Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Indianapolis Colts: Brian Thomas Jr. Could Add Explosive Option to Offense

Starting point is 00:00:00 Chris Ballard has a great opportunity to make the Colts more explosive in round one of the 2024 NFL Draft. Let's get to it. You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast your first listen of the day. This is your daily podcast covering your Indianapolis Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Make every moment more.

Starting point is 00:00:46 Right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning a $5 bet. That's $150 if your bet wins. Visit FanDuel.com to get started. Hello, everyone. I am Zach Hicks of TheHorseshoeHuddle.com. You guys know me from all my film work over there. Also know me as your favorite co-host here on the Locked On Colts podcast. And today I'm joined by my good buddy Ian Cummings over from Pro Football Network.

Starting point is 00:01:13 Ian does a fantastic job over there. I cannot recommend him and his work enough, basically, when it comes to draft season. He does a great job over there. We had him on last year right after the Colts draft, and he did a great job breaking down the Colts draft class. So make sure you go back and check that out to see what he said about the Colts draft after that draft last year. But Ian's joining today to talk all about the wide receiver prospects in the 2024 NFL draft. There's a lot of great options for the Colts, and we're going to break it all down today.

Starting point is 00:01:42 We're going to talk about round one options. We're going to talk round two options, and then we're going to dive into the day three guys. You know, who can be this year's Puka Nakua, the outstanding young player there for the Rams. But kicking it off with round one, you know, Ian, I think when you look at the round one options for a team like the Colts, you know, they're sitting there at 15. You're not going to get a Malik Neighbors. You're not going to get Marvin Harrison Jr. Probably not going to get a Malik neighbors. You're not going to get Marvin Harrison jr. Probably not going to get Roma dunes. Like you're probably not getting those guys there.

Starting point is 00:02:09 So is the next best option there? Brian Thomas jr. From LSU. He's one of them for sure. I wrote on my list. I kind of compiled a Colts list, like who I would prefer for that scheme. And you know what Anthony Richardson needs to,

Starting point is 00:02:21 I had Roma dunes day and Malik neighbors on there as like, you know, pipe dream fits, like probably not going to make it that far right on the off chance they do receivers have fallen before I think both of them would be phenomenal value picks and I've done a couple mocks too with Brock Bowers like if he falls to that point too just the amount the type of weapon that he is I would love that fit or we're strictly talking wide receivers here so the next options for that I think Brian Thomas Jrr is definitely the next one for me keon coleman is also in that mix but i don't like him as much of a fit for psych and offense i think the route running ability i think the building

Starting point is 00:02:55 blocks are there when you talk about the flexibility of route stems the targeted physicality right i think he does have that but i think brian thomas jr is a little bit further along with the efficiency of motion right he's such a fluid athlete for his size he's so streamlined so fast you see that deep speed separating on slop fades nine routes right he's so good at that just effortless for him but at the same time too you know tempoing those releases to get cornerbacks offset and then capitalizing on that it's a very strong part of his game i think beyond the vertical element there is still room for him to not only expand his route tree, but kind of refine his plant and drive technique on those comebacks,

Starting point is 00:03:29 those digs. But if you want a guy who can really eat on the vertical plane and has that rack ability, that motion ability too, right? I think Brian Thomas Jr. And not only that too, the ball tracking and contortion ability in the hands of the catch point. I think all of those things are boxes that he checks. I think once he runs and tests at the combine,

Starting point is 00:03:46 he's been kind of a mid to late first guy. Those guys don't tend to fall very far. So I think if you're at 15, Brian Thomas Jr., if you like him that much, I think the fit is definitely there for that offense. Yeah, and a big thing why I keep looking at Brian Thomas Jr. is Colts general manager, Chris Ballard said something they really want to go

Starting point is 00:04:02 into this off season and do is be more explosive overall on their team you know they're an explosive team don't get me wrong and when they get Anthony Richardson back it's going to be even more explosive just by proxy with him coming back but they want to add another weapon to this offense and I keep looking at Brian Thomas Jr. where it's like look you got this 6'4 6'5 receiver 200 pounds so he's not like uber skinny or anything like that. Over 17 yards to catch this past season, big time downfield option. You know, he reminds me a lot of Martavis Bryant whenever I watch him. You know, just the peaks and flashes we got from Martavis Bryant there in Pittsburgh,

