His first real on-field action with the Colts, he missed the first two days of OTAs a couple weeks ago due to an illness. But he was out there, I think, for the last 10 or so days, and rave reviews all around from the local media that were in attendance. Frank Wright called him a physical specimen for the quarterback position, thinks he's adjusting very well. Players such as Michael Pittman Jr., Naheem Hines,

and others who spoke to the media said Carson Wentz's leadership really stood out to them, as well as his arm talent. It seems like everything we've heard out of West 56th Street over the last couple weeks, Stephen, this could not have gone any better for Carson Wentz. And I should say also, this is with no pads, no helmets on, really just when the offense versus defense really never went against each other. It was mostly just against air. So Wentz is going to look good in these situations.

But just from the camaraderie standpoint, the leadership standpoint, and just the arm talent, comparing with guys like Bill Burrs and Jacoby Bursette in the past, players raving about him, the coaches raving about him, really a great start for Carson Wentz. Yeah, really, it honestly probably couldn't have gone much better for him at least the first two weeks. Like you mentioned before, it's not in pads or anything like that you've got shell you don't even have shells on so like you're just you don't have helmets it's all just shorts t-shirts um everything like that but it's pretty clear from everything

that's been reported everything that you see uh Carson Wentz just feels a lot more comfortable here in Indianapolis than I honestly maybe he ever did in Philadelphia um he's feels a lot more comfortable here in Indianapolis than, honestly, maybe he ever did in Philadelphia. He's got a lot of weapons. You're seeing him start to build that chemistry with the players. If you were able to listen to his press conference that he had, he talked about getting throwing sessions together with wide receivers and tight ends. Uh, he, they expect to do at least two more before, um, two after now, after these OTAs, um, two more before training camp in, in July. So

they're going to try to get together and work it and everything that, that we've seen and everything that's been said. And of course this is slightly biased because it's Colts and you want to pump up your guy, but everything's been positive so far. From every wide receiver you've talked to, Michael Whitman Jr. is saying he doesn't understand what they're talking about in Philadelphia in terms of his leadership. You see the clear arm talent that Carson Wentz has and the ability just to bomb the ball and get the ball in places

that quite honestly Phillip Rivers just couldn't because he just didn't have that arm strength. Jacoby Brissett just didn't have the accuracy. And so I'm really excited about Carson Wentz, and I think he's really excited to be here. And that's pretty clear. And like, just his demeanor and his personality is starting to come through to where you can tell he just feels relaxed and he feels comfortable. Yeah. And that's the biggest thing I took away from it as well, Stephen, like when Wentz spoke

at the end of OTS to the local media,, and just from what we heard around the scenes from guys like Frank Reich and MPJ, for example, Carson Wentz, he's on a mission to prove that Doughter is wrong from Philadelphia. And he really just seems like a guy who really wanted to get a fresh start and is taking the bull by the horns here in Indianapolis, taking on a leadership role. Naeem Hines mentioned to the media that he's very personable. He's someone who is really

starting to get to know the players on a personal level, not just more so like a, hey, how's your day going so far? It's more like, hey, how's your wife and kids doing? How's your sister? The stuff that I think is going to get him more so bonding with these guys closer together. We've already heard that he's been working out with these guys before OTAs even started. We know about the clips with T.Y. Hilton, Zach Paschal, Michael Coleman Jr., and Desmond Patman in California, and also Paris Campbell, who you mentioned he threw with a couple times before OTAs even started. So he's worked with all the wide receivers before OTAs even began, and this is just someone even Wentz mentioned that, and he alluded to it as well, Steven, that he's going to be throwing up the

wide receivers and tight ends at multiple times over the next eight weeks before they get back together in West Ville for training camp at Grant Park. But it really just seems like to me, Steven, like Carson Wentz is on a mission this year and he's out to prove the haters wrong, so to say. Like a motivated Carson Wentz is someone that I think could really be a top 12, top 10 quarterback. And if that happens, he seems like he's fully immersed himself in the Colts culture. He seems like a perfect fit so far. He doesn't really have to be like Superman out there.

He can just be himself and fall in line with what's in place already. And you have Frank Reich, of course, the guy he's trusted most throughout his career. This seems like to me just a perfect fit all around. And from what we've heard so far of OTAs and heading into training camp, Wentz is a guy who just seems like on a mission here to prove everyone wrong. Yeah, from everything we have heard, you're right. It just seems like that's what he wants to do is he wants to just kind of show everybody in Philadelphia and specifically Howie Roseman

and kind of the Philly media, um, that every storyline that they manufactured about him was false and that he really can be that leader that he can take control. And he's not a, a locker room issue. Like what it sounds like the Philly media decided they wanted to, to try to drum up, um, because they needed a storyline that was juicy. And that's a, that's a pretty obvious one that you can never really get, you know, a, a positive or negative thing from the locker room, because people are always going to try to speak glowingly of their players. And so I feel like Carson Wentz is definitely in a situation where, like you said, he feels more comfortable. He feels comfortable with the system. He feels comfortable with these guys. And I think what you said is really important that he's not looking at this just from a football perspective, but he's looking at it as a life perspective and trying to get to know these people and not just these players. And so I think that makes a huge difference in terms of the way that he relates to people.

