Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS -4/14- Colts Land Johnathan Hankins & @dpbrugler Stops By To Talk Draft

Episode Date: April 14, 2017

A jam packed Friday show for you all! Matt answers a couple more listener call ins, talks about the #Colts new signing of Johnathan Hankins and Dane Brugler of CBS Sports (NFL Draft Scout) comes by to talk about the draft. Call in at 574-516-2881 Johnathan Hankins 2016 Film Link: https://youtu.be/MwJ7-AxRG2k Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

No, I'm not for sale. You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome back to Locked On Colts, ladies and gentlemen. I'm your host, Matt Dainley. And wow, what a show we got going tonight, guys. We got a couple of listeners' questions to get to. We got a fantastic interview, great stuff from Dane Brugler.

I mean, this is going to be a great show. But first, obviously, the big news of the day, Jonathan Hankins signs with the Colts three-year deal, like somewhere between 15 and 16 million, I guess, guaranteed. Look, this is a guy I've been pining for for a long time. I know that a lot of people have as well. There's a couple things, though. I mean, it took, how long did this take? I mean, Logan from the Eagles signed, Dontari Poe from the Chiefs signed, he signed with Atlanta. I mean, this is all like taken extremely long for a young Jonathan Hankins to sign. And I mean, for a guy that's not

only looking for like, you know, $10 million per year, he's 25 years old. And this is something that is a little shocking, I think, to a lot of us that took him so long to sign, like what was wrong with the guy, what the issue is. Apparently the Colts and Chris Bauer didn't think that the issue, whatever the case may be, was big enough not to sign him. And that's good news for us. We know that Ballard is a thorough dude. We've seen that not only in his rampant free agent spending spree, but, you know, not really spending spree. I mean, come on, lots of depth guys, special teams guys, and stuff like that in there. This is not one of those cases. I mean, we've got Simon Sheard, and, you, and if you want to count Spence in there too,

I think Spence is going to be a really good player. I think he's underrated right now by the large majority of people that see this free agent class that the Colts pulled in. But Jonathan Hankins is going to be a fantastic addition. After they signed him, I spent probably the better part of an hour and a half putting together game film of all of his 2016 season. I'm going to have that edited here in just a little bit, and I'll have that up on YouTube, on my YouTube page for all of you guys. It's like 12 and a half minutes long. The first

probably five, six minutes of it was just about everything that I saw him doing as far as taking up multiple blockers and stuff like that, allowing the linebackers to get through so that you guys could kind of see what he's going to do for the defense in our system and in the Colts scheme. And then the rest of the time, probably the second half of it, all I did was just go through and put nothing but Hankins tackles, anything he was directly involved in the tackle or the stop or the sack or just whatever. So it's a good 12 minutes long. It's a good, you know, nice little video for you guys to check it out. And if I can get that done and edited by the end of, well, which is tonight, Thursday night,

which you guys will be listening to this Friday, then I'll have it in the show notes. And if not, I'll put the link in there the best I can as soon as I get a chance to get around to it. But this is a fantastic signing for the Colts. One of the things that I noticed a lot with watching his 2016 season is that because of them signing Damon Harrison, the Giants that is, he was primarily the nose tackle in their scheme, in their system. And that forced Jonathan Hankins out to like a three tech typically. He did fill in when Damon was out or they'd do their rotation up front or something like that. He would also start at somewhere around like a two tech, be inside shoulder of the guard, and then would move over into a nose tackle or a one tech or something like that. And sometimes,

you know, he would be the nose. Uh, but a lot of the time, a lot of his snaps were from the three technique position and a lot of his, uh, his form and a lot of his technique is that of a nose tackle of a true zero tech. like we were talking about with Charles McDonald the other night. He takes up blockers for the Colts two gap scheme. He is going to take up a ton of blockers, but he also can shed those blockers a lot once he sees. And one of the things that I really liked about watching him play was how effortlessly a lot of it comes to him. He is a man. I can't say that I saw a ton of times where he was bullied or anything like that. Maybe a couple, nothing. I mean, this is going to be a huge

addition guys. I mean, I am so stoked for him and I really hope that the Colts can keep T.Y. McGill on the roster because those two up front, I mean, that is to me, that's exciting. Not just Jonathan Hinkins coming in, but he and T.Y. McGill running that inside there with Henry Anderson as a defensive end. Guys, this defensive line just got a lot better, a lot better. This is a significant move for the Colts. I mean, there are so many possibilities that this opens up right now. Not only does it make a big difference in the Colts

already existing defense, but with the draft coming up, and you know, a lot of people pointed this out to me. They thought that this opened up the possibility for a first round running back. I think that the possibility was already there. I mean, to be quite honest with you, I don't see it happening still. However, it opens up everything. It opens up everything for the draft. I mean, the draft now is completely wide open. The gates are open for any position at any time. This does not force the Colts to try to find one of the very few slim pickings nose tackle, true nose tackles at least out of this class. They can focus on just adding depth to that defensive line now, whether it's a three tech guy or a guy who can move in, someone who's a little versatile. If the Colts were to nab somebody like Chris Wormley right now,

possibly even Malik McDowell, man, this defensive line could be considered one of the best and most improved, drastically most improved in the offseason. I don't think that's a stretch. In fact, I almost feel like that would be most definitely true. Now, when you think about what that does for their edge guys, in fact, when I was watching one of the sacks that Jonathan Hankins pulled in, he didn't pull in a bunch of sacks, guys. He's not a guy who's going to get into the quarterback a ton. He legit is a lineman eater, and eventually sometimes he's going to get after the quarterback.

