Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS -4/27- Colts Draft Day Round Table W/@gmbremer * @JakeArthurPFS * @DrafttekColts

Episode Date: April 27, 2017

George Bremer, Rick McGlothlin and Jake Arthur all join Matt to discuss everything leading up to the #Colts first-round selection Thursday night. Who would they take at No. 15? What about realistic trade back scenarios and selections at those junctures? Additionally they discuss the situation with Gareon Conley's and Reuben Foster's draft stock and much much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Learn more about our healthy benefits at fepblue.org slash getmore. No, I'm not for sale. You are lockeded 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 we've got a fantastic show for you guys tonight. We've got three of my favorites on today, three great guys, three people that you guys enjoy listening to.

First and foremost, we've got the Prez, Rick McLaughlin. What's going on, Rick? The Prez. How are you doing, Matt? Glad to be back, brother. Glad to have you on, man. We've also got my guy, Jake Arthur. You guys can hear him on our episodes of Bar Talk with Jake Arthur.

What's up, Jake? What is happening? Let's get tomorrow going. That's right. It can't get here quick enough. And some of your favorites for sure. We got George Bremer here, the man from George's Corner. What's going on?

Glad to be here. Glad to be able to join everybody. And I just want to echo Jake's opinion. I'm so glad we're at the end of this road. I can't wait to get this rolling. It cannot get here fast enough. It seems like, you know, you get ready for the draft, the whole hubbub of it, and you start writing a few articles, and you start talking a little bit about it here and there,

and then it just gets so drowned out with everything. And it's just like, okay, we really need it to be here now. It is just waiting, taking way too long to get here. We've gone through 500 different options and, you know, people have come from the third round and they're now into the first round conversation and vice versa. Now we've got a bunch of guys that were first round guys that people wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole. So we don't know what to expect from this, but we do know that the Colts should have no problem coming out of this draft with at least three quality starters in this draft. Does anybody disagree with that? At least no. Okay. I didn't think so. I don't know. I mean, if they don't, we they don't We are going to have to start a revolt

Because I think at the moment Everybody's in love with Chris Bowerd And if we don't come out If they don't come out with three Then I know Ryan Grayson's going to be laughing pretty hard Yeah, yeah He's going to be beating his chest somewhere Probably in Philly

Actually, he's probably at the draft He's got a lot of connections there Actually, he's probably at the draft. He's got a lot of connections there. Well, he's sitting in the bar with a tea-rich drinking a margarita. That's too soon. That's too soon. Ouch. Ouch. All right, guys. So I'm going to go with you guys one by one here real quick. Jake, we'll start with you. What do you think the Colts' biggest need is? I think it starts with cornerback, because if you think about it, a lot of the other needs, they at least have bodies there. If Vontae Davis goes down for any significant amount of time this year, then you're looking at Rashawn Melvin as your cornerback one and that is a problem and seeing as Vontae Davis does have health issues and he's going into the final year of his contract there has to be a plan there so while I do think there's other real big needs I would put cornerback as the top one

I it's hard to disagree really I mean because we know that they have a ton of needs George what's your thoughts man yeah I think corner two for those reasons, and probably 1A to me is pass rusher just because I still, when I look at the roster, there's not one guy who's proven productive at this level, at the NFL level right now, on the edge. So I think that and corner are the two biggest spots to look at. Yeah. Rick, what do you got, brother?

Yeah, there's no way I can conform. I'm a non-conformist, so I'm going to go edge. But I've had edge the entire year, and I agree with Jake and George about the cornerback position, especially as it relates to Vontae Davis. But I think that in the back half of the draft, even from round three on, there's enough corner talent that if we get somebody after a star edge rusher,

if one is available at 15, they can have a big enough impact on the quarterback to help that secondary and, you know, rush the quarterback a little bit more in his, in his delivery and therefore help the talent that we do have in the secondary become better at what they do. in his delivery and therefore help the talent that we do have in the secondary become better at what they do.

So I'm going to go edge, and then I'll go 1B as corner and then linebacker. That would be my top three. Yeah, I'm going to go with cornerback, and the only reason is because that's been one of the most – I mean, it's just been neglected the entire offseason so far. They haven't done anything with it at all, actually. And like Jake, you said that, you know, if Vontae goes down, Melvin's corner one.

That's a scary thought. Although, I mean, I don't think anybody on this panel here dislikes Melvin, but he's not a cornerback one in the NFL. That's just the facts. So, I mean, when we get into it, I think that if we were to say you can only have one position in this draft, I think you have to go corner because you can't trust the undrafted guys to be quality starters. And there's very little talent out there left in the free agent pool as far as experienced guys to get. We talked about Jason

McCourty one night, George and I did. And, you know, as far as for a guy who could kind of step in, that was one of the last guys. I mean, there really just isn't anything left, but obviously we need pass rush. But I think with between Simon Bostic and Sheard, you know, I think they've got some semblance of a pass rush they're developing for sure. But first round. I agree with you on that. If it was just down to one pick, yeah, you have to go quarterback or cornerback because like what you just said, we do have some folks up front that can get after the quarterback,

but nothing if Vontae goes down. Yeah, no, that's scary. If we look at kind of their draft strategy here and we think about how much has the free agency spending spree, so to speak, or the free agent acquisitions has affected the team going into the draft, is there anything that stands out to any of you guys? Rick, we'll start with you, brother. Well, I think up front. I mean, that kind of skews it a little bit in favor of what we've been talking about with corner. We do have a couple of guys up front that now can take that place of Mathis and at least another guy that can put some pressure

on the quarterback. So we can divert some attention now either to the corner position or the linebacker without fear of having zero pass rush. I still don't think it's going to be as good if we can get somebody that's exceptionally good off the edge, but like we've been talking about, perhaps corner in the long run is just going to be the biggest need and the most available at the position we're picking at when it's all said and done.

