Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 5/1/20: Colts draft quick hitters + how much roster improvement from 2019-20?

Episode Date: May 1, 2020

On today's episode, Zach Hicks of Stampede Blue stops by to give his thoughts on the Colts' 2020 draft class. Zach provides analysis on Michael Pittman Jr., Jonathan Taylor, Julian Blackmon, Jacob Eason, and Danny Pinter. MPJ and JT could be instant impact stars within the Colts' offense, so watch out.We close discussing all of the Colts' offseason moves from a wide view. How much did Indy truly improve their roster from 2019-20? GM Chris Ballard clearly upgraded at QB, DT, WR, CB, and also added depth across the board.Should the Colts be considered AFC South favorites over the Titans and Texans, too? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, everybody. Welcome back into your latest episode of Locked On Colts, part of your Locked On Podcast Network. Today's host is Evan Sutter and joined by a very special guest today's show, Zach Hicks of Stampede Blue. Zach, how are you doing today? Pretty good, man. You know, just kind of relaxing a little bit this week after, you know, draft season kind of concluded last week. But yeah, just kind of relaxing, doing good. And hopefully we, you know, get training camp and season, everything going off pretty soon.

Yeah. I'm definitely there with you. Hopefully sports is back in our lives here very soon. And as far as the NFL draft goes after the Annapolis Colts, what was your overall thoughts on that? Because it was definitely a, I think a very strong day two and a lot of interesting picks on day three. Yeah. You know, I think it was a good draft for them, you know, overall, you know, there's some areas where I think they could have gone with some other players, obviously, and kind of wanted other players to other positions. But at the end of the day,

I think, you know, the offense got a lot better, especially with those first two picks and Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor. And I think they added some interesting players as well, you know, and Julian Blackman and Jacob Easton and Danny Pinter. So, you know, overall, I think they added some interesting players as well, you know, and Julian Blackman and Jacob Eason and Danny Pinter. So, you know, overall, I think it was a pretty good draft for them. And, you know, especially guys like Pittman and Taylor, I think, are going to be day one contributors. So I think they added some more talent to this team. And I think overall, they just made this offense better. So you can't really fault, you know, at the end of the day, that's kind of all you can really hope for out of this draft.

And I like that, you know, the team got better from this class. Isn't it nice to know a little bit, Zach, that we're kind of knowing really a lot about Chris Ballard and their staffs, just like what they prefer in prospects? Michael Pittman was one of those players this year who just checked every single box as far as what Ballard's talked about in the past here. It feels like it's just good to know from a fan's perspective, we can know the insights of the draft like that. And a lot of those guys qualified this year as far as being senior bowl players or team captains. And the Colts certainly through four drafts now are pretty solid on what type of player they want to draft.

Yeah, you know, it's nice at the end of the day to see that the team that you're following or team you're rooting for is, you know, very cohesive. And you can tell they kind of have a direction they want to go with this team. Even if you completely disagree with whoever they take, it's always in the same process. It's always in the same kind of mindset they've had. And, you know, it's hard to argue with the results. You know, last year wasn't great. But, you know, they kind of got that curveball before the season started. So I think overall, they've done a great job building this team. And they've, you know, brought in some good players. And yeah, you can't really argue too much with the results of their process. You know, they have a really defined process that's not only getting this

team better, but getting better players in that locker room. So yeah, it is nice to see that. I know it's a big difference from the Ryan Gregson era. Let's dive in, Zach, to the first pick, the Colts made here, Michael Pittman. I've had a lot of people throughout the week talk about their thoughts on the Pittman selection here, but it really seems to me like Frank Reich was all in on Michael Pittman. They've won to this type of player for so long in this offense. He's a perfect complement as well to Paris Campbell, T.Y. Hilton, Zach Paschal. I think there's a really good chance with Phillip Rivers as quarterback, he makes a very big impact here. Yeah, no, I love the fit in Indy with Michael Pittman Jr. I think so much of his game just flows really well with Phillip Rivers.

And I think also a really good part is, you know, whoever the next quarterback is going to be, I think Pittman's game will seamlessly fit with them as well. You know, Pittman's not just your typical big body receiver who can only go up and catch contested passes. You know, he's a really smooth player. He can run pretty good routes. He can get open.

You know, there are some things to work on from his release game and from stuff like that. But I think overall, you know, you're getting a big player who can make those tough catches, be really reliable for his quarterback, but can also stretch the field pretty vertically and win over the middle with smooth route running and toughness and do a lot of those little things. So, yeah, I mean, this pick, you know, I think it was a tad bit of a reach, you know, according to

where I would value Pittman. But what I kind of said before the week started, if they took him at 34, I'd be perfectly fine with that. You know, I think he's just a player that fits their team so well. And I think he's going to be a day one contributor and probably could be one of the most productive rookie receivers in his class, considering, you know, how much time he's going to get on the field from day one and his fit in the offense. So yeah, I love the pick. I love the player and I love the fit. And I think he's going to have a really, really good rookie year. The other pick in the second round, moving up slightly, Jonathan Taylor. What was your thoughts on that pick, Zach? Because a surprising selection. I don't think either of us, when you've had to go on throughout the offices here,

really expected a running back, and especially in round two here. But when you dive into it more and more, Jonathan Taylor, I think, is a really good fit in this Colts offense. I think he's an upgrade long-term and short-term over Marlon Mack as far as running style with this Colts offensive line. Yeah, you know, it was definitely a shocking pick. I'm not going to lie. When they took him, I was really confused at first.