It just is not something that's necessarily part of his repertoire. But one of his sacks came with him from the 5-tech. He was outside. He rushed the passer and just completely bulldozed his assignment. It was fantastic. I mean, guys, this dude has a ton of power, a ton of strength. Nobody can move him off his spot more than once. You know what I mean?

You watch him and his feet are glued to this turf. I mean, he is not going anywhere. He's got a hand free. He's making, he's forcing running backs to cut around him. He is deadly with, you know, clogging the cutback lanes. It's a great signing. We have nothing but excitement about this, guys. This is fantastic. Like I said, I am stoked right now with this going forward. Not only is this a good thing for just the existing defensive line, like I said, but this defense in general, front seven-wise, could be so much better than anything we've seen in the past five years from the Indianapolis Colts.

So lots of good things coming. Lots of excitement. Let's get hyped for this because this is a great move. So without further ado, like I said, we've got Dane going to be on here in just a little bit. So let's get to our listener questions. Hey, Matt. My name is Jordan. I'm from Fort Wayne. And a question I have for you is, obviously, we don't know who are going to be picked at the different draft picks.

But I was just wondering how many guys do you think are going to be day one immediate impact? Thanks for doing the pod. Love it. Thank you, Jordan, for the call. Good question. I mean, we don't know who the Colts are going to pick up right now. I mean, this is something that, you know, obviously, you know, the draft hasn't come yet, so we're not sure what's going to happen. But I mean, when we look at the way that the things are starting to pan out, I think that we legit have a reason to believe that at least the first two and possibly the first three draft picks, depending, of course, what happens. If they trade back and trade back again, we really don't know

because we don't know how many picks they're going to get in the first two days in that type of scenario, maybe two. But either way, at the minimum, in the first two days, they should have at least two day one starters. Plug and play guys. That's what they need to be hunting for right now. And if the Colts do end up taking three draft picks in the first three rounds, then I think that you've got to, I think it's reasonable to expect them to have three plug and play guys.

Bauer's not going to be hunting for projects in this, in the first few rounds. This is something that he wants to put his mark on right now. You can tell by that with his free agent situation, the way he's brought these guys in. He's brought in great foundational guys. He's brought in a fantastic nose tackle now with Hankins, and he's brought in a lot of depth. Just guys who are going to fight for this roster spot. Whether they get it or not, they're going to fight, and they all want their second chance, especially guys like Margus Hunt and Barquevious Mingo. Not two guys who are expected to do much, but two guys who are going to come into that field this summer and are going to fight for a roster spot. Now, when we get

to the draft, I mean, he's got to be going after guys who are going to start. Not guys that are going to start by default, but guys who should start. I mean, they have a ton of options in the first few rounds as far as for guys who can really stand out, who can really make a difference. I totally expect them to get a corner and an edge at least out of this first three rounds. And I would say possibly another defensive lineman. I mean, I really think they're going to focus defense on this. And then I think on day three, they're going to go to the running back. That's my assumption. And that would be, to me, a good way to go. I personally am for cornerback as early as possible when they get the opportunity, because I think that's one of the most glaring needs. I think Rashawn Melvin's a good backup. I think he's going to be a good possible nickel guy. I

think he's probably a little better in possible nickel guy. I think he's probably a little better in the nickel than he is on the outside, but either way, if they go after a guy, even someone like Jordan Lewis out of Michigan or something like that in the second round or something like that, I know he comes with issues, but he'd be a great nickel guy. Then they could put Rashawn Melvin outside, and that would be a good addition as well. That would be a good starting point. Let's put it that way. I totally expect them to double dip on cornerbacks. I mean, I don't expect them to go with Rashawn Melvin as one of their top three corners. I just don't expect that to happen. Let me put it this way. In the first two days of the draft, every

draft pick that they have in the first two days of the draft should be plug and play, whether that's two or three or whatever the case may be. But thank you, Jordan, for the question. Excellent question. And I think that that's totally reasonable for us to expect. Now let's go to our next call. Hey, Matt. It's Kiefer from Miami, Florida.

This is more of a scenario, but I was thinking back because I really like the idea of the Colts trading back. Possibility it could be with the Kansas City Chiefs due to Ballard's connections with Dorsey. And if they do, if we trade back by then, chances are Gary O'Connor probably won't be there. We probably could get Dory Jackson,

Kevin King, maybe McKinley, you know, stuff like that. Maybe even Jared Davis. You know, that's like a 27th. I think they'll still be there. And maybe we'll squeeze like an extra second or third round pick, which in the second round, I think we'd still be there. And maybe we'll squeeze like an extra second or third round pick, which in the second round I think we'd go for Joe Mixon. And third round

we'd probably go again for Sidney Jones. Also, I'm pretty big on Malik McDowell. I think I wouldn't really mind him being our fifth. If Foster isn't there at 15 and if the potential to trade back isn't there, I think we could still go for Malik McDowell.

