Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 4/29/19: NFL Draft Recap with Zach Hicks of Stampede Blue

Episode Date: April 29, 2019

Wow, what a haul from the Indianapolis Colts during the NFL Draft. Walking out of Nashville with Rock Ya-Sin, Ben Banogu, Parris Campbell, Bobby Okereke, Khari Willis, Marvell Tell III, and more speaks to the vision Chris Ballard has for this team long-term.Stampede Blue's Zach Hicks stopped by to go in-depth on their selections. Ya-Sin's wrestling background and physicality will make him a Day 1 starter, as will Banogu's rare blend of athletic traits for someone who is 250 pounds.Campbell was arguably the most exciting selection, though, because he has the highest 'star' upside. Pairing this dynamo of a receiver alongside T.Y. Hilton, Devin Funchess, Deon Cain, Eric Ebron and Jack Doyle makes Indianapolis' offense even scarier. The 4.31 speed of Campbell will take the top off opposing defenses.All of the Colts' selections fit the qualities they covet: physicality, athleticism, leadership, and production on tape. All 10 provided glimpses of these skill sets, which could be refined even further with solid coaching.Be worried, AFC. The Colts might have just become one of the most deepest teams in the league with their solid slew of picks who will contribute immediately. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, everybody. Welcome to Locked On Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Today's guest is Evan Sutter, a very special guest, a returning guest, Zach Hicks of Stampede Blue. How are you doing today, Zach? Pretty good, man. Thanks for having me on. I'm really excited about this Colts draft, man. Oh, for sure. We were just talking about off the air. I think they did a really good job. I'm surprised, actually. I've seen great from like Mel Kiper, Todd McShay. Are you surprised, actually, before we get into that, just the perception or maybe some national media are kind of scared to maybe go against Chris Bauer this time around because

I've seen a lot of A's for this class and it kind of surprised me a little bit there. Yeah, no, I definitely think they're a little scared. I mean, you would be too if, you know, people were given, you know, if you gave a team an F grade or a D grade or even a C grade last year and they turned out two all pros and a couple solid starters. Yeah, I would definitely be scared of Ballard proving me wrong, so I completely understand why they're kind of overcompensating

and giving them A's and A pluses. Not that I'm saying that this draft class wasn't good, but they're raving about this class because they don't want to be proven wrong again. Yeah, I'm right there with you, and especially when you see the reviews from Darius Leonard last year, and he saved all those on his phone, according to Zach Kiefer, so that's just motivation for him. But let's dive in.

Before we get into the pick, Zach, I want to talk about the trade they made first off on day one. I stayed up for about four, four and a half hours, and then when we got to pick 26, unfortunately, they traded out of that pick. But I think it was the best move all around because when you look at the draft value chart, they probably got top 35, top 40 pick from the Washington Redskins. They moved back from 26.

They pick up the 46 pick. They get Ben Banigou, who we'll talk about in a little bit there. But what do you think about those two picks or, excuse me, that trade because you see the Redskins, they get Montez sweat in that deal, but getting another second round pick, I just think Chris Dollar knows how to play the draft and he's ahead of, he's playing really chess against checkers.

Yeah, no, I mean, obviously there's, you can look at it from one aspect, like maybe you should, you could have got a little bit more than just two seconds, especially at the Redskins, you know, the Redskins have a pretty solid team, but not great, but they, they should be probably like a mid round pick again next year. But you know, the Redskins have a pretty solid team, but not great, but they should be probably like a mid-round pick again next year, but, you know, Ballard knows what he's doing. He knows that there's a lot of value in having those second-round picks because, you know, for second-round pick, we saw a lot of guys this past draft, you know, that

were bona fide first-round guys fall into that second round, that late second round. You know, the second round is where you can really find some good contributors. And, you know, say Rocky Sin was the top guy on his board there in the first round. He knew that if he moved back, he could still get Rocky Sin. He could still get Ben Benegu. You know, he had a plan for who he was going to get. And, you know, that tradeback added more capital for next year. So although it does kind of suck for all of us staying up and watching the draft

and really, you know, anxiously waiting for that pick, I think it was the right move to get, you know, this team building for the future still with the second-round pick next year. I'm right there with you. And before we dive into that, were there any names there on the board at 26 that you were thinking of? Because I know you really weren't a fan of Rocky Asin at 26, but were there some names there you thought maybe went off the board the Colts were going to trade back for? Or do you think that it sounds like Rocky Asin was their guy all the way and they just moved back out to extra capital?

