Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Colts Draft Crash Course with NFL Network's Ben Fennell

Episode Date: April 2, 2021

On today's episode, NFL Network's Ben Fennell stops by for an NFL Draft crash course on 15 prospects who make a lot of sense for the Indianapolis Colts. All of these positions are covered: EDGE, OT, TE, CB. Who could become future Colts later this month?Ben's excellent insight covers all the bases and gives great detail into potential prospects who could intrigue Indy. Starting off at EDGE rusher, five prospects go under the microscope: Kwity Paye, Jaelan Phillips, Boogie Basham, Payton Turner, Jordan Smith.Who could be the replacement to Anthony Castonzo? Ben and Evan go over five prospects who could be intriguing options at No. 21 or No. 54: Samuel Cosmi, Christian Darrisaw, Teven Jenkins, Liam Eichenberg, Alex Leatherwood. Who would Ben bet on most to succeed next to Quenton Nelson?Moving over to tight end, three names stand out from the rest as realistic fits: Pat Freiermuth, Brevin Jordan, and Tommy Tremble. Don't be surprised if Indy addresses their need for a vertical tight end early in the draft.Closing out the show, Evan and Ben give quick insight into two cornerback prospects who could be surprise picks at No. 21: Greg Newsome II and Caleb Farley.You won't want to miss this one, Colts fans! So much insight from Ben on the most important positions for the Colts to address in the 2021 NFL Draft! 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 Seder, joined by a very special guest on today's show. Wrapping up the week here on the podcast, but as we're now in the month of April, bringing on the heavy hitters for you guys here on the show. And this is one of my favorite guys here, really does a lot of X's and O's stuff for the NFL Draft.

Does NFL Draft and Combine work for the NFL Network. Also a producer for the Philadelphia Eagles. And does some art producing work as well for ESPN College Football. Ben Fennell joins us. He's one of the best draft picks out there on Twitter. Go ahead and follow him if you've not already done so, at Ben Fennell underscore NFL. Ben, how you doing today, man? I'm doing fine. And just hearing your intro there, it's crazy. We're already sitting here at the beginning of April, less than a month away to the draft. I know, right? It's crazy. And it's really one of my favorite times of the year. And let me ask you this first off, we're diving some of these prospects. I mean, Ben, I'm going

to go through about 15 guys here who could really make sense for the Colts across the first two rounds of the draft at 21 or 54, even if they trade back. We know Chris Bauer loves doing that, but let's go over here, Ben, just how your process has changed so far throughout the 2021 pre-draft process. No combine. The pandemic really has changed a lot of things. Has that at all impacted your work? Well, I put a lot of my value into the tape study of these kids.

I usually have an opportunity to see some of the players up close with my job with ESPN College Football, where I had been on the road going to games for six seasons. Unfortunately, didn't do that this fall. So I was grounded like many of the scouts and player evaluators out there. So I really had to rely on the film. And I think the scouting community has kind of been in the same way. And this all started with the lack of pro days last spring,

which really the emphasis of pro days has always been projecting forward. At that point, a lot of the players' reports are done. Their film has been watched. They had a lot of the height, weights, measurables from the previous pro day. But not having the pro day last spring hurts the prospects in this class from just general vetting, measurables, things like that, and then scouts not on campus on the fall. They're just behind on understanding who

these kids are and getting official height, weight, speed measurements. And I think there's a lot of players that there's just question marks around for a variety of reasons, whether it's injuries, whether it's opt-outs, whether it's, you know, other reasons why they played or didn't play. I just think there's a lot more gaps to fill in through this cycle. And it really all started last spring. Let's start it off here, Ben, diving into some prospects. And the first one on the list is going to be edge rusher. Because when you look at this Colts defense, Ben, I think it's fair to say if they were to add an elite pass rusher next to DeForest Buckner, this young defense could take it

up even another level, like we saw last year once Buckner came on board there. What's your opinion of the top of this pass rush class where if it goes well, maybe, I mean, we're going to hit on Jalen Phillips and Quitty Paye at the top, but maybe one of those guys or both those guys with the way free agency went, the Colts could have their pick of the litter at 21 if all goes well. Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's a great spot to get an elite pass rushing prospect. And I love in this class,

there's not a whole lot of finesse players at the pass rushing position. There's a lot of guys that are thick, they're heavy, they're good run defenders, and they tested particularly well. And when you look at the Colts front seven and their defense collectively, there isn't a whole lot of finesse on that front. And their defensive ends, I think, really represent their organizational philosophy. There is not a lot of finesse or twitch off the edge for the Colts. They are okay with playing heavy, 270, 280-pound defensive ends that are tough, run-first players, because that's the tone and the kind of philosophical approach. They're okay with Danico Autry at 280 or, you know, Muhammad at, you know, 265, 270.