That kid's a monster, man. Kid changes the game. Even though he had the type of clowny way to end his college season, you know, where clowny kind of stopped playing for them. I don't think that's going to be a problem for Malik because I think for him it was like two years of going, about to go to the bowl games, and then it seemed here the whole team just exploded on him,

and basically he was demoralized. So I don't really blame him for that. So I think he's worth the risk. I just wanted your opinion on that. And lots of props to the show, man. Really great show. Love hearing it all the time, man. Thank you.

Thank you for the call. Great points here. Great points. Thank you for the call. Great points here. Great points. Trading back with the Chiefs, they're sitting at 27 right now. That's a long way to trade back, but that's exactly how the Colts will end up getting a lot of capital back for that trade. You know, maybe the Chiefs are wanting to come up for one of these quarterbacks.

That would be perfect for the Colts because if you're coming up for a quarterback, not only are you going to get that capital, I mean, you're going to be trading back 12 spots. That's significant. That's going to warrant at least a third-round pick in return as well. And I think that when you look at the possibility for them going for a quarterback to replace Alex Smith here in the next couple years, I think it's more than feasible. I mean, I think that's very

possible. That's a good idea. I mean, as far as finding that trade partner, we don't really know. I mean, and you hit it on the head there with the connection there between him and Ballard, and that makes sense. Would that happen? We don't know, but you know, if that's the case, I don't want Bauer to be pulling any punches. Take them for what you can get, Chris, because we want as much as we can get. Now, Adoree Jackson, I'll be honest with you, he's a guy who's got wicked speed, a lot, you know, a lot of really good pieces to him, but I have not watched a ton of tape on him, so I can't really comment on him, but if they were to do it, I mean, like you, you hit my little sweet spot there with

Jared Davis as well. Uh, a big fan of him. There's a ton of options is, is the point. And if they do that, man, they can get just about anybody they want. They can load up on corners in that regard. That would be a very smart, uh, strategy as far as I'm concerned. Second round getting Mixon, you know, I'm not convinced that Mixon's on their board. If he is, look, Indianapolis is going to have to get used to this stuff, and I think that it's going to be easy for a lot of Colts fans to try to smooth it over. With his successes with troubled players in the past, Indianapolis Colts fans are going to be, you to be very eager to say, all right, Chris, we're giving you the benefit of the doubt. Let's hope this guy's not a total jackass,

because if he is, then it's going to look terrible. Second round, not as much of a risk as far as money, but the fact is that's a second round pick. Those can't just be thrown out the window, not in your first year. I don't look for that to happen as far as mixing, but there's a lot of good running backs, a lot of good running backs. I like Sidney Jones as well. I know that we get into some of these guys who have been injured and whatnot, but he's been considered the top corner in the class by a lot of guys or the top two or three, hey, grab him. Make sure you get to a corner early and then get a guy like him if you can steal him at that point in the round. I don't have a problem with that, especially if you're getting another couple of draft picks for a first round trade. As far as Malik McDowell goes, I understand the way you think he is a monster. I mean, he absolutely is.

You're right. And he does change the game when he's on point. I've just always been impartial away from guys that just throw in the towel. And maybe I shouldn't be, but I think that because there's just so much unknown there. You just don't know what their love for the game is. What is it just because they weren't playing well? I mean, look, I've been on teams where we got our butts handed to us for half the season, but I played my butt off the entire time.

And I think that most of the people on my team did as well. We just sucked. You know, when you look at the other side of that, you know, the guys that didn't do that, I didn't want them on my team. I didn't care if they were my best friends or not. I didn't want anything to do with them. And I've always kind of had that mentality with just about anything, whether it was basketball, playing, or football, or just anything. I never wanted guys like that on my team. I never wanted crybabies, and I never wanted people that didn't care.

And that's what scares me about him. His upside is ridiculous. But other than that, I didn't care. And that's what scares me about him. His upside is ridiculous. But other than that, you know, I don't know. I've not been the one to be able to investigate him as much. I'm hoping that Ballard, if he does take him, that he's got, you know, him completely cleared off the board and it'd be a great story for later if it all works out. But his upside is sick. So yeah, I agree with you there. Thank you, guys. That's the two call-ins we've got for today.

Make sure you guys are calling in, 574-516-2881, if you guys want to be eligible for these draft guides. I mean, I love getting your guys' calls. We're going to continue to do them anyways throughout. I love doing this. This is great. It's great for the show. You guys get to hear your voice on the podcast. It works out for everybody. And you guys are going to be eligible, like I said, for the draft guides that are fantastic. So Monday will be the last day that we take calls for the draft guides. I will be handing them out on Tuesday's show and I will be getting a hold of those winners and then we'll be forwarding you on to Inside the Pylon or NDT Scouting, depending on which one you've won.