Right, I agree. George, you echo those sentiments? Yeah, I think that really what Ballard's been able to do is really pick up the middle of the roster, make the middle better, the depth better. But I think that elite level, the top level of the roster, make the middle better, the depth better. But I think that elite level, you know, the top level of the roster, there's still not a lot up there to get excited about. And that's where I think the way Ballard operates,

it's almost like free agency and the draft are two completely separate entities. I'm not sure that anything he did in free agency means a lot to him as he comes to the draft, just because he's a guy that he's really almost 100% best player available from everything he said. And I really think he's more interested in adding unique talent than he is in filling specific spots on the roster. Yeah. Jake? Yeah, like they said, the middle of the roster has definitely gotten a boost uh but a lot of these guys seem to be bridge guys you know they're they're front-loaded

contracts they're not tied to these guys long term so i don't think it changes the draft a whole lot you know if if they come upon a player in the draft who they didn't really expect to have, but who could start year one. It's not going to kill them to have to cut any of these new free agent acquisitions in a year or two. And I know they got Jonathan Hankins, and that helps a lot. And they got these inside linebackers. But other than Hankins, you know, a lot of these guys don't really change what they should do in the draft. And like George said, Ballard seems to look at the draft as a completely different animal.

You know, his free agent approach just seems to be for, you know, building competition, getting some players out there who can play so the roster isn't embarrassing, but that the true team building of it comes through the draft. Right. And you know what's funny about this

is that in 2012, Ryan Grigson had to completely remake this roster. And now, and he did a lot of it through free agency, obviously not to the level that Bauer's done it right now. But is this i mean it's so hard to look uh with foresight into this but what will if this roster doesn't significantly get better over the next two or three years will this free agent spending spree which has been really intelligently spent you know what i'm saying it's not uh the the contracts are better already than what Grigson's was in 2012. Don't get me wrong.

My point is, could this free agency period in his initial year as GM be looked negatively upon? Do you guys think if the Colts don't make it back to the AFC Championship game in the next few seasons? Any of you?

I think the fans will if a bunch of guys get cut. I mean, when you go back to what Jake was saying and the way these contracts are structured, if you see a lot of these guys gone by the end of next year or even two seasons, I think the fans will have some, some negative reaction to it, you know, along with that, the Colts didn't win. Uh, but I, I really feel like that's why it's structured the way it is. So the, this is as close to no risk free agency, I think, as you get.

Yeah. And I'm glad you said that too, because that is how I would look at it. And I'm just not so sure that everybody will see it the same way is that that's why these are structured the way they are is so that he can get rid of them if they don't you know exceed more or less like Mingo Hunt and a few other guys like Woods and them if they don't like impress like they're not here to simply just be on the roster they're here to impress and if they don't impress then they're gonna they're gonna be gone and that's the entire reason behind the contracts so what do you guys i mean it's impossible to really predict ballard's best player uh available approach i mean because all these all these teams boards are completely different i mean i don't even know how to ask this question, but is there anybody here that sees something really unconventional from Ballard,

as in a totally off-the-wall first-round pick if they pick at 15, as far as somebody like, wow, how is he at that position or at that point on the Colts' board right now? Does anybody see that, or do you guys think he's going to somewhat be more towards the median of the rest of the NFL? Jake, we'll start with you, brother. No, I think he's already laid the groundwork in what he said that, you know, this isn't going to be all based on need. If he sees a player there, even if that position is loaded, if that's a great player, he's not going to pass on him. That's why, you know, there's going to be this cloud from the fans hanging over the Colts about wide receivers and things like that.

If Ballard takes a wide receiver early, he's going to get crap for it because, you know, everyone says Ryan Gregson loved the small, fast receivers. But if, like, Corey Davis or Mike Williams winds up on the Colts in the first round, there's a good chance they are going to be the best player available, whether the Colts need them or not. So that wouldn't totally shock me just because I'm kind of understanding that's his approach. The Colts have receivers, but that group could look totally different in a year or two, you know? So I could see him making picks that may seem really surprising now,

but when you look at it in a year or two, you're like, yeah, that was pretty smooth. Yeah. What do you think, Rick? Yeah, I agree. It immediately comes to mind is Joe Mixon. I mean, we've heard rumors now that he's actually on the Colts board. Who in the heck can actually be certain that that's true or not? But that's a couple of rumors that have come out.