So that's really the style of the Colts' defense. And in this draft, there are a lot of edge players that kind of fit that similar package one guy to me been on this list we're gonna hit on five guys here in the past rush just for Devin do later on the show offense tackle tight end and then some corners as well before you finish it out but the top of the list for me as far as the most realistic options go I have like a blue star prospect mode i do here on the podcast where the colts really value the not only the bendy athletic trait guys but also like the leadership off the field stuff team captain whether even whether you really do stuff off the field as well and the guy who checks the most boxes for me on the blue star prospect list of this position

that could be there for them at number 21 is michigan's quitty pay what's your opinion of quitty pay this year ben and what his fit could be in Indianapolis? Well, he's a really interesting prospect in that he has really good size in combination with an explosive first step and an absolute hunter as far as his pursuit and effort, you know, chasing ball carriers and quarterbacks around the field. So he's a try-hard guy that plays the run particularly well and has lined up all over that front for Don Brown's Michigan scheme. He's even played some nose tackle in some sub package and some pressure look. So he's a guy that can win against a variety of offensive linemen, and he's a really tough player.

So all these players that I think fit the Colts have a great baseline toughness and have a great baseline run defense. Then let's see what can we do as far as getting after the pass around third down and maybe sliding it into three tech and having some positional versatility. But Quidi Pei is a really interesting player at 275 pounds with an explosive element to his game. Jalen Phillips is another one here, Ben, that really blew up his test numbers out of the water his pro day, put on some freak show numbers out of Miami. I know he had some concussion issues on his career at UCLA.

He was forced to retire due to that, but then went on the transfer to Miami. Had a great season for the Hurricanes. He was like another guy to me where if he does hit his full potential ceiling, he could end up as edge one in this class a couple years down the road. Yeah, absolutely. He's a guy I've had no problem saying. I think he's the most complete in advanced pass rushing prospect in this class. And I know some people are saying, well, what about Pei and Ojolari and Basham?

They all have some elite traits in the way that they win. Basham is strong and hustles and Ojolari is loose and bendy and, you know, Quidipe is explosive and rocked up. Jalen Phillips checks the box across the board. He may not be an A in anything, but he's a B plus in everything. So he's got the ability to win high side. He's got the speed, the power. He's got the spin moves and the counter moves. Very aware player. A lot of stunts in games. He's won at three tech as well against guards. He can change directions, can play in space. He's checking a lot of boxes. Now, the off-the-field stuff, the medical stuff, that's why he's a tough projection right now.

I've seen anywhere from mid-first round to fourth round. And I think this draft has a lot of players like that that gives you a little bit of angst and worry, but it makes it exciting too. You know, whether it's Phillips or Walker Little or Talanoa Hufanga or Gregory Rousseau, that package of players, I'll have the same reaction if they go in the first round or if they go in the fourth round.

And I think it's really kind of fun when you start peeling back some layers to those onions. Let's say hypothetically, Ben, that both Pei and Phillips on the board for the Colts at 21, and they're targeting a pass rusher. Let's just say they want to put someone next to the forest buckner, be a game wrecker next time on the left side with their first pick. You betting more at the medicals check out on Jalen Phillips, or do you like the upside of Quiddie Payne more than that? Yeah, I would be betting that the Jalen Phillips medical is clear. And I swear his best tape is very reminiscent of a Nick Bosa.

So if you're getting that type of upside and that type of maybe projection of a high-level elite pass rusher, that's tough to replace. Now, I think that would come completely at the expense of playing time for guys like Kamoko Ture and Banigou. It's really that type of role that Phillips would be playing, more that weak side end, open side end type of player. But he would blow both those two players out of the water with his ability. So if the medicals are clean, I will stand on that soapbox and say he is the most complete

pass rushing prospect. And whether you're the Colts or somebody else in there at the middle of round one, I don't think he could pass this guy up. A guy to me who really checks the box you're just mentioning at the top of the show, Ben, about the Colts defensive line, and that's Boogie Basham, Carlos Basham out of Wake Forest. He actually tweeted out a comparison with him and Justin Houston, just their length, their build, their overall numbers athletically. It seems like to me, Ben, if he's on the board there at 54, and let's say the Colts go left tackle earlier to replace Andy Costanzo, I think just checking all the boxes there,

I think Boogie Basham might be the most Colts player on this list. A thousand percent. And I'm not sure who it was on the Colts that kind of put out a little public service announcement before free agency saying, hey, free agents considering Indy, we are not a finesse group and you better come with a certain level of tone and physicality. That's Boogie Basham. And people may say, oh, he can't win high side and he's a little stiff. The hell with all that. This guy is as strong and as relentless as any pass rushing or defensive line prospect

in this class or last year's class. This guy is absolutely dominant with his will, his effort, his pursuit, his intensity, his temperament. He's a guy you just want on the field and tell him to go chase. So he's got the similar height, weight, speed to Justin Houston. Houston was probably a little bit more of a refined pass rusher, but I think Carlos Basham's ability to win against the run, slide and play inside, and just to chase the ball all over the place, that's what the Colts do. And I love the Colts' collective approach on defense of saying, you know what, we're a little vanilla, we're a little conservative, we play zone. But I'm telling you,

once that ball carrier gets the ball, we are going to rally to the ball and smash them when we get there. And Boogie Basham, I think would be welcomed with open arms to that Colts defense. It seems like to me too, with Boogie Basham, Ben, he's one where he could play the Houston role, but also the Neagle Autry rule after he left for Tennessee, where if they are still believing in Kamoka Torre and Ben Banigou, it obviously takes time for pass rush to develop a little bit. But you could have like a pass rush NASCAR package of Boogie inside with Buckner and then Banigou and Torre on the outside.