And that's when it is. So you guys got a few days. I mean, if we got to put 10 calls on the next show, so be it. But if you want to call in, call in. Now's your chance. You've got until Monday. And I'm going to give you until Monday at 6 o'clock Eastern time. If it comes after 6 o'clock Eastern time, you're just a

call in before six o'clock Eastern time on Monday. That's your cutoff time. And then we're going to hand out those on Tuesday show. So thank you guys for calling in that those of you that have a lot of fun, but let's move on to Dane now. And I'd like to welcome Dane Brugler to the show today. Dane, thank you for joining me today. Of course. Appreciate having me on. Dane is the draft analyst for NFL Draft Scout and CBS Sports. Dane, we've got a lot of questions for you today, and we'll try to knock this off somewhat in a quick manner here.

But Dalvin Cook is your number one running back. What is it? I mean, aside from, you know, he had his poor testing at the combine, um, and some other issues, you know, going on pre-draft, but what about Dalvin Cook as far as on film that you see that you don't see in some guys like maybe Fournette or McCaffrey? When, uh, you studied Dalvin Cook, um, you know, you mentioned it, how, uh, the testing wasn't ideal, uh, kind of mentioned it, how the testing wasn't ideal. Kind of surprising how poorly he tested at the combine. And the fact that he didn't look to retest at the pro day in terms of the jumps, the

short shuttle, the cone drills, tells you that, you know, he didn't have any better results during the, you know, when he practiced those. So that is a concern. But with Dalvin Cook, I'm trusting the tape because the tape is that impressive and when you evaluate the running back position i think there are two main criteria that you're looking for that really translates to the pro level can you navigate and can you create and i think dalvin cook is above average in both those areas uh you know i don't care what the testing numbers say. He plays explosive on the field.

Now, he's not without his issues. The biggest issues for me, the fumbles. He had 12 fumbles over his career, including six last season. Past pro, he's limited just because he's 210 pounds. Effort's not a question, but he just doesn't have the base strength, the core strength to hold up consistently, you know, blocking, whether it's, you know, edge rushers, blitzers, and then especially 300 pound interior linemen. So it's something that, you know, it could impact where he goes, depending on how the

team that is looking for a running back is going to use him. But with the ball in his hands and as a receiver, I think he has some special qualities. His ability to string together runs and make guys miss in a phone booth, he can do that. He was at his best on those outside zone stretch runs where he had a chance to kind of set up the blocks, hit daylight, and then explode to the second level. So a Delvin Cook, the balance, the feet, the spatial awareness, what he can do as both a rusher and a receiver, for me, that's why he is the top back this year. The character has to check out.

The medicals have to check out. So as long as those two areas are good, to me, I would draft him as the first running back this year. So it's fair to say when you have a guy like Fournette, who is more of an in-between-the-tackles type runner, hasn't had a whole lot of experience, at least a lot of, like I said, a lot of experience in the passing game. But then you look at a guy like McCaffrey, who's not necessarily, I mean, he can be, some people, it goes back and forth. People think that he's an in-between-the-tackles type guy. Other people don't. I don't necessarily think that he is at the next level, but he had such a dynamic in the passing game. So do you, I mean, I guess, is it fair to say that you think

Dalvin Cook is somewhat of the best possible mixture of the two in that regard? Yeah, I think that's fair to say. And with Christian McCaffrey, I'm one of the few that has Leonard Ford as my third running back. Dalvin Cook won, Christian McCaffrey two, Fournette three. And with McCaffrey, I think he can be a featured back. You just have to kind of tweak your opinion or your definition of what a featured back. You just have to kind of tweak your opinion or your definition of what a featured back is. He's not going to carry the ball 25 times a game and be a workhorse,

but he can touch the ball 20 to 25 times a game, whether that's 15 carries and, you know, seven, eight, nine targets out of the backfield, whatever that ends up being. McCaffrey, the moment you add him to your team, he might be your best route runner. He's just that special out in the slot, out wide. So I think that dynamic versatility, keep him in the backfield, motion him out, that's going to stress out a defense because you have to account for Christian McCaffrey on every single play. And I think that's part of the package that makes Christian McCaffrey so appealing.

And then with Leonard Fournette, he's a physical freak. And I like Fournette. I just, I see him more as a mid first rounder, not a top 10 pick like so many other people do. When you evaluate the running back position, you know, we can talk about being, you know, the freakish qualities just from an athleticism standpoint, from a size power standpoint. But I argue that vision patience run tempo those are more important for a running back in the nfl than just being a bigger faster stronger and that's really what leonard fournette has been able to get by on in his entire life you know because he's always been bigger faster stronger but in the nfl you just need a little more nuance you need a little more uh and i think those areas that's where dalvin Cook, Christian Caffrey, that's where those

guys are just better, far superior than Fournette at this point with the vision, setting up those blocks. You know, when you watch Fournette on film, his best plays, his best runs were with gaping holes. And then when the holes weren't there, that's where you saw him struggle a little bit, where he had to try to create for himself. So, you know, I like Fournette. I just don't love him as other people do. But it is an interesting dynamic with these three running backs in the first round.