He could also go with one of the receivers that we mentioned, but I think Joe Mixon is one of the splash players that he could really, you know, light up the airwaves and talk radio with picking at number 15 with him. He's the only one I think of the several that might be available at that point that would really provide a huge shot in the arm for the offense, even though we all know that defense is the name of the game in this draft for this year and perhaps next year as well. Right.

And Jake and I talked about this because he went on Peter King's podcast and basically said, you know, they were asking about, you know, did you, do you think that he's gotten to the point where he's, you know, feeling sorry and has remorse about the situation? And basically Ballard said, you know, I haven't gotten to that point with Mixon. And I thought with two weeks to go to the draft, if he hadn't gotten to that point with Mixon yet, Mixon's not on their board. I mean, that makes sense. But then you hear the stuff lately that Mixon's absolutely on their board. George, is there anybody else besides maybe Mixon or one of the receivers that you think could really flip some eyebrows up?

To backtrack just for a second, for what it's worth, he told us a week ago that he hadn't gotten to that point yet with Mixon as well when we had our pre-draft press conference. So it's something that Ballard's been pretty consistent with. I don't know where it stands, without being in that room um as far as we kind of talked about what they might look for a couple weeks ago you know i still think it's not completely out of the question that a guy like oj howard ends up in that spot just because he could be the guy that they look at as best available there's certainly his

room in the tight end group i think a tight end will get taken somewhere in this draft i think it would be surprising if it went that high but yeah i still don't think that that's something you can completely rule out he would be i guess my kind of surprise pick but just because sometimes i like to watch the world burn i think it would be so much fun if they took john ross just to watch the world burn. I think it would be so much fun if they took John Ross just to watch all fire and what would happen. That's just being you. I don't think that

will happen. That wasn't just a planet burning. That's the entire solar system. I think I'm going to have to go in post-production and bleep that name out. That's filled to a set with an injury. I can imagine for the Twitter reaction alone, it would be highly entertaining.

Oh, my God. That's Philip Dorsett with an injury right there. Yeah. At least for year one. Oh, man. That would be the world burning most definitely. Holy cow. Oh, man. You know, there's a guy that

when I was looking at some things, some stuff has changed. And there's some guys that you look at two or three different times. And the second or third time you look at them, you see something you didn't see before. There's a guy who I think it kind of depends. Now, here's kind of my dilemma with this guy specifically. But I wrote a piece today, or that came out today anyways, that I actually had O.J. Howard and Mixon on that as far as one of the unconventional possibilities for the Colts at 15 because of the reasons you guys gave exactly. Another one was Kevin King from Washington. He's rised up

the board quite a bit for at cornerback. But another guy that I am really starting to like, I will put it this way. What I like about him, I'm starting to love. And the stuff that I don't like about him, I just, I guess I'm trying to make myself believe that he can do better at. And what I don't like is Cordrea. It's Cordrea Tankersley, okay, out of Clemson, cornerback. Super great in coverage, excellent in coverage. His biggest issue, or mainly his only issue for me, is that he's soft coming up against the run, in my opinion. He will hit anybody from behind, a receiver, a tight end, a running back who's got their back to him. He will absolutely try to put a lick on them. But if they're mano a receiver, a tight end, a running back who's got their back to him, he will absolutely try to put a lick on them.

But if they're mano a mano, he doesn't want no part of it. And that bothers me. But I guess it all depends on what Ballard wants more. You want a guy who can cover all the time, you know, or do you want a guy that can do both? And there are guys who can do both in this draft. But I think that as far as coverage, Tankersley is one of the guys that I've noticed the most that is the most sticky out of all this group. And I really am starting to love his coverage ability. So he's one of the guys that

I think could possibly be, if there's a guy on Ballard's brain that he may be higher than a lot of the draft community, I'm seeing things with Tankersley that makes me feel like that is something that would be valued very highly, especially on the opposite side of Vontae Davis, as well as the fact that Vontae's, you know, getting a little older and it continues to be nicked up more and more. So that's just something that had just popped in my head, and it really was something that I've been starting to start to think of and like more and more. Another one, let me ask you guys about this real quick.

Another one who could play nickel corner for his first season, and he has a lot of versatility. Another guy that I had on that list was Buda Baker. What are your thoughts on him? Georgeorge let me start with you brother yeah i think uh i i hear a lot of comparisons with like a bob sanders type of player when you talk about buda baker you know an enforcer back there and i think that would be interesting to see that position added to to the secondary because i think really right now when you look at the safety group, it's tough to really say what they do exceedingly well.

I mean, where Gathers has played well has mostly been in the box when he's sort of an extra linebacker. And you're looking at he and Green and how young they are. I mean, Darius Butler, he's going to be a ball hawk. You know that about him, but he's getting up there in age too. I think a guy like Buda Baker would be really intriguing to add to that group. My thought on him the most that I like about him was the fact that he could play nickel corner right off the jump.