That really seems appealing to me. Yeah, I think that would be really interesting. And I think the Colts and all these zone-based defenses that just play with a lot of physicality and intensity and violent athletes like, you know, the Boogie Bashams of the world, I think that's the recipe to play defense. And some of the best defenses in the NFL are all zone-based now. It's Buffalo or Green Bay or Tampa Bay or Pittsburgh. But Indianapolis is the model, in my opinion. The downside to all that is they've allowed the most completion percentage the past two years.

So, you know, they're going to give up a lot of easy catches. That's okay. That's the formula. Keep the ball in front of you. Prevent the big plays. We're going to give up some catches, but we're going to smash you when we get there and force some fumbles and get that ball back.

So there's going to take a certain type of player, certain type of temperament to fit into this group. Boogie Basham would be a great fit. Another one that really kind of fits that mold, maybe a tier below Boogie is Peyton Turner out of Houston. I believe his pro day is next Friday, Ben. But what's your overall opinion watching Peyton Turner's tape where I feel like he could play a similar role like Boogie Basham where you can kick him outside and also inside his motor. I mean, I saw him win a couple reps against Brady Christensen against BYU earlier this year he's a non-stop motor yeah I think that was like the lone sack Christensen had given up in like two years to that nice arm over inside move but he's a guy when he's just standing up pre-snap his arms are down to his knees he's tall he is

long he's angular meaning his shoulders are incredibly broad and his waist is incredibly tight. So you just see that big, giant V in his frame, which usually is a great sign of an athletic type of profile. But this is a guy that played defensive end at nearly 275, which fits that Colt style, that Danico Autry of heavy end. He just doesn't have a whole lot of twitch to his game, which is okay. I'm okay with the guys that are brute strong at the point of attack that can slide inside in some sub packages that aren't liabilities against the run. And that's okay. So that's, that's the Peyton Turner type. That's the boogie Basham type. I think

you're right on the money. These just guys aren't going to be the twitchiest types and they might make a lot of their hay on early downs just being good run defenders and the last I checked you don't have to wait till third down to throw the ball you can throw it on first down the only way to play on first down is to not be a liability against the run so I like the heavier edges that I can play every down stylistically been just looking at the Colts draft over the last couple years of course they added Tyquan Lewis in 2018 who could play a similar role. They signed Al-Khabib Mohammed. They drafted Ben Banigou and Kamoka Ture in the second round in the past couple of years.

Banigou and Ture are more so the bendier speed types who can come in on third down and not really be three down types. If you're in the Colts front office and you still think that those guys can develop into more in the next year or so, are you targeting these types of guys like a Basham or a Turner early on to kind kind of fit that mold more so than the veneer types you know that's a good question it may say what they think about the development and the projection of some of those guys that really are more third down sub package types the teres and um the banning go at a tcu so i think if they go to the well at that defensive end early, that may be the writing on the wall that they don't feel great about some of those other guys. They also got a really good, you know, season of production out of Danico Autry, who left in free agency, as you had mentioned.

I know they made the one sign in to get Isaac Rochelle, which is a similar type of player that plays defensive end at like seemingly 290 pounds. So it was clearly a need they wanted to fill. So I'm glad they addressed it in free agency with a veteran presence. And now let's see the way the board falls on the draft. And if there's somebody like a, you know, quitty pay at 21, a boogie bash him at 21, maybe Peyton Turner sitting there in the second round. I think the fact that they addressed it in free agency, they're good.

They're safe. They got the need. Now let's see the way the board round. I think the fact that they addressed it in free agency, they're good, they're safe, they got the need. Now let's see the way the board falls and if we could get good value on draft day. The last passers on this list before diving into some offense tackle options for the Colts and one is kind of like the wild card to me because when I turn on the tape of this guy, man, he is a unicorn to me just because he's so long, so bendy, so explosive out of his first step out of the snap. Did very well at the Senior Bowl as well. Jordan Smith out of UAB, transferred from Florida due to off-the-field reasons, but he had a monster year at UAB this past year. What's your opinion of Jordan Smith?