And I think you are going to see a very different Carson Wentz than what you saw last year, partly because the talent that the Colts have on their roster is just astronomically better than what the Eagles have. And partly because Carson Wentz is going to be incredibly motivated to show that the Eagles made a poor decision in getting rid of him and choosing Jalen Hurts over Carson Wentz. Last thing on Wentz, you reported having some other topics around the biggest stories of the Colts OTA sessions that just wrapped up this week.

From what I saw just on the photos that the Colts released on colts.com or just the B-roll I saw from NFL Network or the local news like WTHR and stuff like that, they're out of practice for the couple sessions they saw. A lot of things I saw Wentz work on just in basic videos, and I don't want to take too much away from these, but it just seems like stuff we never saw Phillip Rivers work on. A lot of RPO action, a lot of rollouts, a lot of bootlegs. We mentioned this before on the podcast,

even once the Wentz trade happened, and really diving into Wentz over the last couple months since the trade actually happened. But I really think, honestly, we're going to see a completely different playbook than what we've seen the last couple years with Jacoby Brissett and Phillip Rivers. It's going to look more so like what we saw in 2018 with Andrew Luck, and really pretty much like a carbon copy of the 2017 Eagles offense, where they ran the most RPOs in the NFL. It seems like to me, Stevens, just based off what I was able to see, we're going to be seeing a lot of that same stuff we saw in 2017 when Wentz and Reich created that magic in 2017

where he was going to be the MVP before he tore his ACL late in the season. What's your thoughts on them going sort of back to that 2017 Wentz, 2018 Andrew Luck type of offense where they were very explosive during those years. Yeah, and that's exactly – it's funny because I was watching the highlights that they had of the OTAs and everything like that and the Colts put out. And, again, their social media team over there at West 56th Street is just phenomenal in terms of the content that they produce for us as fans. One of my favorite parts about that was some of Carson Wentz's off-platform throws,

and specifically on rollouts where he's throwing from just a strange arm angle and he's on the move, not really getting an opportunity to set his feet, but you still see that ball just fly off his hand. I feel like Carson Wentz opens up this playbook so much more to what Frank Reich really wants to do. And one of the cool things with Frank Reich is that he doesn't force players to fit his system. He develops his system around his players.

And so you're going to see a very different playbook from what they had with Phillip Rivers to what you're going to see with Carson Wentz. You saw a very different playbook with Jacoby Brissett than what you saw with Phillip Rivers. You saw a very different playbook with Andrew Luck than what you saw with Jacoby Brissett or Phillip Rivers. So I think you're probably going to see much more of that Andrew Luck style

open offense. And I think the Colts are going to be, and not only that is you're going to see that Andrew Luck style open offense with a guy that has experience in that offense. And so Andrew Luck, he was, he was super smart, but he was still coming off a major injury. He was trying to get back into the fold. That was the, his last, Andrew Luck, he was super smart, but he was still coming off a major injury. He was trying to get back into the fold. That was his last year of his career, sadly. But he was trying to learn a new offense and do all this stuff.

Carson Wentz has been in this offense before, so he knows a lot of it. And yeah, there's a lot of verbiage changes that he has got to get used to. But for the most part, he's going to be, I think he's probably going to be okay in this, and he's going to pick it up pretty quickly. It sounds like he's a hard worker. He's trying to get everybody involved and try to work on routes with all of his wide receivers. So I would feel like – I feel very confident this is going to be

a very productive year for Carson Williams and then it's going to look a lot more like the Andrew Luck offense where you see a little bit more of the RPOs because you want to get him in space because once you get a quarterback in space you with the rollouts with the RPOs things like that you're able to stretch the defense and if you can stretch the defense a little bit further, that opens up bigger holes for you to throw into. It's going to give your wide receivers a little bit more space to run. And so it opens up so much more for the Colts offense. And I just feel like Carson Wentz is going to be a perfect fit for this, just like he was in 2017. BetOnline is the fastest and easiest

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right after the pick happened. Probably the most exciting to overhear our voices at that point because it was this raw emotion reaction to the guy we've been hyping up as a dream scenario for the Colts leading up to the draft for the past few months, and they got him. And from what I was able to gather just off reading through everything and watching the B-roll and the camera rolls and stuff like that the Colts released, it seems like the Colts kind of eased Quidipe into their rotation throughout OTAs.