Starting point is 00:04:36 the ability to go down the field and make plays. But like you said, I mean, I just want to get your input on this again. Do you think he has the potential to be even more than just a downfield guy? Because that's really all he was this past season with LSU and he was fantastic at it like if he's just going to be this level of deep guy in the NFL that's fine like I can live with that but to take a guy at 15 he has to be a little bit more than that you know yeah for sure and I think there is a bit of projection that always goes on with these types of guys I do think he can be more I think on the rack plane too like you look at him take drag routes right motions match plays right he can do

Starting point is 00:05:10 that too he can do those crossers take plays in stride and he's got the speed to turn up field and get space at the boundary too so i think that's an element of his game that doesn't get weaponized as much because he's such a good d threat right i do think that's a functional part of his game but you mentioned it too i think one of the most important things when you're talking about projecting is being able to separate in the short and intermediate ranges as an independent route runner does he have that i do think he has the potential i i hearken back to quentin johnson from last cycle that was a big learning point for me right because he's big he's explosive he's long he's got great rack ability but looking back some things that could be

Starting point is 00:05:45 misconstrued as fluidity it's maybe segmented motion right he's really energetic but i look at a guy like brian thomas jr i think he's a lot more fluid on his transitions and so that gives me some solace i do think you can build off of that definitely room to kind of to you know take action on that right you know he's still pretty raw past the vertical plane but i think the hip fluidity the hinge fluidity the swivel freedom i think all those things the bend right using curvilinear acceleration on stems too i think all those things are there a lot more than what we've seen with other taller receiver prospects so i take solace in that i think there is something to grow but you know we've had this conversation before just across the board and another factor

Starting point is 00:06:22 that people don't always talk about right is when you're bringing on these rookies these young players position coaches need to work on install and offensive you know the playbook installing that as much as technical things right and they don't always have time to harp on the route running right the plant and drive technique right those little uh soft skills right that kind of come naturally for guys right so you want him to kind of show that he has it coming out of college. There's still room for consistency there, but I do think if you're asking if the building blocks are there to develop upon, I do think that is the case with Ron Thomas Jr.,

Starting point is 00:06:54 more than most bigger receivers we've seen come out. Yeah, and a very young player too. What, he's 21, I believe. I think he's 21 right now. I think he'll be 21 going into next season. Very young player, just hit his stride this past season. I'm excited for him. I think he can be a great addition to this Colts team at 15.

Starting point is 00:07:11 You know, aside from him, I don't think there's many other guys at 15 that work for wide receiver. I think it's those top four guys. But Ian, if the Colts were to trade back, say they trade back to pick 25, 26, 27, wherever, you know, who are some names that pop up for you that could fit not only this Colts offense but just fit any team there uh in those like 20s range for wide receivers yeah for sure and I was gonna say right probably trade back if you're gonna consider anyone else I think that's the proper value proposition for you uh but some guys that pop then pop into my mind I think Keon Coleman if you could trade back and then get him I would be able to swallow that a little bit easier

Starting point is 00:07:44 I think for Keon Coleman it's just refining that route running palette. It's something that you want to do. And, you know, he is a little bit over-reliant on contested catch opportunities off the stats, right? I do think he's very good in that phase, but you want him to be able to separate a little bit more and he's not quite as fluid as a Brian Thomas Jr. So those concerns come in, but he's a very good rack threat as well. I do think he has enough speed to work the vertical plane and he's a really good blocker too which i think for the colts in particular you know you're not just thinking about the vertical passing game you're thinking about implementing a rushing offense with anthony richardson that showed a lot of promise before

Starting point is 00:08:14 he got injured right so you want these wide receivers to be able to block on the perimeter and i think keon colman really flourishes with that too another guy is adenai ad mitchell from texas um i wouldn't I think he's you know he's mainly an x guy right so hasn't been used in motion quite as much as that movement z he's more going to be your guy who wins on the boundary independent route running right very good route runner probably one of the better route runners in this class and he's 6'3 6'4 so I love watching his tape just because the throttle control uh the micro movements the hip sync right all those things are very strong in his game.

Starting point is 00:08:45 And he's got the speed to threaten vertically, press up into stems, and get DBs to kind of overrun those. So that's a good part of his game, too. Very good hands. And he's a good blocker as well. So I think if you're looking for a guy who's probably going to be primarily X, I think what happens to Michael Pittman Jr. will kind of impact that, whether they consider him or not.