He kind of feels like, to me, kind of the wild card where if he's on the board there at 54, he could be an intriguing choice for them. Yeah, he's interesting because he's 6'6", 255, and you're thinking the tall, long guys, you know, Leonard Floyds and Carlos Dunlaps, you know, maybe they're not great against the run because their lower half isn't defined and they're just a little tall. Their torso is very big, which gives blockers a really good strike zone. But he's actually a really good run defender too. So he was a prolific pass rusher in the past two years. He was the highest graded run defender by PFF as far as defensive linemen in 2019. So he was a guy that was more than willing to contribute in the run on early downs and then give you a whole lot of juice with that 6'6 frame

and nearly 84 inch wingspan rushing the passer. And they come in waves. I mean, he had nine pressures against Tennessee, 10 against Rice, 12 against La Tech. He can absolutely take over a game. I just really want to see him consistently against some better competition just to see, you know, maybe if he's going to hold up against some more NFL-style tackles there. But he's a really interesting player that looks the part,

was a high recruit, went to the University of Florida. We'll probably have to do a little bit of vetting with why he departed that Florida team with that weird credit card incident, was suspended for an entire season, seems to have rebounded. I think he was down at the Senior Bowl a couple of months ago as well to answer some questions. So he's a really interesting player. One of the worst things I hate about him is he wore number 22 as an edge rusher, which didn't look great to my eye, but he is a long, loose, athletic pass rusher.

Bet online is the fastest and easiest way to build on all your sports action. Football might be over, but NBA, college, basketball, and NHL are in full swing. Bet online even covers awards, TV shows, and reality TV. Real-time updated odds and props almost anything you can imagine. Bet online is careful of news, scores, and odds, and it's the best way to place your bets, and it's free to sign up. We'll see you next time. BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. Get all the sports news you need in under 20 minutes of the Locked On Today podcast. Host Peter Bukowski updates you on the latest news in every major sport with the help of our local experts. Follow Locked On Today podcast on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Yeah, he's one of those guys to watch out for.

He could really rise to the boards if he does clear off the field. And the UAB Pro Day is also next week, so if he blows out the water there, you can hear a lot more about him nationally. But let's dive into left tackle now, Ben, because, of course, the Colts have a massive hole with Andy Costanza retiring. They've obviously signed Sam Tebby and Julian Davenport. But I would be shocked if either of those guys are the day one starter at left tackle. I think they're more so just swing tackles for depth.

We know Chris Bauer loves addressing the offensive line. This is a perfect year, I mean, for Costanza to retire, Ben. I mean, looking at this 2021 draft class, there is a lot of elite athletes at left tackle where the Colts could really make their hay even at 21, 54, even past that. Yeah, absolutely. Really deep tackle class. It's top heavy. There's a lot of starters on day two. There's some intriguing developmental guys. There's some tackles that are looking to

slide inside, like the Vera Tuckers and Leatherwoods of the world, and maybe Rayshon Slaters, those types. I think it's a really exciting offensive line group in general. Even outside of tackle, you go to guard, maybe a little less at the center position, but offensive line collectively, pass protectors, pass protectors, pass protectors, and this NFL needs it desperately. Let's hit on the guy who I'm really falling in love with the more I watch the tape of him, Ben. And he just seems to check the athletic mold that Chris Bauer likes.

Looking at Kent Lee Platty's relative athletic scoring formula, the Colts now drafted a guy with a RAS below nine over the last three drafts. So they really value athletic offensive linemen. And Samuel Cosme of Texas is someone I'm really falling in love with. Like I mentioned, just he can get out in space and do some work. He's a great technician with his hands. What's your thoughts on Samuel Cosme? I feel like he might be one of the more realistic options for them at 21. Yeah, he's a good player. That's kind of taken a backseat in 2020 with the rise of guys like Derrissaw and Jenkins and Eichenberg. And Cosme was kind of sitting there like, what about

me? Where am I in the pecking order? And he's kind of come full circle here since his pro day. And he had a crazy good workout, very explosive, showed off the speed, all that agility stuff. And it checks out with his tape. He's a guy, the first line in my report says he looks like he could play tight end if he dropped 50 pounds. So he's that type of profile where he has a very athletic lean frame. He shows that off with his balance, his quickness, very nimble feet, exceptional mirror ability. He can get up to the second level. He get out there in space on some pin pull stuff and all that perimeter action. Just the issue with, you know, six, six, 300 pound guys, you need some muscle. You know, you need some muscle throughout your frame and your lower half.

It's one of these guys where his pants looks a little baggy and his butt just not a huge anchor. It's tough to fill out your lower half when you're a tall, lean guy, you know, that was 260 pounds coming out of high school. So this is a guy that's been trying to put on weight. I'm sure he's been eating peanut butter sandwiches every night down there at Texas Austin. But he's a guy that got bull rushed a little bit last year against LSU past rushers like Claveyon Chason. So, you know, if he can maybe put on a little bit more bulk to his game, I think he would be a little bit more of a through and through first round pick. But he's a really good prospect. I think he goes in round two and probably starts for somebody day

one. These next two guys on the list here are certified people movers and they're really the nasty guys in this draft. Like if the Colts are trying to get the Quentin Nelson type to this draft class in their draft range, these next two guys could be it. Christian Derusaw to Virginia Tech. He might not be there at 21, but he's probably going in that late-teen, early-mid-20 range. He is a guy that's a freak out there.