That would give Butler and Gethers back there an issue, and that would give TJ Green a little more time to develop if he's going to develop because Buda Baker has that cornerback skill set. And you put him in the slot at 5'10", and that's a really nice skill set and a really nice guy to have immediately. And then you've got the possibility or just the natural progression of rocking him back to safety in his second year if Butler's gone or maybe third year depending on whatever happens you know with all that but you've certainly got a guy that you can play back there Jake any any thoughts on that yeah I was gonna say he's kind

of underappreciated when it comes to how Buda Baker that is underappreciated when it comes to how good he is in relation to his stock. I think a lot of people see more of a late first, early second, but he is a playmaker. I'd have to think if he was a couple inches taller that he'd be a first round lock. He makes it really possible to be versatile with your defense. He can line up in the nickel. The Colts don't have a true nickel right now. When he does that, that means you can do more things with Clayton Gathers, T.J. Green, and Darius Butler. There's a lot of exotic looks you can give.

Certain packages can play to their strengths. Let's say Darius Butler and Gathers are the starting safeties. It would give T.J. Green an opportunity to actually see more reps, which he will need. I think that would be maybe underappreciated at the time, but I think that could wind up being a pretty quality move for them. Yeah. Rick, any thoughts?

Yeah, I'll just echo what George and Jake said in that at corner, he has the skills, the talent. He's excellent in coverage, very, very adept at leading on the field and very versatile. So you can put him in safety in a corner. I would just, I don't think because of the size, I don't think we could have him in the first round, but definitely in the second. And again, the versatility is going to increase that for some teams, depending on what they're looking for. For the Colts, though, I don't think that they can do it in the first round. I think they have to find somebody with some really good length and size at corner if they go up 15 with somebody at cornerback. I don't think it could be Bud Baker. Who's a player that you got?

Jake, I'll start with you. Who's a guy that you just want the Colts to completely stay away from, whether it's skill set, whether it's off-field issues, whatever it is? Who's a guy that you just don't want the Colts to even breathe? Are we talking first round or just all together? Yeah, first round. Okay, so for the sake of not getting tired in my argument against Charles Harris, I will move this to Taco Charlton now. His stock is kind of all over the place.

You see him top ten sometimes. You see him top of the second round sometimes. I think a lot of his stuff is based on the fact that he's kind of an athletic freak. He's progressed each year at Michigan, but I don't think you really see playmaking from him consistently enough. I have seen some people mock him to the Colts, and I just don't love it. Similar reasons as to Charles Harris. I just don't see the productivity consistently enough, and I just think they have a lot better options.

I agree. I definitely agree with that. Rick, is there anybody you want the Colts to just kind of steer clear of? Jabril Peppers. Yeah. For all kinds of reasons yeah enough said on that george how about you my man john ross obviously uh but also you know i i second the peppers thing i think there's going to be a temptation there if they're going depending on how chris ballard

sees him like that that's the fear is that he looks at him as best player available at that spot and you end up with a tweener. So, you know, I really think Peppers is kind of the scary guy, the ghost there in the first round. Yeah, I agree. All right, let's go to the age-old question here that everybody wants to know. Do you do the Colts trade down,orge i think they'd love to i think you know ballard's been very very open about the idea that he wants more picks he really wants to stockpile

what he can and so i think they would very much love to do it i just question whether they'll find that partner and i think one of the biggest things for them is we keep hearing everything on the quarterbacks from three of them are going to the top ten to none of them are going until Houston picks or Kansas City. So I think where that happens could affect that a little bit. If you see maybe two guys go off in the top 12, then maybe somebody starts getting itchy and wants to come up but i just you know i think they really want to i think at the end of the day though they're gonna they're

gonna stay at 15 because they might get stuck in that spot jake um i have been thinking more of it lately as as a real possibility almost a likelihood um just because they're kind of sitting right there in a sweet spot where uh this is a real questionable quarterback draft and if if you consider that mitch trubisky and deshaun watson might be going on the first dozen picks uh you might have a rush from some people trying to get into the teens to get their guy, whether that's Pat Mahomes or Deshaun Kaiser. Even if a team is, you know, crazy enough to go like Davis Webb or something, you know, because we've seen E.J. Manuel be taken in the middle first round before, so anything's possible.

There's also running backs that they could want. Is someone afraid they're going to miss out on Joe Mixon or Christian McCaffrey or Dalvin Cook? You might have some teams really not wanting to lose their guy. I think the 15th spot really is a valuable spot for the Colts. With how badly they appear to want to move down, I think it's really up in the air at this point. It could be 50-50. What do you think, Rick?

Yep, same thing. It's who's there, what the board looks like at that pick, and who's available as a willing partner. We all know that at the last second, somebody that wasn't expected is on the phone wanting to do a deal. But at the outset, you're thinking probably a couple of teams maybe as many as five that would do do a deal with the colts for somebody at number 15 but i think in the first round like was said is the best time to do it yeah you got a lot of talent

in the second third round that we could use and uh make you know take the most advantage of. So the first round, the possibility, 50-50 really, like it was said before. Right. Obviously, the best possible scenario is kind of like what Jake said, is that if a couple quarterbacks come off the board somewhere in between that 8 and 12 spot or something like that, you know, then you're going to start seeing some teams who want one of these quarterbacks, one of these three or four quarterbacks in this draft start trying to move up. How far they decide to move up and how many picks they've got to try to move up as far as who's left on the board that still needs a quarterback between this pick and this pick. So there's a lot of different things that go in hand. But as far