Starting point is 00:09:03 But he's one, too. And then Xavier Worthy, if he runs the NFL Combine, I would love to have him in the second round. I was going to consider him in my second-round group. But if he runs the way we expect him to run, I don't know if he makes it out of round one. I mean, every cycle, there's at least 40 guys that could make it into round one. It's never this concise, this congested group.

Starting point is 00:09:26 But Xavier Worthy's speed is just game-breaking. And then the one thing that I love about him, though, he's a size outlier. So I think that size could rule him out for Syken if he wants a bigger guy who can hold up against physicality a little bit better. But what I love about Xavier Worthy is that he has the speed

Starting point is 00:09:41 and he knows how to use it as a route runner. He knows how to weaponize it, right? He's so good at just manipulating BBs and taking that one wrong step. And then boom, he's got the bend and speed to capitalize and break outside or inside without losing any, any pace at all. So that's a very strong part of his game. Focus drops can be an issue, but I think it's more just a focus issue than a technique issue.

Starting point is 00:10:02 I do think his ball tracking ability, especially down the field in the deep third, I don't think ball tracking is an issue. I think it's just a matter of getting outside of his head, right? You know, making sure that he stays in the moment. I think if he can do that, then he can kind of shore up that part of his game. But another guy that I like,

Starting point is 00:10:17 I think the weight will rule him out for some teams, but he's a speed guy who knows how to use that speed. And I'll always love those guys. Awesome. Awesome. Ian, we're going to put a pin in that Xavier Worthy conversation because I definitely want to come back to it. But guys, we're going to talk about day two players that fit the Colts at wide receiver coming up in just a second. But first, get buckets with your first bet on FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook, because right now new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any

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Starting point is 00:11:17 Alright Ian, so I definitely didn't want to, you know, I don't like to break up when we're talking about players from segment one to segment two, but like I need to talk about Xavier Worthy because I feel like I'm a crazy person with how high I am on this player. And I think the thing that keeps coming back to me with, with Xavier worthy Texas wide receiver,

Starting point is 00:11:33 if you guys aren't familiar is so many people, they focus on what he struggles with right now, which I think is very fair. You know, he's, he's not the most consistent with his hands. Like you said, a lot of focus drops. Maybe he's not a guy like AD Mitchell, even where he can run or he's doing every single route at Texas. You know, he might be constrained to a couple routes here at Texas, where a lot of verticals, a lot of bubbles, a lot of quick screens, a lot of crossers and stuff like

Starting point is 00:11:57 that, because that's what he's great at. But when I look at someone like Xavier Worthy, I see a young player who dominated a major college conference from day one at 18 years old, came into college, put up 900 yards in Texas offense. That's not normal. You know, he was a guy who was capable of leading an entire offense at college. Like you mentioned, the elite speed. I think he hit 22.7 miles per hour this past season, which if you compare that on next gen stats this last year, that'd be the highest of any ball carrier in the NFL this last season. So just next level speed. I mean, he's going to run in the four twos probably is what I would guess. I mean, if he runs even the four threes, I might be disappointed because of how fast he is

Starting point is 00:12:39 on film. So when I look at this player, it's not really what, you know, I don't want to focus on what he can't do or what he's not good at because what he can do is so rare for a draft prospect. And maybe, maybe that's me just talking myself into, you know, guys in the past, like maybe I would have talked myself into a Will Fuller with the same way or something like that. But I don't know when I see Xavier worthy, I just see something that you can't find in many prospects. So if he's going to be sitting there in day two or late day one, you know, pick 40 something for the Colts.

Starting point is 00:13:08 I'm all in that. That's my guy right there for the Colts. And that's going to be an interesting discussion because I feel like the 40 yard dash could bring him up. But also, what's he going to weigh in? Right. He was listed at like 165 at Texas. Right. If he's around that weight, you know, we have seen, you know, the modern NFL, it's so space dominated. So I don't know if teams are going to weigh that against him as much as they would five to 10 years ago, but it's still something to consider. But to your point, I mean, I'm a big fan of him too, right? It's tough because I say he's my wide receiver seven,

Starting point is 00:13:38 but there's so many good wide receivers in this class. That's a compliment. That's a compliment at the end of the day, right? You know, I, he's borderline top five for me. You know, I have a few bigger guys that, you know, the end of the day right you know i i he's borderline top five for me you know i have a few bigger guys that you know the three level upside gets you know sometimes i get burned by it but hey what can you do right um but i i think xavier worthy just the way that he used that speed again but the type of speed too right i mean it's special i mean i remember jameson williams some guys you just you can just tell right like some guys have vertical speed like tez walk Walker has really, really good vertical speed, but some guys are just different. Worthy is different, right?