I mean, he could do a lot of good stuff in the run game. Very good pass protector as well. Has the athleticism and the brain to really move around. What do you believe of Christian Derasaw as a prospect in this year's draft? Well, kind of packaging both these guys together because they're similar profile tackles. Derasaw, I think, is like a Donald Penn. And Tevin Jenkins, I think, is like a Brian Bulaga. Take those four players together.

They look like they're refrigerators wearing cleats. These are not the tall, lean, angular guys. These are the guys that look like blocks. But they're the types that are nasty. They want to maul you. They want to move you. They want to finish you. You love their temperament in just finishing plays,

playing to the whistle in the run game, or you think they're going to be liabilities in pass pro. And then you watch two, three, four games. You sit back in your chair and you say, nobody sniffed the quarterback off his side. And you have to kind of step, take that step back and say, nobody got around this guy. And he just consistently moved people in the run game.

And I think both of them have been a really good trajectories in 2020, uh, with their great seasons and particularly in the run game. So I thought Dara saw it a great year at left tackle blocking for Khalil Herbert, who came over from Kansas, was able to show off a little bit more of a pro style running back in that offense and Tevin Jenkins. I mean, a week before the season, their left tackle retired from the game and Tevin all of a sudden had to be the captain and had to be one of the leaders on that old line.

And he stepped up really well. He's's a guy just doesn't look the part he wears these big spec frames and he doesn't have this angular lean frame doesn't look athletic but he just does his job consistently uh so these are two guys that i really like their temperament i love their nasty i love their size and i'd be more than comfortable with starting both these guys day one yeah i feel like honestly for those that go out there and watch offensive line film, I feel like that's the funnest part is when you find a mean, nasty offensive lineman to watch tape on in a couple games because, man,

Darasol and Jenkins, they don't like defensive linemen. They really make an emphasis like, I'm going to put you in the dirt every single play. I'm going to get my face all in you, and you're not going to like it. I'm going to make sure I do it every single play. That's a term that I think offensive linemen should have, and really that's the kind of reason maybe the wide Darryl Saul and Jenkins are rising so much in this process, Ben,

because they just have that mentality to succeed. Yeah, absolutely. And this whole, like, you know, offensive linemen by nature are in a treating position in pass protection, but it doesn't mean the action has to be passive. And we love that statement of pass protection is not passive. And these guys look to mull you, look to fight you. It seems like they would have no problem putting their helmet down and scrapping with you if they needed to. So I know that's infectious to the O-line room. That's infectious to the running back.

And you earn respect on your own team, particularly in camp and practice and stuff by your defensive linemen. It's an iron sharp and iron business. If you're soft on the O-line, typically you have a pretty soft D-line, you know, on the other side. So these guys are definitely tone setters, leaders of their team. They're not going to be for every type of scheme out there. But I think if you want the big burly type in Derisar Jenkins, they're going to be great fits.

Liam Eikenberg, Ben, he just had his pro day at Notre Dame this past week. The Colts were heavily there. And with Chris Ballard, Frank Reich, they had a couple of heavy personnel people in there as well to check him out in person. You've been on this comparison for a while, Ben. Like, he could be Anthony Costanza 2.0. If you want to plug in a guy to really be just like Anthony Costanza,

Liam Eikenberg could be that. What's your overall thoughts watching the tape of Eikenberg over the past couple of years? He's really just been a rock-solid, steady guy. He's not going to blow you away athletically, but he just gets his job done. He's a good technician out there. Yeah, and maybe a little bit of a sexier projection,

similar to Costanzo, who just finished off a great 10-year career after being a first-round pick out of BC. I mean, Mitchell Schwartz is the same way. He's one of the premier right tackles in the league. But both those guys, when you reflect on the last, you know, eight years of their play, elite tackles, what do they do? Well, they don't really mall. Yeah. They're not people movers. They're not the most athletic pieces. They're not the longest pieces. They're not the strongest pieces. So it's just like, you're trying to figure out what's that exceptional quality,

but when you put it all together, they have a really great kind of collective skill set and they just get their job done on a down to down basis. And that's what this position is about. Getting your job done. They get their job done. It may not be the sexiest. It probably isn't making a lot of highlights or Twitter videos smashing people, but they're just so efficient. And that's Eichenberg. Prototypical length frame size such calm pass set so technically sound knows how to get to his landmark with his posture and his eyes up very consistent punch doesn't fly out of his stance so he doesn't really overset the issue with him i kind of have is i just don't like that he's a two-handed puncher which i think is a

kind of a fixable trait we need independent hand usage at the next level. Just from a very simple one-on-one stance, you put two hands out and swipe them. You get two hands. You put one hand out and swipe it. They only get one hand. You want to give them only one hand at times. So there's some things that correct. I know he only came in, I think 33 inch arms, which was a little concerning, but he's so technically sound. He's fine. He's not a hugger. He doesn't have a wide punch. When you have a consistent location in your punch with calm, technically sound pass sets, you make up the lack of length. You need length to recover when you're sloppy. You need length when you don't have great pass sets. So I think Eichenberger has been

outstanding on that Notre Dame team, and he had a block forever for Ian Book. I don't know if anyone watched Notre Dame and saw how much that guy ran around and rarely ever played within rhythm. This is a guy that had to block for five, six, seven seconds as Ian Book ran around to make plays, so he's been more than willing to block late into the down, and he's nasty in the run game. He checks a lot of boxes. Last one here on the list, Ben, before we dive into some tight ends and some cornerbacks finish off this show, Alex Leatherwood of Alabama. Last one here on the list, Ben, before we dive into some tight ends and some cornerbacks finish off this show, Alex Leatherwood of Alabama, the Colts were there at his pro day.