Yeah, it does seem like Rocky Asin was their guy. And there was a lot of things alluded to beforehand. You know, a lot of writers were saying that he was the number one corner on the Colts board and that the Colts were looking for another another corner this whole offseason so it kind of made sense that he was their top guy and I'm glad that he didn't just that Ballard just didn't sit there and and take him at 26 not saying it would have been a horrible pick I again I didn't love the selection if he would have gone at 26 I I would prefer someone more upside there you know I like Rockison but you know being in that position, knowing you're bored

and knowing that you can move back and still get the guys you want, you know, I like that. And, you know, Montez Suarez I think would have been a good pick there. That's a lot of what the Colts like, bigger guy, really athletic. But, you know, overall, they still got their target they want on the defensive end who's athletic in Ben Banagou, and they also got Rakia Sin. So not much to be upset about. And again, that second round pick next year should come in handy.

That's for sure. Once again, three straight years where the Colts are going to have multiple second round picks, and Chris Fowler loves those picks. I don't really see him moving those anytime soon. And let's dive into our first cross picker on the board, Zach. Rakia Sen, he went 34th overall to the Indianapolis Colts. He's a 6'1", 192-pound corner out of Temple. He was at Presbyterian for three years before transferring up to Temple,

and he really showed himself there. Has long arms, 32 inches. And he saw the senior bowl as well. He was really sticking with guys like Debo, Samuel, Hunter Renfro, those really fast, twitchy receivers that can be in the slot. And also as an aggressive press guy on the outside, it just seemed like there's a lot of untapped upside with Rocky Sin we don't know about yet. Yeah, something I really like about Rocky Sin,

I actually had the opportunity to talk to him a little bit down the senior bowl. I think there's a couple questions up that I was able to ask him at the senior bowl on Stampede Blue. But, you know, the biggest thing with him is just press man coverage, former wrestler out of high school. I think he was an all-state wrestler in high school. So you really love seeing that out of your corners, that ability to fight, understand your leverage, understand how to get in guys' faces and really hit them in the line of scrimmage.

I really like seeing that wrestling background with corners. And then another thing with him that a lot of people are understanding is he was a Temple tough player last year. And if people don't know what that means, he went from three years at Presbyterian, transferred to Temple, and he earns a single digit, which is awarded to the nine toughest players on the roster. So to go from Presbyterian to Temple and get that leadership, that recognition, that honor of a single-digit number, that says a lot.

But jumping to his field play, yeah, he's a bit raw. You know, his footwork isn't great, you know, but that's too to be expected because he didn't really get high-level coaching at Presbyterian all those years. His footwork's not great, but what you do see is, again, that physicality at the line of scrimmage. You see the flashy ball skills. You see a guy who's always competitive.

And I think all that combined really makes up a corner that could fit well in this locker room. And I think he's going to have that this year type impact you know he's a guy who can play man at the line of scrimmage he can also drop in the zone and he's a very willing tackler so overall you know I don't love the pick I like a couple other corners better but I really like that he really fits this team I think he's a good pick for the culture do you think he's a day one starter Zach as I've seen a lot of people I personally think he will be I think he's a good pick for the culture. Do you think he's a day one starter, Zach? I've seen a lot of people. I personally think he will be. I think he's going to beat out Quincy Wilson in camp, but do you think Quincy

Wilson's maybe posed for a breakout season? Maybe that's motivated Quincy Wilson as well because I mean, Rocky said, I mean, Jim Rusev was talking about even Chris Bauer. They think Rocky's going to be a starter and that means Quincy Wilson might be going to the bench here soon. What do you think is going to be the depth? I mean, they have good depth now at quarterback,

and that's a good sight to see, I think, in the first four or five years from now. Yeah, and I think the biggest issue that, at least in my opinion, what I saw last year watching all their games for all the film rooms and all the stuff I was doing was they only had three corners pretty much on this roster. You know, it was Kenny Moore, Pierre Desir, Quincy Wilson. If one of those guys was not on the field, you know, the other guys were not making an impact whatsoever. So now having another corner in Rocky Sin added just makes him so much better. It opens up Quincy Wilson to maybe even playing a little bit more of that dime linebacker spot that we saw him play

a little bit during a stretch last year. That just opens up more possibilities for the competition, which I really like. But I do think Rocky Sin will beat out Quincy Wilson. I just think he's a little bit more physical. I think he just brings more of that competitive nature. Not to say that Quincy Wilson doesn't. Just saying, I think that Rocky Sin fits the scheme a little bit better. But, you know, all those guys together, I think that that's just a really good group of corners.