You had Al-Qadi Mohammed taking a lot of those opposite snaps from Tyquan Lewis, who seems pretty much entrenched in that Danico Autry role in 2021. But we saw a lot of Al-Qadi Mohammed in that starting lineup for the first week or so. And then from there, though, we heard a lot about Quidi Pay taking the starting reps in the Justin Houston role over Al-Khani Muhammad, over Ben Banigou, over Isaac Rochelle and others, where it's pretty much at this point, even through OTAs, where it wasn't even pads or shells on, that Quidi Pay made such an impression

that he's already moved his way up the ladder, Stephen, and pruned himself as a rookie through a truncated OTA in about a two-and- two and a half weeks span, where he went from second or third string to a starting role in about 10 days. So that kind of shows you how impressed the Colts are already with their first round pick and quitty bet. Yeah.

And it's one of the things that I, I think that Chris Ballard looks for in terms of just his players as a whole, as he's looking for those self-motivated players. And that's what builds a culture because that's what allows them to feel confident to instead of having 13 days of OTA say all right you know we're gonna have eight days we're just gonna compact it into two weeks and then just come back in two months and be ready and you have confidence that your guys are gonna be ready because they're these

self-motivated style of players. That's exactly what Quitty Pay is. In his press conference, he talked about after he got drafted, once he got the iPad with the playbook, he started going into it and he talked about how he's been taking notes from coach Baker and over the next two months or the next eight weeks or so until training camp, one of the, one of the beat reporters asked him what he's going to do during that time. And one, he was super refreshed that now his job is just football and he can just concentrate on that.

But his first answer after that was he's going to dive into the playbook. So then he can come in and not miss a beat. So he doesn't have that learning curve. And that's exactly what Chris Ballard has talked about this entire time in terms of the types of players that he wants. Guys that are self-motivated, guys that you don't have to worry about and that's going to do the work. And Quidipe, it's something, I mean, shoot,

when you listen to the podcast right after the pick happened, it was literally during the end of the end of first round. And you, you heard us just gush about how excited we were listening to any of our podcasts leading up to the draft. And I've said multiple times, Quiddy Pay, if he's there, that's one of like a couple of players, him or Christian Derrissaw that they are not trading out for. And it turns out they were both there. So that was a blessing in disguise. But, you know, not a blessing in disguise,

but just a blessing that they both were there. And so he's that type of player where you don't have to worry about him. And it's very clear that the Colts are very confident that he's going to come in and step in right away. And he's already taken that right defensive end position. And he's been a Colt for like a month, maybe. He's eight practices. That's how long, maybe less.

And it makes sense that they're going to try to push him into that role because he's a first-round pick. He's got all the tools. He's arguably the best defensive end in this draft class. And he's a perfect fit for this scheme. So I think he's shaking it by the horns. And I think that he is just, again, just the perfect fit in terms of the player and the character for this team. One last point here on Quiddie Paye for a dive into the tight Juan Luis. I just keep thinking back to, I look at the defensive rookie of the year odds again on drafting, as you were speaking there, Stephen. Paye is fifth right now in the odds behind a couple linebackers, Jalen Phillips as well out of Miami. But then I just think just the way that Paye impressed in OTAs, impressed in rookie minicamp, just immersing himself in the playbook and the culture.

He's been in Brian Baker, the defensive line coach's year, this entire time in Indianapolis. I imagine he's probably going to be in Indianapolis throughout this entire two-month break off as he immerses himself in the community. I think Pei is someone to me, like, the more we hear about him, the more we see him talk, he's just a no-nonsense type of guy. Reminds me a lot of Darius Leonard in 2018, honestly, Stephen, just the way he carries himself.

Maybe not as energized as Leonard. Like, he's the voice of the locker room. He's the heart and soul of this team on the defensive side of the ball with just his energy that oozes out of him. But when you see Quitty Pay's no-nonsense attitude, he just seems like a guy to me that from day one, I know some have pushed back that he could be a little bit of an adjustment period in the NFL, but playing next to DeForest Buckner, playing next to Darius Linder on the defensive side of the ball,

Steven, I just have a really good feeling, maybe it's just a bit of a hunch on my end here, but I have a really good feeling that Quiddie Paye, week one against Seattle and beyond, is going to be a legitimate impact defensive end in the NFL. Yeah, I agree with you. It makes a lot of sense. He's not going to get double teamed with DeForest Buckner there, or he's not going to get double teamed quite as much, or if he does, it's going to be with a chip with a tight end

or a running back. And quite honestly, I don't see teams doubling him, especially in week one, just because that's not what you do to rookies unless they're like a Miles Garrett or a Chase Young. Then those guys you double team with two offensive linemen over there. But teams are going to have to shift their protection schemes to cover both DeForest Buckner and Quidipe here soon. And it's going to be kind of a mess for teams to try to figure out what to do.