as for other positions, there's a few teams here that I've kind of highlighted as far as teams that I think could possibly try to move up for one reason or another. And the Bucs at 19 and the Dolphins at 22 were a couple teams. And maybe I'm off here, but it's just my own brain. I mean, I'm not a fan of either one of those teams. I don't know a lot about them, but my thoughts were that they would want to get up, that at least the Bucs would try to get up above the Titans and Ravens in that area to possibly go for a tight end because a couple of those two teams both need a tight end, and if O.J. Howard's off the board and Joku is going to be, or Ingram, you know, one of those guys is

going to be highly sought after possibly in that area. And Dolphins, maybe for the edge, the defensive end type group that they're going to try to get up there thinking that a lot of some of those teams directly after the Colts will be going for that skill set as well. But when you look at, I mean, and Jake talked about a sweet spot that the Colts are in, specifically with where they're set to draft at the moment, you've got the Chiefs at 27, the Saints at 32, the Browns at 33, and the Bears at 36, who at some point, I think it's more than possible, want to take a quarterback. And if one or two of these quarterbacks comes off early,

these guys are where the Colts are going to get a ton of value if one of them want to move up back into either the first round or further up into the first round, like the Saints and the Chiefs who are at 27-32, to grab one of those quarterbacks at 15. That's kind of the sweet spot, 27 to 36, as far as to get the most value out of that tradeback. Because I don't think trading with the Bucs at 19 or Dolphins at 22 is going to yield a ton of return. I mean, it'll get at least another pick plus their first-round pick.

But those 27 through 36, that's going to get some real ducats right there for the Colts. And that could be where their draft is made if they were to do that. Basically, if the Colts don't trade out of 15, my guess is that – well, let me start with you guys. George, if the Colts don't trade out at 15, who's your target for the Colts? I think the ideal situation for him, because I just keep hearing that he's on their board and that they will look long and hard at that spot, is Reuben Foster. I think if he is still there, and it sounds like he very well may be, and I know all the issues that came out, but if you can get a transformative player in this draft and i think you know he's a top five guy by most people on their boards i don't know that chris ballard

could or would pass that up i think that would be the most interesting outcome on on thursday night absolutely what do you think rick yeah same thing reuben foster maybe even Marlon Humphrey if he dropped a little bit, although I don't like him as much as some of the other corners further down the list on some draft boards. I'd actually prefer somebody like Tredavious White or King before Marlon Humphrey even in the first round. But, yeah, Reuben Foster looks like it. I've had Hassan Reddick for quite a few different mocks throughout the last few weeks, but Reuben Foster, if he slid down there, he'd probably be the pick. Who do you think, Jake, the Colts would go after at 15 if they don't trade back?

Yep, Reuben Foster is definitely my guy. From all the guys I've watched so far in this pre-draft process, he just jumps off the film so much. He's got the best tape I've watched, and other than Myles Garrett, I think he's the second best defender in the draft. And for a team with such a lackluster defense for the last several years, how do you not pick up a guy like this?

I'm going to go with Gary on Conley. I think that if the Colts stay at 15, they want a corner. And that, you know, outside of a couple, you know, opposite thought processes that I've got with the cornerback position, I really, really like Gary on Conley. He was lined up against best receivers on an Island, a large part of this season, this past season, by himself. That not only shows you how much trust the Ohio State

coaching staff had in his skills, but that shows you how much moxie I think that he's got on his own to where he could play as well as he did knowing that he's all alone over there. He's in press, he's in off. He's in everything. And he is by himself with some of the best receivers that they went up against all season. So I think Conley's the guy. I mean, forget about the issues in Cleveland. To me, I mean, I'm putting that aside because none of it sounds credible to me. If it is credible, you know, and these teams know something that we don't know, or,

you know, know that this is an actual situation that has actually happened. And that, you know, whatever the video that comes out that shows the timestamps and, and has shown that he's, that the timeframe doesn't add up, you know what I mean? And if that is actually something that is an issue, and that they're saying, this looks like he could have actually done something here, then, you know, obviously not him outside of that. I think that teams are looking through this and it seems like a bunch of BS to me. I'm going to go with Gary on Conley at 15. So let's do this now with that, that little group there between let's say 19 and 22.

If the Colts move back into that area, do your picks change, George? Yeah, I think then maybe pass rusher starts to come around again. I feel like they're kind of in between. I know everybody's board's different, so it kind of changes from person to person and from team to team. But it feels like Barnett is probably going to go a little bit earlier than 15, and then you've got a little bit of a gap there where the Colts right now are in between. Maybe 19 to 22 is a spot where maybe attack McKinley becomes more of a player in there, and, you know, I start wondering at that point, too, you keep hearing Tim Williams is going to

be a second-round guy. One of the biggest knocks that I keep hearing on him is, well, he's only going to be a pass rush specialist. I don't see why that should scare the colts that's what they want that's what they need this guy's going to come in and just get after the quarterback i don't think that's a problem in indy so i wonder if he would even come in to play there or even later so i do i think the pass rush i think that's where the pass rush has become more of a reality at least in my eyes what do you think rick Well, in the 19 to 22 range, I guess it's just going to depend on how that board falls. But Tapp McKinley is a possibility for certain.