And it really makes them more flexible, say if Kenny Moore wants too much money after this next free agent period or he leaves in free agency, they have another corner and they can just jump right in there. So, you know, having four good corners is definitely better than having just three, and that competition and that, you know, depth is going to be really valuable. Before we go into our next pick, Ben Banigou, Zach,

I wanted to ask you just a forward-thinking question about the corner position, because when they selected Rocky Asin, this is my first thought that I think Pierre Desir, this is his last year in Indianapolis, because you see he has a front-loaded contract. He has non-guarantees after this year. Do you think if Rocky Asin and Quincy Wilson and Kenny Moore all step up this year and really grow and develop together, do you think they're going to let go of Pierre Desir after this year if they can? Yeah, you know, they absolutely could. And that's just, I think that's a thing that Ballard was anticipating, you know, not that Desir's back corner whatsoever. And Desir definitely fits the culture and fits everything. But Rocky's things are very similar to corner to Pierre

Desir, you know, preferably the Colts like having, you know, a very zone lengthy corner on one side, and then you have your more manned lockdown guy on the other side who can excel in press. So last year when they had Kenny Moore blitzing and doing all his stuff, and then they had Quincy Wolfe as your off corner on the other side, they had Pierre Desir locking down number one receivers, being physical bonus scrimmage, and that's kind of what Rocky Sin fits. So if they want to develop him as a Pierre Desir replacement,

I think that would be a smart move there. So again, there's so many avenues that could go with this. If Kenny Moore leads out to the season, if they want to move on from peer-to-seer, they have a lot of options now that they have a good cornerback group, which that's my favorite thing that came out of this draft class was just depth at the cornerback position because they just did not have that depth last year. So I'm really happy they addressed that. Yeah. Over the years, Zach, they just got torched so many times with just a lack of depth. And we saw the Tim Jennings of the world.

That just didn't go well there. And hopefully with a guy like Rocky is sent on board with guys like Kenny Moore and Quincy Wilson-Pereira here, it's going to be a really solid group at the cornerback position. But let's go on to Ben Banninger here, Zach. And your overall thoughts on him because when I see him and I watch his combine tape, I'm like, my goodness, this guy's a physical freak. And I saw his linebacker drills.

He has very, very, very fluid hips. And I think he's a guy – I think Chris Fowler's riding the money there compared to Jamie Collins because he's a guy who's a physical freak. He can run all over the field. He can cover all the field. It seems like they're kind of going to use Banigou as a Swiss Army knife in the defensive end. Yeah, no, I love that pick. He can run all over the field. He can cover all the field. It seems like they're kind of going to use Banigou as a Swiss army knife and let the fence of them. Yeah, no, I love that pick.

So I wrote a film room for San Pee Blue that came out yesterday. You guys can go check it out on the site there. But, man, I really like that pick. You know, I just like what they can do with him. When I went into his film room, I wasn't super excited just because, you know, I knew that he was a twitched-up athlete, but I didn't really understand how they're going to use him. But when you watch the film, you can see just from, you know, the things he excels at, he's a great run defender. And by that, I don't mean that he takes on blocks well and sheds them. He's actually kind of poor at

taking on blocks and fighting through the contact. But the one thing he's really, really good at is, you know, understanding gaps, understanding run plays, reading the field. I think he has a great vision as a linebacker. And when you watch the film, you could see, hey, this guy could really fit as a sandbacker. So I really, I really liked that initial role for him that they're going to put him at sandbacker. And then the second thing I really loved, one thing I'm really excited about was he was so good on stunt plays, stunts and twists, just coming up the middle he's so quick so twitchy so fast so strong he's just too much for guards to handle so when he's going on those twists

and stunts you could really see the role that Chris Ballard and Matt Eberflus were were really anticipating for him you know that sand background early downs and then you can put him on a line scrimmage on those pass downs and he can twist his front and side and really create pressure so the more I watched his film for that film the more I really dug deep the more I really You can put him on a line of scrimmage on those pass downs, and he can twist his front and side and really create pressure. So the more I watched his film for that film, and the more I really dug deep, the more I really understood what they're going to use him with. And I'm really excited for his potential this next year.