And it's going to be really interesting to see what Quidipe brings from the jump, because again, he's got that agility. He's got that speed to power and it's, he's going to be a handful and especially going gonna be a handful and especially gonna be a handful if teams are gonna have to single uh single block him uh if they're gonna leave that right tackle on him only um or just leave that left tackle on him only that's he's he's gonna play really really well next to deforest buckner because buckner like like you said buckner's gonna play really, really well next to DeForest Buckner because Buckner, like, like you said, Buckner is going to draw that double team. And so Quidipe is going to have

an opportunity. And I think he's going to take the most, make the most of it because like Chris Ballard said in one of his press conferences, or it may be, no, it was with the, with Zach Kiefer and Stephen Holder on The Athletic, on their podcast. Chris Ballard made the comment that Quidipe didn't have the sack numbers, not because he couldn't get to the quarterback, but because the offenses in college are programmed to get the ball out so fast that it is one read, throw it and then that's it and so and they're running a play every 25 seconds so they're trying to hurry up trying to get it going so college a lot of

times these pass rushers don't necessarily translate and so you try to develop them quitty pay's got the tools and he's got the motivation he's got that work ethic um he's got the tools and he's got the work ethic. He's going to be in Baker's ear, Brian Baker's ear all offseason trying to get better, trying to come in from day one and be a force. And I think he's got the makeup, he's got the physical tools, and he's got the mindset to do that. Let's go to Tyquwon lewis now steven who from day one of otas was implanted into that danico autry role at the strong side defensive

end obviously quitty pay now at this point is in the justin houston role opposite him but taekwon from day one of otas really had that role in lockdown and it seemed like to me honestly like we've talked before in the podcast where taekwon had a really good year last year in limited snaps and if you extrapolate his numbers over a Danico Autry type of snap production pretty much identical numbers to what Autry put up in 2020 and almost the exact same PFF grade as well I and the Colts are betting big on Tyquan Lewis this year entering into his age 26 season where he's entering his prime now it It's a contract year for Tyquan Lewis. And playing next to Forrest Buckner, he did flash a little bit last year

and now add Quiddie Paye to the mix. This is a player who I think could really put us into Nico Autry S numbers in that exact same role. And the Colts really seem confident in that, really having that starting role on lockdown since the beginning of OTAs. Yeah, and I think numbers are, if you extrapolate it out and compare it to Danico Autry, he was either the same or better than Autry was last year. And as a reminder, like Danico Autry was so up and down last year that it's really hard to compare. So I was really

excited to see Tyquan Lewis make that next jump. I remember, you know, preseason, you and I talked about the potential of Taequann Lewis being a cut candidate, a surprise cut candidate. So I'm really happy to see that he put in the work this offseason. I'm hoping that Ben Banigou puts in that work this offseason to get better and make that Tyquan Lewis style jump. But Tyquan Lewis, it seems like he's going to be given every opportunity to be that left defensive end. And that's a really, really good spot for him. And so hopefully he's able to make the most of that opportunity. And everything we've seen or everything we've heard, it sounds like he's doing what they want and he's making that progress that they want and should be that starting left defensive end there for the Colts week one.

Yeah, I'm really excited to see Tyquan Lewis in the starting role. Just going over the starting defensive line projection for the Colts again, Quidipe, Grover Stewart, DeForest Buckner, and Tyquan Lewis. And we'll hit on some guys later on the show. And one right now we're going to hit on who I think is a very interesting guy, almost in the same role Taequann Lewis was last year, Stephen Hall, where I think he could be a surprise cut candidate at the end of training camp. And I don't know if you had a chance to listen to Zach Kiefer and Stephen Hall

on the 1% Better podcast they put out earlier this week, but they were not impressed by Ben Banigou in OTAs, and especially in his media session, where he seemed to kind of just nonchalantly say, oh, I didn't play much last year, whatever. Kind of just that kind of attitude about it. And Zach mentioned a really good point in a podcast talking to Steve. And Tyquan Lewis had the opposite attitude that last year. He was like, yeah, I'm ready to work.

I'm ready to put the improvements in. I'm ready to take the bull by the horn, so to say. And Banigou was just so nonchalant about it, according to what Zach said. And it kind of rubbed Kiefer the wrong way there. And I went and had a chance to listen to it. I would watch it myself on the Colts YouTube page. And I kind of agree with Zach where it kind of seems like Ben Banigou. I mean, I don't want to read too much into the thieves there.