And it'll be interesting to see where they end up and then moving forward, how we look back at this class a couple of years from now. Yeah, I'm excited about this class just in general. Those top three, I think that obviously a lot of people have Mixon as far as total ability anyways, have him up there as well. So it'll be interesting to see what goes on with these guys. Hassan Reddick, you've mocked to the Colts at 15 in your last two mocks. What is it about him that you see fit in the Indianapolis Colts defense so cleanly?

It's the fact that he can do anything. He's been one of my favorite players for a while now. I loved him when I saw him in the fall. And then at the Senior Bowl, that kind of showed his versatility. At Temple, he was more of an edge rusher. He would occasionally put his hand on the ground. He'd stand up. They just asked him to do a lot of different things because he was kind of

in that tweener mold, 6'1.5", 230 pounds. At the Senior Bowl, they stood him up as an off-ball linebacker and watching him cover running backs out of the backfield or tight end, he just made it look so easy because of his athleticism.

And so I think he can play inside a backer, play outside. You could put them, you know, kick them down and let them be a nickel rusher. And you can just have so many options with a player like a son Redick that I think in that mid first round, if he's on the board, I think he would make a lot of sense for whatever scheme you're running. I think he'd be a defensive playmaker, the type of guy that you have your defense build around him, type of playmaker that I think would be ideal for Chris Ballard and his first draft as the GM of the Colts.

Yeah, I've been a big fan of him as well, especially since he started kind of creeping out. I think it was a little bit before the Senior Bowl, but especially at senior bowl um as far as like his weight and stuff like that i mean he's gained a little bit of weight over the last several weeks and months but is that is there something like uh is there a limitation you think that should he should put on his weight for uh the position as far as i think that i've also heard a lot of people like you said not only just the versatility to move outside but i think a lot of people are actually projecting him as an edge as well. But, I mean, twice as many are projecting him as an inside linebacker, as a mic. Is his weight fluctuation in any way going to change where, not so much where he goes,

but where people project him? Do you think there's a better case scenario for him to kind of remain where he's at just at about 240, slightly less than that, or maybe kind of beefing up a little bit to around 245? Yeah, and, you know, he's a former safety defensive back walk-on. So, I mean, he doesn't have, like, that ideal frame that you want in an edge player. And, you know know i think some teams will look at them differently than others but depending on three four four three you know their

base and sub packages uh you know it will just vary team to team in terms of how they ultimately view him uh long term and you know the bulk of his snaps but i to me you know i'm i like him best as an off-ball linebacker, probably best inside, and then I want to use him as a blitzer because he has that pass rush ability. 22.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks last year, 6'1.5", 237 pounds. I don't know if he'll ever really be comfortable carrying 240 to 245. I think he's probably best right now where he's at, just around the 235, 240 mark, in between there.

So I'm not sure as a full-time edge rusher, maybe in a 3-4 he could potentially do that. But I think his value is best as an off-ball linebacker. Let him play in coverage. Let him blitz from different angles. I think you can do different things with him. And I think that overall versatility is really what makes him so appealing. I agree. Another guy that I really like, you've got mocked actually to Miami the past two mocks that you've done. Tyus Bowser at 22. Is 15 for him a drastic reach? Yeah, you know, I don't think he's a 15 best player i guess i'll put it that way um i

with tyus bowser uh he's a ridiculous athlete uh for that size um i i think you just have to you need a plan for a tyus bowser uh six two and a half 247 pounds i think he fits more the mold of an edge rusher than a sun reddick uh you know he's just he's bigger and i think he fits more of the mold of an edge rusher than a son Redick. You know, he's just, he's bigger. And I think he has just more of that profile. So I think he fits more of an edge prospect and, you know, pass rush. Every team needs more pass rush. And if you really believe in a pass rush, a pass rusher,

then there's really can't, you can't take them too early. And with Balanzer, the way he tested, 4-6-5, 40-yard dash, a 1-5-9, 10-yard split, outstanding explosion numbers in the vertical and the jumps. So Bowser, the way he was used at Houston, he was an outside linebacker in their 3-4, but they relied on a lot of interior pressure with Ed Oliver and their blitzing inside linebackers to kind of filter runs

to the outside. So Tyus Bowser wasn't asked to consistently rush off the edge. And I have some questions. I've had teams tell me that, you know, when they put them on the whiteboard, there are some questions, you know, just with his, you know, football awareness, just not that he can't do it. You know, he just lacks seasoning, lacks experience um so i think that as a rookie uh tyus bowser is more of a nickel rusher i'm not sure he's a full uh you know every down type of player but i think you project him to be that down the road maybe by year two uh so i project tyus bowser is more of a second rounder me personally but i think he's going to come off the board uh i think there's a good chance he's going to crash the first round because when you're built like that and you have that type of