Chris Bauer, Frank Reich were there. It could have been for Leatherwood, could have been for the playmakers like Waddle or Smith. They somehow slipped the 21, but I think honestly, he's a guy that surprised me on tape. He's a very good finisher.

He's very athletic. He had very good jumps at his pro day. So he could, he could technically play tackle if he wanted to. What do you believe of Leatherwood in the NFL? Do you think he's more so of a guy you can trust that tackle or do you think he's more so a guy who's probably can't move inside the guard? I'd be willing to let him try a tackle first and figure out, you know, maybe in camp and preseason if he's comfortable doing that. But he's played a lot of tackle in the SEC for big time football for Alabama

and the championship game against SEC edge rushers, NFL style of edge rushers. And he wasn't this liability out there. Obviously pass protection isn't his strong suit. He'd much rather go forward with vertical displacement and move people off the ball. But I thought the variety of run schemes at Alabama, a lot of power, vertical displacement, moving people, the zone scheme as well. So you can see that lateral quickness and his ability to work east and west and cut players off and get to the perimeter.

He's an excellent run blocker. It's just a matter if you feel comfortable with him pass protecting off the edge against NFL pass rushers, which he was okay with. He's really long, has good feet, a little bit of a lunger at times, gets his shoulders over his knees, which is troublesome. You want guys to sit back when they punch, but I think that's all kind of correctable traits. And these are similar things that, you know, Morgan Moses had, you know, questions coming out and he's been a tackle for the Washington football team for close to 10 years. So I think he's a guy that can survive at tackle and I'd be willing to

try him out there first those five guys with us whenever they've been at tackle with Cosme, Derisal, Jenkins, Eichenberg, and Leatherwood from the Colts standpoint whoever they put left tackles gonna look even better because they're playing against a Quentin Nelson or Ryan Kelly but out of those five names we just mentioned who do you like best as a fit in and I really like Eichenberg you know and I've kind of been on that. Like you mentioned the, that kind of comparison to a Costanzo throughout the fall and just seems like that's that type of fit. It's only a bus ticket away from Notre Dame.

So, you know, can save Ballard a couple of bucks there, bringing them in. I just think he would be a really good style player for that Colts offense, putting them next to Quentin Nelson there, and a very technically sound player. But that Colts team seems like they are a franchise left tackle away from being a perennial powerhouse. So whether it's Eichenberg, whether you get Derrissaw, whether it's Cosme, whether they have a secret plan in their back pocket to take Walker Little or somebody like that, invest in the offensive line when in doubt. So I love the Colts that are being aggressive at this spot and always making sure to put Cole back in that furnace

and not just get too enamored with the skill players. We've been telling you about Bilt Bar, the best tasting protein bar on the market for a while now. Bilt Bar is the amazing low calorie, low sugar, high protein, high fiber, amazing tasting protein bar with 100% chocolate on all the bars. Bilt Bar Madness just finished up and Coconut Brownie Chunk came out on top as the national champion of our Built Bar Madness tournament.

If you want to support, go to BuiltBar.com or at Bar underscore Built to follow all the results that happen and go check out their products. Remember to use the promo code LOCKED15 to get 15% off your next order of Built Bars. Again, that is LOCKED15 for 15% off your next order of Builtilt Bars. Again, that is LOCK15 for 15% off your next order of Bilt Bars at BiltBar.com and check out to see all the products that they have in store. I've used it, many of our users have as well, and across the Lockdown Podcast Network.

LOCK15, L-O-C-K-E-D 1-5 to get 15% off your next order of the best tasting protein bar ever. Are you ready for the NFL Draft? Join Lockdown NFL Draft hosts Trevor Sikama and Benjamin Solak as they give you their latest positional rankings analysis on 2021 draft prospects with team-centered guest mocks right around the corner. Follow Lock on NFL Draft podcast in the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Been tight in it I think is an

underrated need for this Colts team. You have Jack Doyle now entering into his 30s. Molly Cox is now on the final year risk contract as well for signing his tender. I feel like the Colts really need a vertical tight end threat in this class. And unfortunately, Kyle Pitts won't be there at 21 because, my goodness, he would be an incredible fit in this Colts offense. But three guys to me really stand out here. We can go over here really quickly, Ben. And the first one here is Pat Friermuth out of Penn State.