I really love the idea of using him first, taking down as that linebacker. Maybe subbing Bobby Okereke on that third down package. You move Banigou to the edge there. Maybe move Justin Houston inside. That's going to be a really terrifying possibility for offensive lines because if you move Houston inside and Banigou on the outside on the same side, what do you think about the possibilities there on the defensive line? Because I was just doing a depth trip this morning, Zach, and adding in Banigou, even though he's not technically a defensive line, he's a linebacker, but if you want to classify him as a part-time edge,

it seems like they have so much depth now on the defensive line. I know they didn't hit interior defense line in this draft class, but there's really a 9 or 10 man in Banigou, 11 guys in that rotation they could use. Yeah, no, it's great, though. The one thing that I summarized my Banigou film room with is just that out of this draft, the Colts came away with more competitiveness, more versatility, and more depth. And I think that is just a huge aspect of this draft, the Colts came away with more competitiveness, more versatility, and more

depth. And I think that is just a huge aspect of this draft. You know, on the defensive line last year, if say, when Tycoon Lewis was hurt last year, it was Al-Qaeda and Muhammad. It was a lot of, you know, barely rosterable guys. And, you know, I'm not saying I dislike their game. It's just the talent wasn't really there if a top guy was missing. Now, say you're missing a guy, you can throw in a Ben Bonnegut on the line of scrimmage, put Matthew Adams back at Sam. There's just a lot of possibilities. There's a lot of guys who can move around. And I think that's just huge.

You know, the possibilities are endless. And for a very unique and creative defense coordinator like Matt Iverflus, I think it's just really exciting as a fan and as a writer to see what he's going to do with all these athletic freaks on the defensive line and in the linebacker core. So definitely a great draft from that aspect, and I really like what they can do with these guys. Yeah, Banigou is a super exciting prospect.

Like we said, a twitched-up athlete who I think is going to be a perfect Matt Iberflues assistant really all over the field, linebacker and defensive line. But let's go to our next pick, Zach, which was Bobby – or excuse me, not Bobby Okereke. It was Paris Campbell. And for me, when I watch Paris Campbell, the more I think he's my favorite pick of this draft class because I think he's a guy who has way more untapped upside as far as an outsider receiver than we know about. And if you saw the combine, he ran routes really, really well.

Frank Reich said that in his press conference alongside Chris Ballard. And you see the possibilities as far as slot, too. I mean, he was a monster out of the slot. I think 50% of his catch were on bubble screens in those slant routes. It's like he's a guy for a team who's desperate for yards after catch. He's the perfect fit. Oh, yeah. This is definitely the most fun pick of this class.

The draft pick that, you know, all the fantasy guys, all the, you know, people who don't really follow teams really heavily will be like, this is the pick right here. You know, Paris Campbell, he's going to be exciting this next year. And you can tell that, you know, Frank Reich's face lights up every time he even talks about him, every time he even thinks about Paris Campbell, I'm sure. He's going to be a really fun mix in this offense, you know.

Last year they had a lot of guys who could catch the ball and not really create after the catch outside of T.Y. Hilton. T.Y. Hilton created a little bit. But overall, the guys didn't really create much after the catch. Dontrell Inman was more of a possession type guy. And Zach Pascal. All those type of guys, they would just kind of catch it and get tackled. But Paris Campbell's not that at all. He's basically like a running back in the open field. So what they could do with him from the screen game, from the slant game, as an underneath receiver on third downs

when Luck needs some help, what he can create with the ball in his hands. You know, from those reverses that Zach Pascal was getting last year, you know, it's just an endless opportunity here. And if he can really develop his game and become more of a downfield guy because he didn't really catch many balls downfield last year uh the potential is just insane with him so uh his initial role is probably more of that Chester Rogers type role that Rogers played last year uh but the potential is just you know it could be huge so I love this pick I think they can do so much with him and it's going to be really exciting to see what they do let me ask you this adding in a weapon like Paris Campbell who there's a lot of possibilities I think they can do so much with him, and it's going to be really exciting to see what they do. Let me ask you this. Adding in a weapon like Paris Campbell, who there's a lot of possibilities, I think, for him.