Kevin King, as I mentioned earlier, has moved up. I love the way he comes up and runs support and takes the feet out from under a lot of the runners and receivers if he's coming up on the ball. So I'd put him in there. And other than those two, I don't really see anybody that just wows me in that area at this present time. So those would be my two that I'd have to pick from that range.

Right. Jake, how about yourself? Yeah, absolutely. A couple of great answers right there. Tack McKinley, I've really enjoyed watching him. I think he's versatile. And Chris Ballard, one of his themes have been players whose arrows are pointing up and still have sky-high potential.

And that's definitely him because he didn't really become a dominant player at UCLA until that final year. And then once once you could almost see the light turn on for him once he got it, he was he was just killing guys. So I really like him. I think cornerback comes into play quite a quite a bit because it's just so deep. But Marlon Humphrey could be there. Let's see. Yeah, I mean, I don't think any of us prefer running back first. But if I'm putting myself in Chris Ballard's brain, that could bring some red flag guys like Tim Williams,

like Dalvin Cook into play right there. I think it gets into an area where you can't really pass those guys up. Malik McDowell is another option, Kevin King. Those guys are, you know, they're on-field talent. You could probably take them at 15, but their range is kind of sitting there more because of some of the concerns people have about them. Anybody think of Christian McCaffrey is going to be available and whether Ballard would go for something like that?

There was some stuff on Twitter today about the Colts are thinking about moving into the top 10 to get him. I find that complete BS. Yeah, not to move up. No way. No, I don't. I mean, look, we all know that anything's possible, but I just don't see that being a logical, uh, mindset with a draft

that you have been like, basically every time somebody asks you what for dinner, you tell them you want to trade down, you know? I mean, that just doesn't seem like reality. I felt like that was sort of on the line to something you were talking about earlier. That's aimed at somebody like Tampa Bay to say, hey, if McCaffrey is still on the board, you better come to 15 because we'll take him. Right. Right. Yeah.

And I agree with you. I think that was total posturing. If that was actual speak, you know what I mean? Outside of just Twitter 140 characters. You know what I mean? Outside of just Twitter, 140 characters, you know what I'm saying? I think I totally agree with that. Now I, in this area, uh, I'm going to go in this, on this route. Cause I've got a different route for later on in the, uh, in the first round, early second, if they get into that range, uh, for a trade back. But in this range, I think that this might be a spot where you want to go after a guy like Njoku if he's available at tight end, because you've got, you know, you obviously aren't

going to get a ton of return, you know, like I said earlier, probably. I mean, you'll get some, it'll be a nice return, but it won't be great. But this is where you say, I can get a top talent in this draft at the tight end position. I've still got another pick a little bit later back on. And like I said, depending on, or like you guys said actually, depending on how this board falls, what pass rushers are still available for their second round pick, that doesn't leave them too far away from another pass rusher. I think they would go tight end. I think Njoku or Ingram, especially Njoku though,

would be a guy that they would possibly take in this position. But here's the thing, if the Bucs move up to 15, I think that that's who they take. I think that the Bucs would love a guy like him. So maybe that's not exactly the most intelligent thought process, but that's what I'm going with anyways, and I don't care. Let's say the Colts trade back to the 27 to 36 range. George, or let me start with Jake. Jake, where's your pick at here for the Colts' first pick in between 27 and 36? Well, towards that range, number one, I don't really get why his stock is this low. I think NFL teams probably have it higher.

But Quincy Wilson out of Florida, that'd be a great pick. He seems to fit everything that Chris Ballard has said he's looking for in a corner. He's long. He's fast. He's got ball skills. He doesn't have any glaring weaknesses. That would be a great pickup for me right there. You're looking at maybe some potential guys like Adoree Jackson, Tyus Bowser.

But then if you want a proven player, then a linebacker like Jared Davis, I think, also comes into play right there. Another, you know, top dog. He's going to be the leader of your defense. To me, he's a step down from Reuben Foster, but he's still a potential top level starting inside linebacker in the league. Rick, where are you at in that range, my guy? If he's not off the board and we're down in the 27 to 32, I'd go with somebody like Tredavious White. I like him as a corner for the Colts. I love his game. He's impressive. Yeah, I think he's tough.

And if Kevin King's really not going to go in the top 20 and he's available in that area, he's a no-brainer. But I think he's long gone by then. But I think it would probably be a corner at that point. Yeah, I think that's really a sweet spot for corners when you look at some of the mocks and where guys are ranked. And I think anybody really who's long and has ball skills, I mean, that's the two things that I've heard most consistently from Ballard.

That's what he's looking for there, length and the ability to catch the football. And then just to score points with you, Matt, I think Jared Davis too. I think that's a good spot for him. I love Jared Davis. I do. I have an affinity for him most definitely. He's going to make whatever team he goes to extremely happy. There's no doubt about it.