Cause I'm not, I'm not in the building. I'm not in the facility. I'm not around Ben Banigou 24 seven, but it seems to me like maybe he's not taking the right approach to this. And I didn't see, like, from the pictures and the videos that we saw the Colts release, like, Al-Khadi Mohamed, Isaac Rochelle were both taking reps above Ben Bannigoo in OTAs. And Kamoko Ture is obviously nursing his ankle injury still. And he'll get more reps once he's back. Dayo Odengbo, the same thing, once he's back late in the season with his Achilles injury.

This could be a player to me, Stan. If Ben Banigou's not coming to training camp, like ready to go, like ready to prove himself, it just seems like for me from the OTAs, he did not impress out there and that's not a good sign for him. No, it's really not a good sign. I, again, I referenced that podcast earlier. Yeah, I listened to that and I had actually listened to the Vin Vanagy press conference, um, prior to listening to the podcast.

And I had the same takeaway where I'm like, that's not the way you should approach these questions. Um, maybe you're just, you know, your agent's giving you bad advice in terms of how you need to answer these questions. Cause it's better if you just, you know, you're open and honest about it and not try to act like it didn't exist. Um, and that's kind of what it sounded like he was trying to act like, um, that, Oh, well last season just didn't happen. Or, you know, I don't want to talk about it. Like, talk about it. Like, you didn't, you were a healthy scratch for like eight games.

Say, yeah, you know what? That really ticked me off and I need to be better. And so I worked this entire off season to make sure that that doesn't happen again. That's the appropriate response. And to say, it's it's in the past not going to talk about it like that's what you know happens when you've done something bad that you don't want to talk about publicly in the past like it just it's such a backwards way to think about addressing like a really serious um for these beat writers, for fans,

for even the team. And so it's a little disheartening because again, Baniku's got a lot of talent and it just, and he works hard. He's really smart. So I just don't understand why that was the way he went about that response. And again, I didn't see a lot of, I mean, I didn't get to see any training camp for myself personally. You know, from, you know, first person, I didn't get to see it. You know, all we've been able to do is read reports and see the little snippets that we get from the Colts. And if he's really like that third, fourth defensive end on that position, then he could be a surprise cut candidate. He could be a trade candidate.

We mentioned that with the potential for a Julio Jones thing. I just feel like he needs to have a better way of addressing this issue. And it just seems like he's soured on the Colts. I don't know whether that's true or not, but it just seems like he's not invested. Um, because to me, if he's invested in this, then he's going to go and say, you know, I screwed up, you know, I need to work harder. I need to show them I need to practice better. I it's a lot of, uh, a lot of me things like I need to do this. I wasn't good enough. So I worked hard. Um, and that's what, that's his approach he should take. Um, and so if his advice that he's gotten from his representation is that he needs to just not talk about it, I think that's poor advice. Uh, I think he'd be better off just

addressing it similar to how Taekwon Lewis addressed it last year and just kind of go at it straight on and say, look, yep, that was me. I wasn't good enough. I've been working hard and I'm going to be better. And my hope is I get that opportunity and I can show them that I deserve this spot. And so that's kind of where I'm at with Ben Vannegut right now. I really hope it works out because he's a good player. But it just seems like there's a disconnect, and I don't know why. Yeah, he seems like he's on the trajectory right now, Stephen, where it could be April of 2022 and Quincy Wilson was the same fate.

He could be the next guy in line there where he could be traded for a six- or seven-round pick and next year's draft at all doesn't go well. Or he could be the next Deion Kane where he's cut mid-season just him not producing and not doing well in practice and I'm looking at the depth right now on the defensive line for defensive ends right now Steven Quidipe, Taekwon Lewis, Kamoko Ture, Alkani Muhammad, Isaac Rochelle, Ben Banigou and then Dayo Odengbo I think if he doesn't if he does not do anything before Dayo gets back in November he could be a – Deion Kane was a couple years ago, Stephen, where if he doesn't produce and he's not getting production on the practice

or in game days or he's not dressing, if Dio's back, like, there's no need to keep seven defensive ends in the roster at that point. Like, he's got to get together here in the next three or four months or he's going to be gone midseason. Yeah. Honestly, like, the line is is arguably the deepest position on the Colts roster and so if he's not up to snuff then he's not gonna make it um and especially if if he's not getting any kind of significant snaps once Deo gets back because once Dale Odango gets back it's been the Chris Ballard just