Starting point is 00:14:09 It's not just the speed. He gears up instantly. I mean, the moment he retracts his strides and elongates in open field, he's a max speed and he is gaining ground on you. And next thing you know, he's past you, right? So, you know, that ability to just gain ground effortlessly, instantly is very valuable. But then I look at, you know, some's past you, right? So, you know, that ability to just gain ground effortlessly, instantly is very valuable.

Starting point is 00:14:26 But then I look at, you know, some of his stem work too, like the little angle modulations, pressing upfield, right? He's not a guy who's just going to go vertical. He's going to use those angle modulations to draw the DB just a little bit off course. And then the angle freedom to cut 90 degrees outside, swiveling without losing any speed. Again, like like that that flexibility and that control with that kind of speed is so impressive to me so you know if you had him as your wide receiver five wide receiver four even like i would not argue too much with you because

Starting point is 00:14:55 i think that speed and that ability to utilize it and weaponize it is so special and i think you can use him on motions too you see some rack targets where he actually shows pretty good contact balance for his size right he's kind of a wiry dude so you know i like him a lot i think there's the focus drops you do want to harp on those but you know if you run a vertically oriented offense that's you know getting guys in space and letting them kind of use that speed um i think there's a lot of upside to unpack they're just not many other guys have because he's that special with that so i you know i love it that you're on the worthy train too, because I've been on it from the start. I'm a big fan.

Starting point is 00:15:26 Yeah, I know people keep the sour on him a little bit, but I think the combine is going to bring people back to him. Like where we're at with him right now, but I have a couple of guys written down here for day two options. I'm going to just rattle these names off. And then you can also list some other day two options that you like, but Malachi Corley and Ladd McConkie.

Starting point is 00:15:42 I think Ladd McConkie is actually one of those round one, round two tweener type guys with how productive he was in college, how great he was at the senior bowl. What do you think about those two guys and who are some other day two options that you like for the Colts or just for anyone in general? Yeah, well, I think that that's the fun part about this class is there's so many different archetypes, right?

Starting point is 00:16:00 So it's fun to kind of compare and contrast those for sure. Malachi Corley is probably your slot guy, right? I think you get him in the slot you get steam him touches right he's 5 10 5 11 210 pounds the dude is a running back at wide receiver that's pretty much what it is right yeah you know you get him the ball and he's so physical so explosive the contact balance he just bounces off of dudes right you know i do think the route running there is room to refine it a little bit more not a ton of experience against press because western kentucky was so proactive at scheming him touches right uh so i i don't know if he can expand beyond that but you get

Starting point is 00:16:34 him in the slot you scheme him touches right you know he's got enough explosiveness to work with that space and he's just so physical man he's a really good blocker too so that's another thing like he'll get inside your frame he will move you and he's strong like he's well leveraged too so you know i think one of those guys who just a really good utility piece in the slot might be a little redundant with josh downs at times just because you know where you're going to place them but i do think stylistically they're different enough that you can work with it josh downs is so versatile too so um i think you know he's a very he's a weapon right get him in that offense let him work with a rich that'll be a lot of fun.

Starting point is 00:17:09 Lad McConkie is kind of your guy, like you said, round two, round one, kind of a fringe. I think if he runs fast enough, you definitely see round one. I think he's got enough vertical speed to get to that point. But, again, just a guy who has speed and knows how to use it, right? Not quite to the degree that Worthy has it. Worthy is just insane with his speed. But McConkie has that vertical element. Again, I like to – my term for him, I like alliteration. I'm a writer.

Starting point is 00:17:28 Come on. He's a turbocharged technician. That's what I like. I think he's explosive. I think the stop and start is really impressive with him. But, again, he knows how to use it. He knows how the exact angle, the exact trajectory upfield that he needs to get to get that DB to misstep.