Does the dirty work blocking. Can go in the slot. He's a very reliable catcher as well. What do you think of Friar Moose and his overall fit in this draft class? So just kind of taking a step back there, completely agree. I think you guys do need a vertical element over the middle of the field, particularly that tight end position. But more importantly, somebody that's more of a matchup threat. And I think the way Frank Reich used Trey Burton in that 2017 Super Bowl year

with the Eagles made them very interested to bring Trey Burton in that 2017 Super Bowl year with the Eagles made them very interested to bring Trey back over the last year, I believe, when he got cut by the Bears. Because he's such a weird, awkward, versatile weapon in that he's really not a tight end. He's really not a receiver, but he's a matchup nightmare. So I would like to see more of a matchup nightmare type of player added to that tight end room. But Pat Fryer-Mootz is type of player added to that tight end room. But Pat Fryer-Mootz is an interesting player because he has really good size. He's comfortable as an inline tight end, but he's not really an elite athlete. And that's okay. You know who's not an

elite athlete either? Travis Kelsey. And he just broke the tight end reception record or yards record or whatever it is. He won with strength at the top of routes and suddenness at the top of routes and catching everything. And everybody thinks the Chiefs saw their vertical team. Travis Kelsey really wasn't a vertical tight end. He caught a lot of underneath stuff and just knows how to separate. And that's Pat Fryermuth. I think he's going to be a quarterback's best friend on third downs and in the red zone. So that's a decent blocker, not a great blocker. But I'm not sure he's going to have the juice to really climb vertically on linebackers and safeties and really stretch the seam.

But he's a really good tight end and really not a deep tight end class. Revin Jordan's another one here out of Miami. He had kind of a disappointing pro day just based off of what I thought he would do. But he's someone that could really play a Trey Burton role, in my opinion. He's a very savvy guy, can get out in space a little bit and do some movement there. What do you believe of Brevin Jordan? He could possibly be there maybe round three at the Colts trade back, or maybe if they take him at 54, do you think Jordan is worth the investment? You know, he was my number one name, Evan, of saying he could help himself the most

with a good pro day out of any position in the entire class at any pro day because the tight end group isn't particularly deep it was a little bit of a gap gray area between Kyle Pitts and whoever the next was so if Brevin Jordan put up a 4-5-0 4-5-5 at that size I thought he was easily a late first round, early day two type of tight end, but obviously didn't impress him too much with his testing, but that's okay. I still really like him as a prospect. I think he has good size, good physicality. He's a guy you just want to get the ball in his hands and some screen stuff because of his speed, competitiveness, that kind of toughness in the open field he's a good blocker

in my opinion uh he had to erase defensive ends in the run game they kept him in to pass protect before uh Rhett Lashley came over from SMU who got all those yards and catches to Kylan Granson down at SMU the previous year Brevin Jordan really wasn't featured in the offense he had 35 catches for two touchdowns in 2019, 32 catches in 2018. There's tight ends across college football catching 50, 60 balls now. Not to mention inconsistent quarterback play. And so I know he was disappointed with how he was involved with the offense, considering he was the number one tight end coming out of high school. So I wanted to be involved a little bit more. but being six, three, two 50,

he looks the part. He's a good looking kid with a tall angular frame, rocked up arms. I would be really excited to add him to the Colts offense, making it more of a move tight end kind of H back role, which he's done some lead blocking. He might be like a Charles clay type of player at the next level. Yeah. To me, honestly, Brevin Jordan is one of those more interesting fits

to me in this class that the Colts could really fall in love with. He's not going to blow you away, but he could really play a Trey Burton type role and do well in it. And a guy to me who I think has fallen under the radar a little bit, Ben, of course they were at his pro day as well watching me and Mike and Bird, but Tommy Trimble out of Notre Dame. You're not going to find anything a better blocking tight end in this class. He wasn't used a lot receiving-wise in Notre Dame, but you didn't have to when you see the blocks he puts on tape.

He's just a kick-ass run blocker, Ben. He does so much of the dirty work there. I think it's fair to say, blocking-wise, I'm not taking anyone else over Tommy Trimble in this year's class. The projection as a receiver is a little bit – you have to be more optimistic on that and a bigger role. But I can't think of a better fit as far as the Frank Reich tight end. If Trimble does hit his ceiling as a receiver, he's a perfect fit in this Colts offense. Yeah, you hit it right on the head there. It doesn't inspire you too much with his pass-catching ability

or his ability to kind of stretch defenses vertically. It's not what he was asked to do at Notre Dame. He's listed at tight end, but this was an H-back, full-back type of guy that did a lot of lead blocking, a lot of kick-out blocks, a lot of blocking in space. He is absolutely nasty. He will smash defensive ends on crack blocks. He looks to finish defenders, which sometimes has gone a little too far

with some penalties and personal fouls. But I'll always rather take the aggressive guy and dial him back than taking the timid guy and trying to ramp him up. So he's a guy that can block his butt off, whether it's in line, the wing position, the fullback position, out in the slot on the perimeter. He's a guy that's going to block his butt off, give you good special teams value. Just not that sexy guy for your fantasy team, which is okay. This is a really high floor player that I would love to have in any locker room. Let's go on to our last two guys on the list here, Ben, in cornerback,

which is Greg Newsom and Caleb Farley. Let's start off with Greg Newsom here first, because Chris Bauer is actually the Northwestern Pro Day. I imagine looking at Rashawn Slater. But Greg Newsom is an intriguing name here because Xavier Rhodes has re-signed on a one-year contract. Rakia Sen has not really been what they hoped for the first couple of years. So corner could be like a surprise pick early on if they decide to go that way at BPA at 21. Greg Newsome and the cold zone defense seems like, to me, a perfect fit.