There's some star upside, I think, with him because if he learns how to run routes, really a refined route, he could be a really good receiver. But even if he's like a DJ Moore or a Tavon Austin type of guy, he's going to be a really valuable piece in this offense. What do you see now adding in a Paris Campbell with a T. White Hilton, Devin Funchess, Deion Kane, Eric Ebron, Jack Doyle, Marlon Mack, Naeem Hines, and keep going if we want to, Zach. There's just so much weapons here on offense.

I think the Colts' offense could be really scary next year. Yeah, 100%. And the biggest thing, again, like I said earlier, it's that depth, that competitiveness, that versatility. Because last year when Deion Kane went down with an injury, the Colts didn't really have much of an answer until they signed Dontrell Unman halfway through the year. So the Colts really put themselves in a good position this offseason

where it's like, look, if someone goes down, we're not going to be in a bad situation. You know, they did it later in the draft too. Like if, say, like Mark Levinsky goes down on the offensive line, we have guards, we have guys who have won competitions that can take over. If a receiver goes down, hey, we have Deion Kane. We have these five or six receivers that are fighting for a spot to buy with the roster. We have a lot of guys that are fighting for spots and guys who are going to earn their place on this roster.

Whereas last year, it was kind of a lot of guys who, not that they were bad players, it's just they weren't really the level of competition that you want as your depth. So a lot of depth, a lot of versatility. And, yeah, the 100 weapons on offense, I mean, that only adds to luck in Frank Reich's arsenal there. So just, again, a great draft from that aspect. One more thing on Paris Campbell. Before we go on to Bobby Okereke, who was our third-round pick, do you think Paris Campbell has the upside to eventually get that baton

pass to him from T.Y. Hilton down the line as far as a number-one receiver? He could. I mean, he has all the upsides. Like, again, Ohio State guy, track star speed, good hands. Like, he does it all. It's just, you know, refining those routes, getting more experience going down the field, catching the ball a little bit more from his frame, setting up defenders with his route. There's a lot of nuance, a lot of aspects there. But the biggest thing is he's learning from one of the best small receivers in football. You know, T.Y. Hilton is one of the best at using his size,

understanding how to find openings, and using his elite speed. And Campbell can really learn a lot from him, and I think that those two are going to be, you know, really good together, just from the aspect of learning together and also playing side by side. Yeah, those two together are going to take tops off defenses. 4-3-1 speed, 4-3-4 speed on the same field. It's going to be super exciting to watch this year from a Colts fan perspective. But let's go on to Bobby Okereke, Zach.

He had 94 tackles last year, 7.5 for loss. He also had 3.5 sacks. He was a four-year starter for Stanford. Kind of checks every box as far as character, as far as production and tape goes. 6'3", 234, longest wingspan of any linebacker in this class. And if you guys use mockdraftable.com up there, as far as athletic and combine numbers go, his top comparison by far was Darius Leonard. And pairing those two together and Anthony Walker,

it could be one of the best young linebacker careers in the league here very short over. Yeah, no, my favorite thing that I like about him is he's a pass-down linebacker. Just last year, the Colts, you know, Anthony Walker is a good run-stuffing linebacker, a good mic, but I think his struggles really came on those pass-downs. And Darius Leonard, again, was outstanding last year, but he did struggle a little bit on the pass-downs.

So adding a guy like Bobby Okereke, who, you know, he has a little bit of work to go in terms of his run fits and shedding blocks, but just his length and his size and his speed on those third downs, on those pass downs, is going to be so valuable. And I think a guy who can sub in and play alongside Darius Leonard on those pass downs is going to be so valuable. And then something I mentioned earlier, which I've mentioned this entire podcast now, is just the depth. You know, when Darius Leonard missed one series against the Dolphins, they went down the field in four plays and scored the easiest touchdowns a year against the Colts. When Anthony Walker missed time, when, you know, when all these

guys who missed time, the Colts have really struggled. So, I think, golly, Bobby Okereke, even if he's not a starter, he can come right in. There won't be much of a drop-off in play. And, you know, the Colts can still, you know, continue with business as usual, unlike last year where they had to kind of account for those guys. So I think, again, just from a depth perspective and also as a pass coverage linebacker, I think this is a great pick.