Starting point is 00:17:43 And then he knows how to blow up item. He's got the bend, the DB to misstep. And then, you know, instead of blow by him, he's got the bend, the flexibility to keep speed through those transitions. It's really impressive. Over the middle of the field, too, very good hands. I think the coordination on high-difficulty catches is pretty good, too. And then the guy who can be used in motions, playing in the slot with a boundary, just a versatile player. I think a really pro-friendly, a QB-friendly, pro-ready receiver

Starting point is 00:18:03 with that upside that he wants. So, you know, really nice balance to have. Like you said, if he tests well enough, I don't think – I'm not sure how long he lasts because he's such a pro-ready, pro-translatable guy. But I think if he's there in round two, you've got to consider him for sure. So, a few other guys that I listed in round two, I'm trying to remember, Roman Wilson from Michigan.

Starting point is 00:18:23 That was definitely one. I think he kind of reminds me of Chris Alave-Light. true too i'm trying to remember roman wilson from michigan that was definitely one i think um he kind of reminds me of chris alave light i think his separation style is really appealing because he's explosive he ran in the four threes coming out of high school so he's got some speed and explosiveness too he's got some jets on him i expect him to blow up the combine and at the same time too you know not only is he a really surgical route runner right at stems but i think his bend and curvilinear acceleration right like this is a guy who can bend kind of like a motorcycle apexing a

Starting point is 00:18:50 turn right like he's got that ability to keep speed while pressing those angles chrisldave was one guy that really stood out to me with his route running coming out of college because it wasn't always abrupt it was more you know smooth keeping speed but he makes it look so easy but he's obliterating coverage right you know it's it's deadly so i think roman wilson has that too at the catch point very good contortionist right we saw that senior bowl but his michigan tape is littered with that too you know really really impressive adjustments to the ball uh even with the defenders in his frame and then he's a good blocker as well. So I think the combination of blocking, vertical element, versatility,

Starting point is 00:19:26 route running, right speed, all of those things that the Colts need from a wide receiver, Roman Wilson has it too. And then one more I'll throw out there. I'm a big fan of Jalen Polk from Washington. I don't think he quite has the speed element that you're looking for. I think he's got good speed. I don't think it's the vertical speed that some of these other guys have. But he's just so versatile.

Starting point is 00:19:43 You can use him as that movement Z in motions. He's very fluid as route runner and he's got hands of steel the catch point man you know he does not need a lot of space to be comfortable i think with a rich in particular you're going to see more seam balls right you know working vertically testing those tight windows that only he can get the ball to i think jalen polk has the explosiveness to create late snap separation in those situations and he also has the hands, the body control, the coordination to capitalize. And he's a rack threat as well. So Jalen Polk is one of my guys. I'm very high on him.

Starting point is 00:20:12 He's kind of in that cluster with Worthy for me. But I think those are some guys on day two. If they're there, you've got to consider them. Awesome. Awesome. Now, Ian just gave us a ton of names there for day two. But we're going to dig even deeper in our final segment today and talk about some day three pass catchers that make sense for the Indianapolis Colts.

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Starting point is 00:21:20 All right, Ian, we're diving deep into some of these day three gems or potential day three gems. You never know with how the NFL draft goes. You're talking day three gems, and all of a sudden the guy goes top 50. You never really know when it comes to these NFL teams. I remember a guy last year not talking wide receivers, just linebackers. I was talking Marte Mapu all draft season as like, this is my day three gem. I really hope the Colts get him day three. The Patriots take him like 90th overall like went way higher uh but we're talking potential day three guys at wide receiver i have a couple

Starting point is 00:21:50 names here and then obviously i'll i'll take it back to you after getting your thoughts on them but i think one i really like is malik washington from from virginia i mean he was the guy where when i was looking at shrine bowl wide receivers like this was the guy where i was like okay he's gonna just tear up this event. Like he's just, he's too good for this. Again, I'm not trying to talk down on Shrine by any means, but it's just like this kid was built to tear up the Shrine Bowl. Very explosive player, moves in and out of his stems really well.

Starting point is 00:22:18 Really great after the catch. And, you know, he's a smaller guy, but like he doesn't play small at all. So his film was outstanding. 1,400 yards this past year. I believe over 700 yards of those came after the catch. And, you know, he's a smaller guy, but like he doesn't play small at all. So his film was outstanding. Fourteen hundred yards this past year. I believe over 700 yards of those came after the catch. What do you think about Malik Washington? I believe you're a fan.