gushes everybody who's talked to Chris Ballard and and heard him talk about Dale um it just seems like that's that's the guy that's his Quentin Nelson of this class the guy that he just can't stop gushing over about how great of a player he is. And so if Banigou can't get significant snaps and make an impact prior to Deo coming back, then he's going to have a really hard time being active again. And for a guy that's entering his third year, and Chris Ballard has said before, it takes pass rushers sometimes a little bit longer to develop, especially a pass rusher like Ben Vanegu, who is very intelligent,

but came from a program at TCU that didn't have him really focus on, you know, having any of those pass rush, those traditional pass rushing moves. And so he really has kind of started from scratch and in a lot of ways as a, as a defensive end, he's going to be in a really tough spot. If he doesn't take that leap this off season and really step up his game and seize control of at the very least a situational backup pass rusher. Um, because once Deo gets back, Deo's going to play. Even if it's limited snaps,

Deo's going to take that active roster spot. And so Banigou has got to hope that he shows out prior to that. Because otherwise, yeah, he's very likely a potential cut candidate mid-season or, you know, a possible trade candidate for, like you said, a six-round pick. I still think the Colts might be better off trading, you know, if they are going to be in this Julio Jones race, which you keep hearing the Colts mentioned by guys that are reputable, that the Colts are interested, then he makes a lot of sense because Atlanta needs a pass rusher, and the Banigou has all the tools, and he really just, I mean, he kind of needs a fresh start.

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It tastes nothing like a protein bar, it's like a candy bar, but it's so healthy for you. It makes you think that you're really on the right track. Go to BiltBar.com and use promo code LOCKED15 and you'll get 15% off your next order of Bilt Bars. Again, use promo code LOCKED15, L-O-C-K-E-D-1-5 for 15% off at BiltBar.com. Let's move on here to the last couple of topics here of the show, Stephen. And one to me, the last one defensive side of the ball before we go over to the offensive side where a couple rookies are standing out a little bit throughout OTAs. The cornerback two spot, which it seems like to me we did not hear confirmation from any of the beat reporters out there because I only saw one or two passes in person. But based off of what we saw on Colts.com

with media availabilities or photo galleries, I did not see Xavier Rhodes out there throughout OTAs, and he might just be training by himself, or maybe something happened in the office and he wanted to get a cleanup surgery or something like that, but I did not see Xavier Rhodes out there. Saw obviously a lot of Kenny Moore, but from what I heard from Kevin Bowen, Zach Kiefer, and others, it seems like there really is a true split down the middle right now of snaps between TJ Carey and Rakia Senin with a little bit of Marvell Tell sprinkled after his opt-out

last year due to COVID-19. It seems like to me, Steven, heading into training camp in Grand Park at Westfield, Xavier Rhodes and Kenny Moore are locked into those starting spots, but really between those three guys, Carey, Tell, and Yassin, it's going to be a true battle for that starting spot. Yeah, it really is. It's going to be interesting because, like you mentioned, Xavier Rhodes was not out there at any of the open media sessions this year. And so the beat reporters didn't really get an opportunity to see him at all so you assume that he's going to step in as that wide receiver one um that wide receiver two though that's up for grabs and tj carry has shown that he's more than capable um given the opportunity and so he could

take it rocky scene they're expecting him to make that jump. And Chris Ballard pointed out that – I think it was Chris Ballard that pointed out that he actually improved, and it wasn't as bad last year as it had been perceived by some people. He had played pretty well at the end of last year, even though he had had some hiccups. Now, again, he got benched for TJ Carey, so I don't know about all that.

It might not have been Ballard who said that. It might not. I forget who said it. But the point is, he's worked really hard this offseason. Again, this goes with what we talked about earlier with Quiddy Paye is you get guys that are self-motivated that really want to make themselves better. Rakhasin is that type of player. And so I have every confidence that he's going to work hard this offseason and try to make himself a better cornerback. And he's got the ability, he's got the talent, he's got the raw athletic traits to be

able to do that. He just really has to figure out, I think, from a fundamental standpoint, because his biggest issue has been his hands and being a little bit grabby. And if he can figure out how to keep his feet, rather how to use his feet better and use his hands less then i think he'll be in a really solid situation there to take over that cornerback two spot but having marvell tell come back and have him come up and step up like he has i think the colts feel really confident no matter what happens that they're going to be able to have a pretty solid cornerback room or a pretty solid defensive back room. And with Xavier Rhodes and Kenny Moore, you're two at the top.

And then having one of TJ Carey, Brock Yassine, or Marvell Tell come back and take over that third role. I feel like the Colts are pretty confident that they've got a good group back there. And not to mention, again, the defensive line makes the cornerbacks play easier or makes the quarterbacks be able to relax a little bit, I guess. Maybe it's a bad way to put that. But the more pressure you can get, the easier job it is for the corners. And having a legit pass rusher in Quidi Pei come in, the Colts are going to – the corners are going to have a better year, I think, with that situation.