Let me ask you about that pass coverage with Okereke because when I was at the Dolphins game last year, I believe another game too, that Anthony Walker was out with injury, I think. Putting in Matthew Adams and Zaire Franklin, you could tell there was a huge gap as far as coverage skills of those two guys. And I think Okarika kind of fills those needs right there, because I think Adams and Franklin, even though they're kind of okay run-stuffers, Okarika just light years better as far as coverage goes. Yeah, 100%. And I think, again, that was just a big emphasis.

And I think that Chris Ballard and Matt Averflus, they saw that deficiency last year. I think because late last year they signed Ahmad Thomas, I believe, off the Packers practice squad or off of a free agency. And he was a former safety in college. They brought him in to kind of play linebacker for a couple games late in the year. And we actually saw him get some real snaps late in the year when there were some injuries. And it was, you know, a little bit confusing to people, like, why are we just throwing

this freak guy out there? But they really wanted a guy who'd cover in the pass game and a linebacker. It's just so important, a guy who can come up and make consistent tackles, a guy who's quick, who's fast, and can covers in the pass game and a linebacker. It's just so important, a guy who can come up with consistent tackles, a guy who's quick, who's fast, and can cover in the pass game. And I think Bobby Okereke just fits all those boxes there. So again, from that aspect, just a great pick. Yeah, those day two picks by the Colts there with Rakia Sen, Ben Banigou, Yosef Paris-Campbell, and Bobby Okereke, that's a very strong call for rounds two and three. But let's go into round four here.

Kari Willis out of Michigan State with safety. There's actually some really intriguing fake names still on the board when they trade up for him with Cleveland Brown, 20 spots. Like Amani Hooker was still on the board. I'll say Deontay Thompson on the board. But Kari Willis, the more I watch him and the more I see him in interviews, he checks the character box, he checks the production box, and you also just see just how instinctive he is on the field as well.

I mean, he tends to read things out and call them out before they even happen pretty much. Yeah, and I love Carter Willis. I actually had the pleasure of interviewing him this offseason a couple days before the draft. So that is up on Stampin' Blue. But, yeah, some awesome things about him, too, some little cool facts. He was actually a running back in high school.

He had over 2,000 yards rushing his senior year and over 20 – I think he had 27 touchdowns and over 2,000 yards rushing in his senior year of high school. But he comes to Michigan State, learns how to play safety, immediately becomes a captain and a team guy. And then the all-field work that he's done in the community is just outstanding as well. His dad has run a youth center there where he grew up.

It's kind of a rough neighborhood, and he's put in hours and hours of work there. So just the off-field and also the captaincy at Michigan State and all that, he checks every single box there. His on-field play,, it's pretty good. You know, he can cover and man, he can play that box, he can come downfield. And the biggest thing, the biggest thing is that he is a very sure tackler. You know, Clayton Gathers is a good player. He comes downfield, he's very physical, he plays with his head on fire, but he's not the surest tackler in the world. Kari Willis is a very safe, calculated, sure tackler. And I think

that's the biggest aspect that Chris Bauer is looking at. But, again, just a guy who checks every single box, and you can definitely do a lot worse in the fourth round than a guy like that. He's going to come in, be very competitive, and he's going to win the support of a lot of teammates. Just a great locker room guy, and at the worst, he's going to be a solid special teamer. Let's say that he does eventually take that place of Clayton Guiders

after this season in 2020 and Curry Willis is starting Los Angeles League hooker. What do you like about those two together long-term? Yeah, they're fire and ice. They fit really well. You know, Malik Hooker's your rangy back-end guy who can play all over the place where Curry Willis, he's the guy who can just, you know, play that box.

He can tackle. You can do kind of everything there in the box there, and I think they're going to fit really well together. Yeah, I think overall, when you see the trade-up, 20 spots, and they use both their fourth-round picks to go get Kari Willis, they obviously coveted him. Chris Ballard even said in his press conference after the draft that they're considering taking him at 89 instead of 109.

So they definitely value Kari Willis. And he's probably going to be a starter once you get around the board in 2020 or so, because I think he's going to be the new Clayton Gathers alongside Malik Hooker. But let's go on to our final pick. We're going to go into more detail on because I think EJ Speed in the offensive line, we didn't really dive in too much before the draft. But Marvell Teller, a safety and also a cornerback. He's going to be used as a press corner in Indianapolis, 6'2", 195.