Starting point is 00:22:34 I mean, everyone's a fan of this guy, I feel like. Yeah. I mean, I was I was wondering if you because we had the exact same thought process when the Shrine Bull came around. He was one of the priority reports that kind of circled like I want to write this guy up because I have a feeling one on one situations he's going to do very well. And I watched his tape, and he's a top 75 player for me. He's another guy who I think, you know, he's kind of viewed in that day three lens right now, but I don't think he's a day three guy. I think he's a day two guy.

Starting point is 00:22:57 I would take him day two. And I think if you aren't comfortable with Malachi Corley's projection as a route runner Malik Washington is a very very good consolation prize because the dude like you said 5'9 5'8 190 so he's pretty rocked up at his size like he's dense he's compact he's he's a really physical rack threat he's explosive like you said but the short area twitch and to offset dbs right he's got that I think he's got really good sink and efficiency it stems I think his ability to contort the catch point, really solid hands. You don't just pull in 101 receptions, right? Virginia passing records by accident, right? I mean, that's a consistent theme on his tape is that

Starting point is 00:23:35 even though he's a smaller guy, he does not play small. At the catch point, after the catch, and then before the catch too, the explosiveness, the athleticism weaponized and kind of channeled through proper route, nuance, efficiency, foot speed, right? Urgency is a route runner. All those things are in heavy supply with him. So I think if you need a stock guy, but you can move him around a little bit, too. I think there is a little bit of versatility there. I would definitely be on board with that. And if you can get him on day three as well, run that card up because I think you're getting a phenomenal value. Yeah, he feels very similar to like, hey, if you like Zay Flowers last year but you don't want the first round version of Zay Flowers, here you go.

Starting point is 00:24:11 Here's your day two. Here's your day three version of Zay Flowers because he can do a lot of what Zay Flowers brought to that Baltimore Ravens offense last year. Two other names I got here from the Senior Bowl, Javon Baker and Jacob Cowling, two guys I really liked going into that event. Both had pretty solid weeks. Cowling especially I'm really intrigued by because he's, again,

Starting point is 00:24:29 maybe I put too much stock into guys as like freshmen just dominating college football, but when you look at what he was doing, I mean, at UTEP early in his career, he was productive every single season, jumps up a little bit. I think he went to Arizona for his final season. Very, very productive at Arizona as well. I just put a lot of stock in that, especially if you can jump from different schools and jump up in competition and keep that same production. I'm really intrigued by Cowling there. Yeah, I think he had over 90 receptions this past year, so he's a target funnel for sure,

Starting point is 00:24:59 man. I think the route running is very strong with him. I think kind of a diet version of some of the elite separators we've seen. I don't think he's quite as explosive. I do think he's explosive enough. I think he'll probably run the four fours or something. I think there's going to be enough athleticism there. And then he's pretty twitchy, fleet-footed. You look at the lateral agility, it's definitely there.

Starting point is 00:25:17 But then I think some of the more impressive plays for him, right, he's a lighter guy, right? I think he weighed in around the 160s at the Senior Bowl. So that'll be an issue for him, especially with him, because unlike Xavier Worthy, you don't quite have that hyper elite deep speed to rely on. So there isn't as much to counteract that. That'll be a concern for teams.

Starting point is 00:25:35 But even going back to his days at UTEP, this is a guy who can elevate for the ball. And this is a guy who can make catches in situations of imbalance and situations of high difficulty. So I really like that part of his game. Even with defenders inside his frame, he doesn't have great play strength, but I think the coordination, the focus, those are definite pluses to his game. So NFL teams will have to have a conversation like,

Starting point is 00:25:56 do we think he can translate enough? Can we scheme him open? But he's versatile, so I think you can. I think the answer will ultimately be yes. And he's a guy, if you get him at optimal value value could be a very good kind of utility weapon for your offense jevon baker is a fun one i think again uh the dude is big 6-1 207 208 right but he moves really well i think the short area twitch again the foot speed the urgency is around a really good release package that you want to see so i think that's a very strong part of his game i think for me with

Starting point is 00:26:24 him there are some speed limitations i don't think he has an elite deep speed and that can you know limit his ability to stack and i think it's going to be a little bit harder to get away with that at the nfl level but i do think there's enough bursts to get some steps in i think for him the strongest thing on my evaluation was the hands i think the hands the coordination he's good at using late hands too very patient doesn't really get caught in the heat of the moment right doesn't panic when things are going too late he's patient he's calm collected and he knows exactly when to extend and snare the ball beyond his frame so i think those hands are strong coordinated patient efficient and we saw

Starting point is 00:27:00 that a couple times in the senior bowl too you know guys are kind of crowding his frame in the corner of the end zone and he's still having that composure to convert in those situations. I think for him too, he's got some rack ability. He's a pretty good blocker, pretty good awareness as a blocker. So I think, again, a good utility receiver. Don't know if I'd take him on day two, but as early as I can on day three, like get this guy in your rotation, he'll be a strong add. So I think I like those guys a lot for sure.