athleticism and you can rush the passer, you just don't last very long. So I think there's a good chance Tyus Bowser ends up in the first round. I think 15 would be a little rich for him at that point. But again, when you can rush the passer and you have a high ceiling like Bowser does, you know, it's never really too early to take a chance on one of those guys. Yeah, he was really interesting to me. Like you said, they relied on a lot of that interior pressure, so they were able to drop him in coverage, I mean, a ton. One of the things that I was surprised about him was his ability to get in and take on some of that interior offensive line, though. I didn't expect that as much, and kind of the limited tape that I saw of him, you know, cutups for the most part,

not necessarily full games, but I was kind of impressed with that. Now, how many times he got stopped and stalled, you know, trying to do that, I don't know, but I did like the way he was able to get himself skinny against the interior linemen. Yeah, and he has the arm length, I think, that, you know, you see it on tape where He's able to extend, lock out, protect himself, keep himself clean from block. I think he's just looking at his – I was at the Senior Bowl. I saw him during the weigh-in. He looks like a bodybuilder. He's got developed muscle tone throughout.

You can tell he puts in the time in the weight room, and I think that weight room strength translates to on-field strength now obviously uh going up against uh you know uh blockers uh in the aac compared to what he'll see in the nfl the big jump and that's part of the reason why i think bowser's more of a nickel uh player a sub package guy as a rookie not a full time starter but i do think again that's why he's going to end up in the first round, or a good chance he will, is because the potential is there. Use the skill set, the traits, to develop into that type of player. Greg Cosell said the other day that he projected Solomon Thomas

as more of a natural three-tech. Do you agree or do you disagree with that? I don't disagree because i definitely understand it um you know it's what he brings from the interior with his powerful hands and his initial quickness uh he's able to just embarrass offensive guards uh if he has a little bit of space to work with and he's matched up one-on-one with an off i'll take solomon thomas every time um and you know i think we we kind of went through this a couple years ago with Aaron Donald, who, you know, was too undersized.

And he wouldn't have the size to match up. And, you know, he's one of the best interior defensive players in the NFL, if not, you know, just in general, one of the best defensive players. But with Solomon Thomas, he's not 290. You know, he's 15 pounds less than Aaron Donald was. You know, he's about 275 so i think that you know can he hold up as an every down three technique i'm not necessarily buying that but i think as a base end uh he can bring some juice off the edge and then you kick him

inside i think the fact that he can play both uh you know use him like seattle uses a michael bennett or you know one of those guys where he can play both positions You know, use him like Seattle uses a Michael Bennett or, you know, one of those guys where he can play both positions. You don't want to limit him to just one spot. I think that versatility is key with Thomas and a big reason why, you know, he's viewed as a top five, top six pick. And with Solomon Thomas, I think you also factor in just the versatility, the intelligence.

The fact that he's a third-year sophomore, still very young, I think he's going to continue to get better and better. Listen to Coach Shaw talk about Solomon Thomas. He calls him the complete player. Just what he brings from a mental standpoint, obviously from a physical standpoint, he's very technically sound. And then just from a leadership perspective, he's a very safe prospect. And I think that's why he's in play at number two for the 49ers,

who are starting off their new regime. You know, he's a high-floor player. I think you have a good idea of what you're going to get. As long as you have a plan for how you're going to use him, whether it's inside or outside, or preferably both, I think he's definitely worth a high pick in this draft. Yeah, interesting, because I've seen he's been a guy that's fluctuated quite a bit, just in mocks, but it's always interesting to try to figure out where

teams see him. But another guy that you're high on and that I am falling in love with the more I watch him is Jared Davis out of Florida, the inside linebacker. I mean, a three down guy who can play against the run has some that much pop behind his pads, but can also cover. He's a leader of work ethic. When you look at him versus a guy like Ruben Foster, that is so natural as well. Right now, I think it's obvious to say that Ruben is the better prospect at this moment. But if you were to do a three-year projection as far as what you're seeing on tape with these guys, do you think that gap closes quite a bit?

Or is there a possibility that you think Jared Davis could actually end up being the better inside linebacker of the two? Yeah, I don't think there's a big gap right now. I like Ruben Foster quite a bit, but I love Jared Davis, and I think they're both first-round picks. The big thing with Davis is just, can he stay healthy? He plays, and really, I have that same concern with Foster, because both these players are so violent. They both play with passion. There's not a passive bone in their body. They're just very passionate with the way they play the game, contact-driven mentality. With Jared Davis, you have a player who's explosive. I think he's very football smart. The trademark toughness that shows. It's something that with linebackers,

you want them to play like every play is their last. But with Jared Davis, he's had several injuries that have probably come as a result of that violent play style that makes him so productive. But can he also hold up for a 16-game schedule with the way he plays the game? He had a torn meniscus in his left knee as a sophomore, and then his past year as a senior, he had a badly sprained left ankle that really forced him to miss the final month and a half of the season, forced him to miss the Senior Bowl, the Combine, and it's the same ankle that he previously broke in high school. So there's a lot of question marks about the durability,

and again, I have the same questions with Foster just because of the way they play the game. They don't know how to go half speed and it's just not in their nature, which is great. That's what you want in a linebacker. But again, you know, the greatest predictor of future injuries is past injuries. And so I think the durability factor is something that weighs on the Jared Davis selection, whether or not you take him in the late first round or not. But based on talent, based on ability, absolutely, I think Jared Davis is worth a first-round pick. I don't think there's a huge gap between him and Reuben Foster. And I think something that gets passed up a little bit is that Foster has a past with concussions as well. Like you said, that violent play style. And that's something, all this is going to be obviously taken into effect, but they're both definitely first round talents in my opinion.