Yeah, you know, this time of year, we're always so excited and enamored with the tall, long press corners. But zone coverage, like I had mentioned earlier, is really coming back with a vengeance, especially in the NFL. So that's going to come with some zone corners. And they may not be for every scheme, but these guys can play if they're for the right type of defense. And whether it's Asante Samuel Jr. or, like you had mentioned, Greg Newsome, that has a little better size, this guy tested his butt off two weeks ago. All sorts of explosiveness and speed and length. He really looks the part.

Just not the most experienced player. He's played a little bit over a thousand snaps in his three years at Northwestern. Not tons of production on the ball. Only one interception. 15 PBUs. That one pick was actually a little uninspiring as well. I think the rookie from Wisconsin triple clutched an out route. But anyways, a little raw technically. Takes a bunch of false steps. But you know what you're getting with Greg Newsome. But anyways, little raw technically takes a bunch of false steps, but you know what you're getting with Greg Newsome, a tough, tough player out there at the cornerback position. He's going to come up and contribute and run support. He's going to blow up any sort of perimeter action. You cannot block this guy with a slot receiver. He has a very,

very strong, aggressive play temperament. He's going to tackle a little grabby at times. It kind of saves his transitions. That's why to tackle a little grabby at times. That kind of saves his transitions. That's why he gets defensive pass interferences all the time. But if you put him in a zone scheme where he doesn't have to turn and run and can kind of just protect his area, he's going to be a really good player. But like I mentioned, we always get so enamored with the tall, long press corners. People are playing zone these days. Find a good zone corner for your fit. So whether that's Greg Newsome II, Asante Samuel Jr., there's some good ones in this class.

Last prospect here on the list, Ben. Really appreciate the time really going in depth on all these guys. A name who I would not have thought to put on this list about a month or so ago is Caleb Faria of Virginia Tech. Was a consensus top 10, top 15 pick, but a back injury microdissectomy. Could have him on the board for the Colts at 21, which might be a BPS situation if his back does check out for them. He would be a great fit in this scheme. He's a ball hawk. The great size as well for a corner.

What do you believe of Caleb Farley if he's there on the board for the Colts at 21? Does he at all pique your interest? Yeah, he is really interesting for a variety of reasons. I mean, he had a torn ACL in 18. He's got this back issue that's been getting headlines lately. I'm not a doctor. I'm not pretending to be one. So if the medicals are clean, now let's look into the player.

This is a high school quarterback and a prolific track star. He was second in the state in 100 meters. Had an official 45 two summers ago at Virginia Tech. So this guy is a height, weight, speed type of corner. Just very raw playing a cornerback position. And he opted out of 2020, which I didn't necessarily agree with because I thought he needed to work on a lot of technique and timing and refinement. But he's got a lot of skills.

And he uses kind of the rawness to get the job done. So I think he has some moldable traits. I want to see if he's coachable. I want to see if the medicals are clean, but you know, you're getting good speed, good play temperament. Again, just like Newsome, a little grabby, too many DPIs, especially in off coverage, loses some focus late in the down as the QB extends and breaks the pocket a little bit. So anytime he has to kind of stick in man coverage, just gets a little lost at times where a zone scheme may be the best way to tap into that 6-2, 2-0-5 frame where he comes up and hits running backs. He comes up and blasts receivers in the flat. So he might be a guy

that played a lot of press man at Virginia Tech. At the end of the day, Virginia Tech played a lot of different defenses, but he might be a guy that projects better to his own defense that I didn't really think about. My comparison was Marlon Humphrey, who had similar issues at Alabama, finding the ball down the field. People wanted to say, he's a very physical player. Let's just move him to safety. And in two, three years with the Baltimore Ravens, he's moved to nickel.

So he's a guy that can use that physicality, length, temperament, but you want to protect him down the field. So Cale Farley might be a better zone corner. That's a great projection. Ben, this was so much fun. I really appreciate diving in deep on all 15 of these prospects at multiple positions, edge rusher, tackle, tight end, cornerback. You do awesome work for the NFL Network. You also are really in a lot of places. You are produced for the Eagles, like I mentioned. You're our producer for ESPN College Football, and you do NFL Draft and Combine work for the NFL Network. Go ahead and follow him if you've not already, ColtsFans, at Ben Fennell underscore NFL. Ben, really appreciate the time today. Yeah, absolutely. You know I'm willing to talk draft any day of the week with you.