Starting point is 00:27:24 Awesome. Awesome. Now, Ian, I'm going to let you get your guys in here we have a couple minutes left you can just rattle them off here who are some day three or like i said guys who you think might go day three uh that you have your eye on in this draft class yeah so i'm actually really impressed we didn't have any overlap no i i was right and i was trying to go late day three for a couple of them to get some gems in there but we uh we're covering all of our bases here so i like that um ricky pierce all is one again i don't think the vertical element will be quite as there as much for second scheme but i think he's a really good route runner i think he's very very sure-handed again i mean everyone knows that one-handed catch where he's getting hit inside his frame right but you know that's a common theme across this tape is that the dude

Starting point is 00:28:01 just has really reliable hands and he's very versatile route runner he's got pretty good utility ability he's not a great blocker but i think again you get a versatile receiver in your rotation he's a good one to add jermaine bird from alabama is another one i think again a really good speed guy who actually really flashed some route running development this year i think the ability to use that speed again is to pressing the stems the double moves very fluid on those on those plays um i think he's not quite as consistent at the catch point but he's got that body track that body control ball tracking ability i think it's just converting a little bit but the speed route running is there so i like him a lot as a day three sleeper um luke mcafree from

Starting point is 00:28:40 rice again i like him as a movement c very fluid very versatile very good hands over the middle of the field too i thought he made some made some strides for himself senior bowl, I like him as a movement Z, very fluid, very versatile, very good hands over the middle of the field too. I thought he made some strides for himself at the senior bowl. I would like him early day three. I think he's got the versatility that you want. I think he's got the sure hands that you want. And I think he's going to be a better pro than he was a college player for sure. And he's a former quarterback. So that shows up in his game too, that intelligence. Moving down the list here, I've got three more and I saw you did an interview with Jalenlen coker so i want to i want to add him in here because again strong hands if you're looking for you yeah very strong hands very very reliable player at the catch point really showed out the shrine bowl but a good utility player too right he's a willing special teamer very good

Starting point is 00:29:17 blocker again so if you're the colts and you need a guy in round six or seven if he's still there i would definitely pull the trigger on that uh i got two more for you cornelius johnson from michigan getting both of those wolverines in here but cornelius johnson to me another guy who's probably going to be a better pro than he was a college player 6-3 208 very explosive very good route runner i'm really impressed i don't think michigan's offense uh put that under the spotlight as much as it could have i think he's very flexible at stems he knows how to press up into stems, very good stop of stopping ability, plant and drive efficiency. The hands can be a little more consistent,

Starting point is 00:29:50 but I think a really good route runner with that speed size profile that you want. And then one more really quick Pittsburgh's above means round seven. If you need one, a six, two to 18, he was a Felvin freak with, I think a four,

Starting point is 00:30:02 three, six, 40 yard dash verified. So a speed guy who flashes some route nuance time and time again. Those are a few guys at varying ranges for you. I think if you need a wide receiver for the Colts, a lot of options to take into consideration. Man, you're selling me on Bub Means.

Starting point is 00:30:18 Is that what it was? He's got a great name, too. A-plus name. A-plus name. A-plus name. That's a great way to close this out. Ian, as always, I am always impressed by your wealth of knowledge and your vernacular. Vernacular is great when it comes to describing this stuff here.

Starting point is 00:30:31 Really appreciate you jumping on. If you guys don't already, make sure you're following, obviously, at LockedOnColts, at Jake Arthur, and at Zach Hicks on Twitter. But also, Ian Cummings here, at IC underscore draft, and all of his work over at Pro Football Network. Again, just a fantastic, fantastic mind for all you draft nerds out there. Cummings here at IC underscore draft and all of his work over at pro football network again just a fantastic fantastic mind for all you draft nerds out there also subscribe to us on YouTube wherever you list your podcasts we love your guys ratings reviews and we'll catch you guys back here bright and early tomorrow morning

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