I pulled up his mock draft goal page, and my goodness, his athletic traits are off the charts compared to most prospects. And if he hits, Zach, I think he's going to be a really valuable depth piece. Yeah, and it was actually really funny. I had the chance to interview him the day before the draft. It was a bit late in the process. I texted his agent the second that the draft happened, like after they picked him. And I was like, did you know that the Colts were going to draft him?

Because, like, why would you send me the interview the day before? And he was like, yeah, I had a good thought. Like, I had a good feeling. So the Colts were definitely high on him. They definitely wanted him. And they weren't really hiding it throughout the process with his agent. But But yeah, I mean, they're going to play him as a corner. They've been pretty transparent about that. Marvell Tell, when I talked to him, seemed pretty confident about switching to corner and playing that cornerback role. A lot of teams did see him

more as a corner, but he has great length, great athleticism. He's got great speed, great explosiveness. He has everything tangible to be a good corner. He just hasn great length, great athleticism. He's got great speed, great explosiveness. He has everything tangible to be a good corner. He just hasn't played it since high school. So that's going to be a big thing. It's just a dissolvent, that learning. But he's a guy who really made some big jumps in his college career and was also a really good special teams player. So at worst, you know, you're going to have valuable depth, the corner position, a project that you can work on, and a guy who can, you know, maybe replace that Chris Milton type on special teams. So, again, I just like the depth. I like the competitiveness, the athleticism.

And he's going to be a really valuable piece on special teams. Yeah, that's for sure. From day one, I think he's going to be a valuable special teamer. I think he has so much versatility as well. You can play him at corner. You also, I think you can use him as a Mark Barron type of role as a linebacker safety as well. I think he's going to be all over the field for the Annapolis Colts in the

future. But Zach, before we go on to Nathan Undrafted Free, just in some late rounders that we liked for the Colts, what was your overall thoughts on this draft class? Because I think for me, it was speed, speed,

speed. And what we saw against Kansas City in that snow when Tyree Carroll and other receivers was kind of going against the secondary and doing pretty well. Also, the linebackers were really struggling in that game. It's like Chris Ballard noticed the difference. He's catching up to those Chiefs pretty fast as far as the speed aspect goes. Yeah, I mean, that was the biggest thing that Ballard put an emphasis on

when he first came into this team. You know, we saw it last year with the guys they were taking. You know, when they took defenders last year, it wasn't, you know, the – who's the guy? The guy we traded last year for Lindsey Pipkins. I can't remember his name right now. They got the Florida linebacker, you know, the five-second 40-time. Oh, yeah, Antonio Morrison.

Yes, yes, Antonio Morrison. That's his name. But, you know, it wasn't those, you know, those slower guys. It wasn't those thumper-type guys. You know, he made an emphasis to get in your name. But, you know, it wasn't those slower guys. It wasn't those thumper-type guys. You know, he made an emphasis to get in your Darius Leonards, you know, to get those athletic linebackers on the field. And then, you know, he got some quicker receivers out there, like Deion Kane was a faster receiver.

Darius Fountain was a big, fast receiver. Naheem Hines on offense. We saw it last year. You know, he's building an athletic team because that's just what the NFL is now. It's not as much refinement in the NFL. It's so much speed, so much speed in just attacking, you know, teams on offense and defense. And we felt a lot with this draft, too.

Even though the big emphasis was on defense, you know, with the additions of Paris Campbell and all those other day-two picks, it's just so fast. And that's a big thing that he wants. He wants his team to go fast. He wants them to be all over teams, all through defense and really wear down opponents. And, you know, if you add, and when you add in with all those guys, they're all, they're great off field, they're great character, they're great competitiveness. I think he's building a really good culture that is just

really athletic as well. And it's just going to be really fun to see how these guys progress with all these great coaching staff. Yeah. The more I watch the tape of these guys after the fact of them selecting, I think this class could be really good. I don't know if it could be like last year when you have two all pros, but I think it's going to be a very solid group that's going to be contributing from day one. But, Zach, let's close things out here with some undirected freedoms that the Colts signed and who maybe should keep an eye on to make the roster.

Because I think we're both on the same page that if he shows out in camp, I think Penny Hart from Georgia State could be a guy who makes this roster. Yeah, I love Penny Hart. I had a good chance to talk to him again this offseason. He's a really competitive guy, and he killed at the Senior Bowl. He was one of the toughest and best players down at the Senior Bowl this year.