So I feel pretty confident in what they've got and what Chris Ballard has put together there on the defensive side of the ball. Last point here on the show, Stephen. Appreciate the time, as always, going over the OTA news throughout these last couple weeks for the Annapolis Colts. But closing it out here with two offensive rookies who kind of turned heads a little bit throughout OTAs. First one we'll talk about here before is Kylan Granson,

the SMU tight end, the fourth-round pick for the Colts. And from what I saw off the photo galleries and from what we heard from beat reporters on scene there, Granson was getting some starting reps. He was a guy in that Trey Burton role, kind of switching in and out with Doyle and Cox and being that move tight end, whether it be in the slot or in line. It seems like to me, Stephen, like he's going to be a guy

who plays day one in this offense. And Frank Reich loves Kylan Granson from what we saw off the With the Next Pick series. And they need someone to fill that Trey Burton role. Grantz seemed like to me someone who's going to be immediate playing time and someone who could actually get immediate production from a guy like Carson Wentz who loves using his tight ends. Yeah, and it's a role that they've talked about that they've needed for a while is that move tight end in that f tight end and so granted really is the perfect player for that he's just a slightly shorter

version of of trey burton i think uh he he really makes a lot of sense um for what what the Colts want and how they kind of intend to make it work for the tight ends because he, he just gives them that playmaking ability that I think is going to really excel in this offense. And with Carson Wentz being able to, it's yet to be seen whether he'll be a significant upgrade over Philip Dorsett in terms of targeting tight ends. But his best year in the NFL was when, you know, Reich was the OC and their offense was based on using tight ends. So I'd feel pretty confident that Conley Granson is going to get a lot of play and that he's going to have every opportunity to really excel in this offense. And he's the type of player that could really surprise some people. Totally agree with you there.

And just real quickly on Granson before we dive into our last point here on a rookie making a big impression in OTAs, it could be in a line to kind of steal a roster spot away. When you look around the NFL with guys who were drafted at tight end, obviously Kyle Pitts is the exception. He's going to be putting up maybe Julio Jones-esque numbers in year one, especially with Julio now being gone out of Atlanta. He's going to be getting a lot of that target share that he's going to be

leaving with Julio. But Pat Fryer moves in Pittsburgh. He's going to be dealing with a couple tight ends there, Eric Ebron, Vance McDonald. You also have Tommy Tremble in Carolina. He's going to be dealing with a couple tight ends there, Eric Ebron, Vance McDonald. You also have Tommy Tremble in Carolina. You have others around the NFL who kind of had guys ahead of them a little bit in their roles. And I think it's not a bold prediction, so to say.

I guess some people on the NFL are paying attention enough to the Colts right now, where I think Kylan Granson could be the second most productive tight end in the NFL among rookies next year behind Kyle Pitts. It seemed like to me, amongst the fits and amongst the playing time projections outside of Kyle Pitts, I feel like Colin Granson could be like a top tier top rookie tight end in 2021. Yeah. Well,

it also doesn't help that the tight end class as a whole this past year was pretty down. And so that doesn't necessarily surprise me. And so, yeah, outside of Kyle Pitts, I think that it makes a lot of sense for them to – for him to potentially be that number two tight end. Because, again, Kyle Pitts is going to put up just crazy, crazy numbers there, and especially if Julio is out.

And so it's one of those things that you've – he's going to get that opportunity, and he really is an offense that wants to use that F tight end. So you're looking at like Eric Ebron style numbers back when he had a really good season with the Colts. So that's kind of what that's like your focus on. But he is except for he's got more reliable hands and he's more dynamic in terms of in the open field. If he was just a little bit taller and a little bit bigger, he probably would be in that first, second round range, but he's not. And so the Colts are going to take advantage and use what he does well,

which is, you know, run routes, catch the ball and, and, and get open, get open, catch the ball, get a bunch of yards after the catch. And I think he's going to really get an opportunity to feast this year, especially with teams focusing more on Michael Pittman Jr. And then if Paris Campbell can come back and really is full strength, they're not going to be able to cover – they're not going to be able to bracket a guy like Kylan Granson with extra coverage. He's either going to get a to bracket a guy like Kylan Granson with extra coverage.