I'm going to go a little bit against the grain here and tick a ton of Colts fans off because this is where I think, and maybe a little late for him, but I still think there's a couple guys that are available, but my assumption is that Forrest Lamp is still there. And I'm going after an offensive lineman in this, A, because we've gotten a ton in return for our pick at this point. And the Colts could use a guard. I'm not saying nobody, I don't think, you know, need is a strong word. You know what I'm saying?

But it is definitely going to make worlds of difference on that front line with a guard who is an absolute plug-and-play guy. I think that, you know, you could also look at Garrett Bowles, who I think was probably gone by now in this draft. But I don't think the Colts necessarily need a tackle. I think that a guard would be perfect because then you can kind of see, okay, is Denzel Good going to be on this team or not? And then not only that, but you allow Haig and the Raven Clark to battle it out at right tackle and kind of trying to see who the alpha dog is there this year.

Has LaRaven Clark really stepped up his game, or is he still down a little bit? I don't think that either of them are top ten tackles in the league this year, regardless of that. But I think that that right there eliminates the interior spot as really a battle for the most part. I think that Denzel Good might be able to battle for that right tackle spot as really a battle for the most part. I think that Denzel Good might be able to battle for that right tackle spot as well, but I also think at the same time that that allows him to be depth, whereas he didn't have a great season last year. And, you know, Haig can play guard too, but, you know, they like Haig at right tackle, or at least they did last year. And then we can see if the Raven Clark, like I said, has really taken that next step towards being a, uh, a reliable right tackle because he, he looked pretty good last year. And I think he kind of turned us all

on to him, uh, after the, you know, after the, the final three, four games of the season, I thought that was really impressive there. So lots of great answers, guys. It really is interesting to see how much our picks and our thought processes change as the Colts, if they were to move back, kind of where they were to move back to and what we would get in return. Just to kind of expand on what you were talking about, I think what you were talking about is exactly what Chris Ballard is trying to do. And I think that's why there's so many options with every pick for him. talking about i think what you were talking about is exactly what chris ballard trying to do and i think that's why there's so many options with every pick for him because i really think in his

mind when he talks about competition that's exactly what he wants he wants to open up spots where you're you're pitting two guys against each other to see who gets better you know who who will improve who will step forward that you don't expect, to make a guy who maybe has a comfortable spot right now fight for a spot on the roster. I think that's his goal above all else. And I think because of that, any position, short of maybe quarterback, is on the board at any pick here because I really do believe that's his ideal philosophy right now.

What you were talking about on the offensive line, he wants that going on everywhere on the roster. Just to add on to that on the offensive line, if Cam Robinson is around there at any point, he's not out of the realm of possibility either because I don't think Costanzo is our long term left tackle. I mean, he's not had a good two or three years, the past two especially, and his contract's coming up pretty soon. So I wouldn't be surprised if an offensive tackle,

not that there's a lot of them with the top talent that we're looking for available in the first or second rounds, but that's always an outside possibility. There's work to be done on the offensive line, not necessarily this year in the first round, but if Bowler's looking for a difference maker or one of those offensive line guys that can settle that squad down for the next decade, you don't pass that up. Yeah, that's definitely true. If they were to get a guy like Garrett Bowles, uh, at tackle as well, I mean, Robinson fits too, but I'm saying because Bowles age, uh, there's different mindsets going into that, uh, strategy if, but they think Bowles can start at right tackle tomorrow, then they can, they could go get him and leave that battle

between Hague and good for the right guard spot you know what I'm saying and then kind of see if they think that he's better than Clark then they could put Clark as or have Clark as his depth at least in theory now if they are looking not tomorrow but the next year or at least to create a battle then Cam Robinson then Cam Robinson fits he's younger, obviously, and is going to be there longer. So, I mean, if you're looking for a guy who's a long-term, not only to fill a role possibly now, but to, like you said, Rick, fill that left tackle spot in the next couple years when Costanzo has a possibility of not being on the Colts anymore

because the Colts really don't have a reliable guy at left tackle as depth. And, I mean, that might be the thinnest part of that offensive line is the left tackle depth. You know what I mean? I mean, they've got their starter at left tackle. They've got their starter at left guard. But really, I mean, outside of that, where's the depth behind those two sides? And everybody's worried about the depth on the right side of the line

because there isn't a right-now starter on those two positions. So, I mean, that's something to think about as well. That could take a couple years, and, you know, that could be two or three linemen being drafted over the next couple years. And whether people like it or not or whether we, because we all see that they made some strides and got better. They improved throughout the season last year, but all that can change with two injuries. I was just going to say, you know, we kind of briefly touched on the Gary and Conley situation, you know, just to run through it for

the listeners real quick. He basically back i believe april 9th accused of rape but his accuser her story doesn't quite add up very well but with it being such close proximity to the draft teams are going to want to know what is uh what is connelly's immediate future you future looking like? Because if there's a slight possibility that he's going to be charged with anything, you don't want to lose your first, second, third rounder to prison. What does his draft stock become because of this? Rick, why don't you start?