And I just, I don't know, maybe it's the listening to Jared Davis talk and then seeing his game film, you know, just, man, I just can't help, but think that he might overtake that, you know, eventually in a couple years or whatever. Yeah, no, I don't think you can rule that out. That's definitely a fair assessment. And yeah, you're right with Foster. He's had a concussion, multiple shoulder stingers. I mean, he missed the combine. He hasn't been able to work out to this point because he just underwent rotator cuff surgery. So it is definitely a concern with both these players. Yeah, it's too bad, too, because they're both really impressive.

And you see that violent play style. And that's ultimately what you want in football. You know, everybody loves that type of stuff. But at the same time, like you said, teams are going to have to weigh the durability factor for both of them. But I don't think there's any possibility that either of them, to be quite honest with you, doesn't go in the top, in the first round. Um, who in, in your top 10 of your recent mock, uh, do you see as most likely to maybe slip to the 15 to 20 range? Hmm. Um, that's a good question. Um, you know, I mean, mocks are tough because they're basically, you know, what I'm, what I'm hearing based off of what I think. Uh,

but based on my latest mock, uh, you know, I think that the top seven to me are top seven. I feel pretty good are going to go in the top seven, uh, not necessarily in that order, but I feel pretty good. Are going to go in the top 10 and that's, you know, Miles Garrett, Solomon Thomas, Jamal Adams, Millie Cooker, Marshawn cooker marshawn latimore jonathan allen and then i think mitchell strabisky the quarterback will be in the top 10 some more so those seven players i feel pretty good will be that high um and then the next three players in my top 10 right now are london fournette

derrick barnett and cory davis so i it seems to me that you know even though i don't think four nets top 10 pick uh there's a good chance he ends up in the top 10 uh whether it could be jacksonville at four uh carolina eight cincinnati nine um and so that leaves barnett and cory davis i think either of those two players could could slip to the team uh you know derrick barnett has not had a great pre-draft process uh you know that the resume is awesome as a three-year starter at tennessee double digit sacks each season uh he's been a model of consistency the last three years of the pass rusher but he's not that he doesn't have the testing numbers ideally that you want the pass rusher in the top 15 uh it's just not how he wins he's not an explosive guy but he can bend a

little bit he's very smart very, understands how to beat blocks, very well-rounded versus a run in the past. So I, that's why I do think Derek Barnett is deserving of top 10 consideration, but he won't be for everybody. And so for that, those reasons, he could be available in the team. And then with Corey Davis, similar, he hasn't had the pre-draft process that you want from a potential top 10 pick. He hasn't been able to work out. He hasn't had the pre-draft process that you want from a potential top 10 pick. He hasn't been able to work out. He bypassed the Senior Bowl and then he injured his ankle during training.

He missed combine, missed the pro day. He's hopeful he can work out before the draft, but here we are two weeks out, time's running out. Corey Davis, there's still a chance he could be a top 10 pick, a top 15 pick. But, you know, teams might get a little bit of cold feet if he isn't able to work out.

That ankle injury is something that teams worry about. So both Derek Barnett and Corey Davis, you could definitely see falling into the teams. And I think, you know, a team could end up getting excellent value for those two players. I agree. It's never fun to, like to project failure or anything like that, but I'm interested to just get your thoughts on this. Some of these troubled top-end players like Malik McDowell, and I say troubled because of work ethic questions and so on,

but you've got other issues with Tim Williams, Mix, and so on and so forth, a lot of these guys. Who would be the guy that you think would be most likely to fall to basically their own demise and just work themselves out of an NFL job? Yeah, and I think it's important to, you know, we don't paint a broad brush, you know, just with the character guys. Each one has their own individual set of challenges and issues. And it can be tough because you're basically trying to, I mean, you've got to predict the future.

And it's something that, you know, there's, you know, for every, you know, guy that, you know, Josh Gordon, who hasn't been able to get out of his own way. There's a Tyron Matthew, who's a success story, who had plenty of issues in college but is able to turn it around. So it can be tough when you're trying to predict how 20, 21-year-old young adults will mature and how they'll react to NFL life. But with that said, Tim Williams really worries me. On the field. Yeah. He's a first round talent with his ability to rush the passer,

but just based on who, you know, the type of crowd he hangs around with, you know, how important football is compared to his off field activities, whether it's weed, whether, you know, it's just hanging out with a certain group. It's just, it's something that I'm not sure will change at the NFL level. Um, I think there's a very likely scenario where we see Tim Williams fall to the third round.