So I got to watch him firsthand down there, and he was outstanding. Very nuanced route runner, too. He could really play that slot role. He was just going to be a very good competition piece here in the offseason, and I think that was a really good pickup for them. That was really the big name as far as UDFAs go. Were there any other ones that kind of stood out to you that maybe they could

make the team or maybe at least give them a good run for their money? The guys that the Colts signed or guys they missed out on there? Sorry, I missed that first part. As far as the UDFA they signed. Yeah, so I think the other two big ones that do have a chance, one is Jamal Peters out of Mississippi State. He was a cornerback at Mississippi State. I think he's going to play safety here in the NFL.

I'm not saying he's better than any of the guys that have on the roster right now, but he definitely could be that UDFA-type guy that comes in and competes. He had a really good film as corner, and he is a pretty good hitter as well. So I think he does have a chance. And then the other big one is Ashton Doolin, a receiver out of – I don't even know his school. I know it's a really small school. I don't have it off the top of my head.

But a super productive guy, super quick, really fast, had a great combine. Apparently killed the interviews as well. He just played, I think he was like Division II or III. But, yeah, he's a really productive guy, and he could definitely come in and win a spot with his athleticism. But those are the three big undrafted free agents that have a chance of making this roster. Zach, to close things out here,

I know we've hit on a lot of the main points in this Colts draft class, but if you had to give it a grade, I know giving grades out right after the draft is kind of a nuanced process, and I don't know if it's even worthy of a grade without even being on the field yet, but as far as preseason expectations after that draft, what do you expect from this team? Because I think overall, if it's not an A, I think it's at least a B+. Yeah, for me, I at least a B plus yeah for me I would say B plus even though again I don't like doing the grades just because uh just hope yourself to get burned at that point because the NFL is just so fluid with how how things work out uh but yeah I mean at worst I would say B maybe a B plus uh the biggest thing though again that we have

hyped on just this whole entire podcast here is just the the athleticism the versatility the competitiveness and the depth i think that uh ballard had a plan going to this draft and he said okay we're going to get deeper we're going to get faster and we're going to continue that off that off-field uh you know intangibles that we have with these guys and you know he hit the nail on the head with all those guys you know he did everything he set out to do in this draft and overall the roster just got much better. From that aspect, it's hard to complain whatsoever about this draft class. He got a lot of upside guys that are going to really benefit from this coaching,

and I think a couple of them are going to turn into really good players in this league. Closing things out here, Zach, are you going to be surprised? I was thinking about doing a 53-man depth chart. There's going to be some surprising names if If some rookies really show up in camp, there's going to be really names that Colts fans don't expect they're going to cut in training camp. How much talent is on the roster now? Yeah, no, it's going to be a tough battle. Last year, there was maybe, if I had to guess,

I'd say 40 to 45 guys who deserve to be on this roster. We could be looking at this next year. There could be up to 60 guys that deserve to be on the roster, but just won't make it because of how talented it is. So again, Ballard just hats off to him for like just improving the depth and improving the competition. And that competition is going to bring out the best in them.

You know, people always say competition just brings out the best in people. And I think that all these young guys fighting for some spots is going to be really good for the team. Absolutely, Zach. Hey, I appreciate the time and coming on, and I enjoyed the draft, and you should go follow him over at ZachHicks2 on Twitter. Also follow his work over at StanPBlue.

Did a really fun job during this draft process. Zach, appreciate you doing what you do in your film rooms. And anything, closing thoughts you want to say to the Colts out there as far as this draft class goes? Yeah, I mean, again, this is going to be a really exciting season here. I really like a lot of these players. I like, again, what Ballard was targeting with them.

You know, it wasn't just I'm going to take the best players. I'm going to take the best player that fits us and fits what we want to do. And I think that's just so important for a young team. So I think the Colts are in just some great hands as Ballard continues to do what he sets want to do. And I think that's just so important for a young team. So I think the Colts are just in great hands as Ballard continues to do what he sets out to do. I just think that's so important for a young team. And yeah, the Colts have a really bright future, and you can just tell from this and last year's draft class.

Alrighty, folks. So that's it for today's episode. I appreciate everyone listening. And as always, back to you guys tomorrow for our next episode.