Well, I think he has an anchor tied to his foot right now until actual details come out that show that this isn't what it sounds like it is. Whether it be, you know, the story was either made up or fabricated or, you know, something like that. But short of something coming out before tomorrow that basically exonerates him. I don't think, can teams take a chance on a first round? Definitely not a first round. Second round, well, roll the dice, right? In the third round, maybe so. But first and second round,

I think it's definitely out of the question. I think that you could probably presume that there's about 32 scouts right now driving to Cleveland from Philadelphia, trying to find out what they're, what they can possibly dig up on the entire situation. So I do think that teams have had time or are going to create their making time because somebody on those staffs are getting a call saying, go find out, did he, didn't he, who was there, talk to them, blah, blah, blah. I mean, if they're interested in him. If they're just going to say, eh, mess with it.

We've got three other corners we got way higher than him. They're not going to mess with it. But there are teams right now who have, that do currently have scouts in transit to Cleveland. I think that's a reasonable assumption would we all would we all agree that if he doesn't go in the first round of that pretty much signals that he's going to drop even further down through maybe even round two to three or four yeah i think that's certainly possible yeah i think if he falls through that first round i think that's going to be sort of like Lyle Collins a few years ago.

I don't think he ever hits that far where he's out and he's an undrafted free agent. But I think once the first round came through, you knew, uh-oh, this is going to be quite a slide. And I think the same thing holds for Conley. I heard today earlier, because all the information we get right now is so accurate, and definitely you can hear that on it um but i had heard third round is kind of where they're thinking now and it's gonna at that point it's gonna get interesting because you don't you don't want to put the two things you know from a from a standpoint from a societal standpoint from morality standpoint you don't put these two things together but i think from a societal standpoint, from a morality standpoint, you don't put these two things together.

But I think from a football standpoint, once you get to the third round, it starts to be the same as an injured guy, I guess. You start to look at the risk and say, can I now afford it? So I would tend to think somewhere in the third round, somebody says it's worth it, I'm going to take the flyer. But the thing of it is, we say it all the time, it's a cliche i'm going to take the flyer but you never it's thing of it is we say all the time it's cliche for a reason it just takes one team and it could happen in the first round it just takes one team yeah and you know and to touch on what you just

said there i think that's really interesting how we if you know between second and third round uh possibly we could have three of the top seven or eight corners in this draft going in the second or third round. Because of injury or otherwise. I mean, man, that's crazy to think about that eventually. People are almost going to forget about them as day two starts. And as it gets further, we're going to start getting reminded. Sidney Jones is going to come off the board Sidney Jones is going to come off the board.

Moreau is going to come off the board. And then possibly Conley, if he doesn't go in the first round early in the second round as well, that's some pretty good value for some really good cornerbacks. We always do this. We look at the prospect at the moment, and then we look at the three-year projection. When you look at Miles Garrett now, he's far and away the best prospect. Three years from now, will he be the best player that came out of this draft? I don't think anybody on here could probably say that he will, because there's too many good athletes, too many good football players,

and technicians as far as the way that they play the game, that it's more than possible that there could be five or six guys who are better than Garrett in three years from now. Is that reasonable to all of you? Yeah. Did anybody see

the NFL Network mock draft among the analysts the other night? You know, when you look at, not to shill NFL Network a little more, but they had, I think it came on after the mock draft, they had one of these retrospectives, and it was sort of like part preview for this year, part looking back at things from a few years ago, and the Warren Sapp draft was on there.

And the names that were coming off the board before him, and you're just cringing. I mean, guys like Kyle Brady. And I'm thinking, you know, somebody's going to do that this year with Reuben Foster. Yeah. Yep. But it was interesting because it was in the same night

that both Warren Sapp made those comments, and then the nfl network had their their mock draft and they were talking about why marlon humphrey wasn't being picked by these analysts through the first 10 or 15 picks and somebody kept saying maybe it was bucky bucky brooks kept saying he doesn't he doesn't do well enough tackling or something like that, but yeah. So thank you again to Rick McLaughlin. You guys can catch him on Twitter at draft tech Colts. You guys can catch Jake. Thank you, Jake, for stopping through. You guys can catch him at Jake Arthur PFS on Twitter and George.

Thank you again for stopping through here and, and being a part of this with us. You guys can catch him at GM Bremer on Twitter. Gentlemen, thank you all for joining me tonight. Yeah, thanks for having us, buddy. Thanks a lot. Thanks, Matt. Happy draft.

Absolutely. Thank you guys all for listening. You guys got three of your favorites here all in one show, and three of my favorite people to talk to about Colts, that's for sure. So thank you guys. Please go and rate and review the podcast. I hope that all of you are enjoying yourselves. And pace yourselves today because the draft doesn't start until 8,

but you've got a solid hour, hour and a half, before the Colts will make a pick if they do at 15. Pace yourselves. Easy on the sauce. Don't get yourselves all wound up right off the jump at eight o'clock you don't have to sit down if you don't want to it's still going to be 15 minutes from eight o'clock at least before miles garrett is picked unless they do something pre-draft and go ahead and sign him or anything like that so uh but thank you guys all for listening uh i will

talk to you guys all tomorrow and we'll talk about the Colts' first round draft pick or whatever they've done with themselves at 15, whether they've traded back or made that selection. And we'll talk about that all tomorrow, right here on Locked on Colts. You are Locked

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