Uh, you know, I think that's very, very possible. I think you also factor in that, uh, he just wasn't a full-time player at Alabama. I mean, he had two career starts and he was a sub package player for that, that team. So, um, it's something that there are plenty of concerns there and I think that could end up causing him to fall. Hopefully he's able to keep on the straight and narrow

and develop into a productive pass rusher, but there's certainly smoke there. When there's smoke, there's always the possibility of something not working out for him long term. Absolutely. Now on the other side of that, like kind of the guys that are suffering from injuries, uh, whether it's Allen or, you know, even Foster with, uh, concussions and the shoulder stuff as well. Uh, Tack McKinley, just some of those guys that are coming in here with injuries. Um, who's one of the guys that

you see? Uh, I mean, it just, as far as you know, what you know about their type of injuries, who's, who's the one guy that you see coming out of this clean that, you know, it's a, it's a surgery. It's basically going to be in their past. I think Corey Davis, you know, we mentioned it with the ankle. Uh, he was healthy his entire career at Western Michigan. So there weren't any big issues there. Um, I, I think, you know, hopefully this is just more of a bump in the road for him, and I don't really see injuries being an issue for him long term.

Ryan Rancic from Wisconsin, all indications that hip injury is just an issue that once it's healed will be fine. The medical rechecks are going on right now in Indianapolis, and so eager to get some of the feedback on those. John Ross I'm really interested in. He's a wild card. You can make an argument he's worth a top 10 pick, but he could also fall out of the top 25 just based on the medicals.

There's a lot of intrigue there, injuries. He's gotten past surgeries on both knees. He's just coming off a shoulder surgery. At that size, do you really trust him going over the middle in the NFL? It's something that teams will have to ask themselves and weigh that value with a player like John Ross, who's so much fun to watch. I put him on my team right now, and I'll feel good about my chances, but at what point, what's his value in the draft because of the injury concerns.

So John Ross is, to me, one of the most important, you know, medical rechecks that we have going on right now. Well, I'll get you one more question before we get you out of here. You know, we kind of talked about three-year projections with Davis and Reuben Foster, but is there a guy in this class that may be a second-round pick, possibly even a second-round projection at least, or a third, possibly early third, that you see who could, let's say we did that three-year projection and did a redraft in two to three years. Who's that one guy that you think could possibly and

would possibly be redrafted in the top half of the first round? Is there anybody like that in this draft for you? Yeah, I think there definitely could be a few of those guys. I'm a big fan of Adam Shaheen from Ashland, the tight end. He's been my guy for a while. I really think that he can be a big-time player in this league. It might take a year or two, but eager to see his progression when we look back three years from now, what he can be. I think Curtis Samuel from Ohio State, for the team that doesn't get Christian Caffrey in the first round, I think Curtis Samuel in the second round, if he's available. I mean, to me, he's a first-round player, but he might be available in the second round for them. That versatile skill set, I think he could be, you know, kind of in that mold,

that type of player. And then a guy on defense, Josh Jones, the safety from NC State, I think he has a chance to be a big-time player as a safety with his size, his athleticism. I think when we look back three years from now, I think Josh Jones could be one of those guys where we kind of wonder, how did he fall so far out of the top 40 or wherever he ends up going? He could be a guy that outplays his draft slot. You know, it's funny. I came across DJ down there in Indianapolis during the combine, and that was one of the guys I was talking to him about, or not,

I wasn't talking, I was asking him about a guy that's not kind of on the scene right now that he's projecting to really make a name for himself over the next couple of months. And that was exactly who he told me. And, you know, it's funny because in the last month, a lot of people are, you know, his name's coming up a lot more. Not that people are just now seeing him, but he's definitely getting the pub that he said that he would. So I thought that was interesting that you brought him up as well. But, Dane, thank you so much for joining me today.

This was absolutely fantastic, a lot of very good information. It's going to be a super exciting draft. I'm sure you're just as much looking forward to it as the rest of us are. It's just a total talent-filled draft. I'm sure you're just as much looking forward to it as the rest of us are. It's just a total talent-filled draft, and I don't know that we've seen one like this in the past decade or so. Yeah, it's going to be fun for sure, and there's a lot of intrigue about who's going to go where, like there always is, but especially this year. So that makes draft day even that more exciting when we don't know what's going to happen. So, uh, and so it makes the NFL draft as popular as it is. So yeah, I can't wait. Absolutely. Uh, you guys can follow Dane at DP Brugler on Twitter. Uh, thank you,

Dane, again for joining us. Thank you guys for, for listening and make sure you guys are following myself, M Dainley underscore NFL on Twitter and make sure you guys are getting out there to iTunes rating and reviewing the show. Keep listening. Keep calling in. I'll get your, uh, your voicemails on the air,

uh, every time I get them. So thank you guys for listening and I'll catch you all next week, right here on locked on Colts. You are locked on Colts, your daily podcast on the Indianapolis Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.