He's either going to get a linebacker on him that's too slow, or he's going to get a safety on him that's not big enough. And so either way, he's going to be able to have an opportunity as a mismatch there in the Frank Wright system. So I feel pretty confident that Kylan Granson should have a really good year. I would definitely put him in the top three, top five range for rookie tight ends in terms of yards and fantasy points if we're looking at that. And I don't think he'll come near Kyle Pitts, but he's probably in that top three,

and I feel pretty confident about that one. Last one here, Stephen, talking about OTAs and the biggest takeaway is the other rookie on the opposite side of the ball. I want to have a really quick before end today's show, who's kind of turning heads a little bit from what I've heard so far from guys like Zach and Kevin and others who've been covering the Colts up close the last couple of weeks at Colts OTAs and also Chris Bauer and his post

draft meeting with the local media really gushed about him and how during rookie OTAs, rookie mini camp, his transition to the NFL wasn't as rough as they expected coming from a lower-tier school. And that's Mike Strawn, the wide receiver out of Charleston, Division II West Virginia. Almost 6'5.5", Stephen, 6'5.3", 226 pounds. When you see just how big he is in those types of numbers,

you think if he adds 10 more pounds, he could be a legit move tight end. But from what we've heard out of the Colts facility so far, Strawn's really turning heads where he's actually gotten some run with the twos throughout Colts OTAs. And that's really intriguing to me because if Strawn is turning heads like that, he could be this year's Desmond Patman, Stephen, where the Colts really do love Desmond Patman's potential. They redshirted him and Jacob Easton on the roster last year,

did not take the risk of putting on the practice squad because they knew he was probably going to be claimed by some team at roster cutdowns or stolen off their practice squad. So Patman and Easton stay on the 53-man roster the whole season. I honestly think maybe Strawn's a new guy here for 2021 in that version. And if that's the case, if they do Richard Strawn all of 2021 and don't want to take the risk of him being a guy who's poached off their practice squad, he could be a guy who takes that sixth wide receiver spot.

I mean, the first four are locked in, maybe the first five, with Hilton, Pittman, Campbell, Paschal, and Patman. Then you have Ashton Dool in there as your special teams ace guy, so to say. But if you like Patman can play special teams Ashton Doolin there as your special teams ace guy, so to say. But if you, like Patman, can play special teams or if someone else on the defensive side of the ball or defensive back can take the role Ashton Doolin played, maybe they feel more confident they can stash Ashton Doolin on the practice squad instead of Mike Strawn.

And Strawn could be this year's version of Patman where he could be that sixth wide receiver on the 53-man roster instead, and he could be in line to be sort of a redshirt year where it seems like from all indications he is turning heads at OTAs. Yeah, and he fits that wide receiver profile that Chris Ballard has drafted, really, with Michael Pittman Jr. and Desmond Patman, and guys that Chris Ballard really likes is that tall, big wide receiver that can get vertical. And what you look at with Sean is he dominated in Division II out at Charleston.

He dominated, and then he went to the West Virginia Pro Day, and he ran really well, and he was the show there at that Pro Day. So then he comes in here to rookie minicamp and made a really good impression on the Colts and his getting some opportunities with, you know, that Kevin Bell and said that, you know, he's getting opportunities to run with the first unit with Michael Pittman being out. That's huge. You know, the fact that he's only been there for a little bit

and is getting some run with the first unit, even though, you know, you've got all these other players, with only Michael Pittman being, I think, the only wide receiver that wasn't involved in OTAs. It's really huge for him. And he's, again, he's one of those like small school diamond in the rough division two players that really could come out and be a huge hit for the Colts. And you've seen this before with, with guys like, you know, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss,

Jerry Rice. I know those are three, you know, basically Hall of Fame players. But they all came from really small schools, but they dominated at that level. They had the physical traits. And then they came in and were able to translate what they did in Division Two into the NFL. And so far, that's what Michael Strong's been able to do. So I'm excited for him to see if he can make that jump. I think that I think you're right is is he's likely going to be a guy that if they don't feel like he's going to be able to play in terms of actually playing in any games, then I could see him being a guy that they keep on the roster similar to what they did with Desmond Patman last year, and seeing if maybe they can develop him, then give him an opportunity to win one of those starting wide receiver roles next year after, you know, inevitably T.Y. Hilton moves on, you know, after this year, because it seems like this might be his last year here in Indianapolis. Yeah, it's going to be so intriguing to watch there. I know Pittman did play a little bit there at the end of OTS from what I was

able to gather, but he, I think he did sit out a little bit of time, I believe if I'm not mistaken there, but which strong, obviously he's someone that's going to be really intriguing, almost six foot six and that Desmond Patman kind of role. You have Patman, you have Pittman, you have strong, three just huge massive big bodies in their wide receiver room where it's going to be fun to see how those guys coalesce together over the next couple years but steven thanks again for doing some today's podcast really appreciate the time colton's you know already gone fall steven on

twitter at nice read steve and go listen to his podcast as well over on stampede blue steven appreciate your time tonight thanks evan have a great one