I didn't really see running back as much of a need. But, you know, kind of looking back, and obviously I still think it's a little bit of a reach. You know, running backs, especially when you have players like Marlon Mack and Naeem Hines, you know, it's kind of more of a bargain pick to take a running back there. But, you know, when you look at the grand scheme of this team and how many picks they've made over the last couple years and all the young talent they have on the team, I think you can afford to make these kind of luxury picks sometimes.

And getting a player like Taylor, who has been the most productive running back in college football the last three seasons, I mean, he's hit 2,000 yards I think twice, and he almost hit it another time as well. I think over 9,000 yards – or over 8,000 yards in his career, something like that, or 6,000. I don't know what it really is, but super, super productive running back at Wisconsin.

And it's not just from him being a powerful guy. He's got great power. He's also got elite speed, great quickness, has a nasty jump cut. You know, he kind of has the ability to break off just about any runs to the house. And a big part of the Colts' philosophy on offense is those explosive plays. And last season, they really didn't have many explosive plays. You know, part of it was quarterback issue.

Part of it was other issues as well. But adding a guy like Taylor, even though it's a running back, does add to those explosive plays and gets you a guy who can always be a threat to kind of score from any distance. So, yeah, I really like the fit with Jonathan Taylor. I think he's going to run really well behind this offensive line, and I think he's going to have a really good rookie season. You know, again, I think it's kind of a weird pick when you have someone like Marlon Mack, but when you factor in that Mack is off his rookie deal after this year and, you know,

he's struggled to stay healthy, I think getting a top back like Taylor could do wonders for this offense yeah long term I think we can it's fair to say Marlon Mack might be on the way after this year unless he wants to take a very significant pay cut to stay with the Colts long term here but diving into the next pick Julian Blackman of Utah I've it's been a surprising one we I've discussed throughout the week on the podcast because I don't know if it's foreshadowing for Malik Hooker or not, but I feel like taking a safety, and especially at 85 overall, and still waiting out Malik Hooker's option. I know Ryan Kelly last year, or Zach, that was right after the draft,

and Chris Fowler announced that. And we are closing in about 48 hours away from the deadline. There's no word from the Colts on that. So we'll know here very soon. But it's still surprising they're kind of dragging their feet on that. Do you think this could be a Malik Hooker replacement in the future? I think it could be a replacement for sure. I mean, I think that's definitely an option, definitely one of the reasons why they took Blackman. But I think a big reason for taking that pick is, you know, they definitely needed more versatility and depth in that secondary.

You know, whether it be a corner, whether it be a safety. And Blackman is a very good pick because he's not only a guy who can play free safety, but he can also play that strong safety position, come down the box and be that interchangeable safety. And he can even play some nickel, play some corner if you really need him to. I think overall, the pick of Blackman is more of to add more like more of a speedy, you know, athletic, versatile chess piece in that backfield rather than you know looking for a replacement Malik Hooker you know if it comes down to it

Malik Hooker has gone after this year I think Blackman can step into that role and be a solid starter but I think this pick is more so you know just adding more talent to that secondary adding a third safety that can play quite a bit or adding even even a starting safety you can play a little bit and kind of have just three interchangeable guys who can play, you know, whatever position and play over the top as well. So, yeah, I don't really think this necessarily spells the end for Malik Hooker, even if they don't pick up his option here in the next couple days. But I think that, you know, it does push him a little bit

while also adding a versatile player in the backfield. So I like Blackman. I like what he's going to bring to the field. I like what he's going to bring to the locker room. But I wouldn't say it's foreshadowing for a Malik Hooker departure. Yeah, we should also note too, just for those wondering how the Colts were in their defense, a lot of three safety looks, right Zach? Yeah, a lot of three safety looks and a lot of interchanging. If Kari Willis and Malik Hooker are their starting safeties, their backup safeties like Julian Blackman and George Odom

will still play a good bit of the game, you know. Like I would expect to say Kari Willis is that starting strong safety with Malik Hooker at free. Julian Blackman will still get, you know, 20, 30 snaps a game playing various roles. So they do run a lot of three saf get, you know, 20, 30 snaps a game playing various roles. So they do run a lot of three safeties, you know, maybe not all on the same time, you know, on the field the exact same time. But they have a heavy rotation in that secondary with those safeties,

and they like to keep them fresh. So, you know, adding a guy like Blackman just adds more versatility and another guy who can be an interchangeable safety back there. And it really seems like to me, Zach, if you can't really tackle well in the Colts team, you're not going to be on their draft board. Because from what I read about Julian Blackman, if you watch the With Next Pick series, the Colts scouts were saying that he was the best tackler on Utah, that's what the coaches were saying there.

So fair to say that tackling is very important in the Averfluso team? Yeah, no, they value tackling really high, and especially when it comes to secondary guys, which I don't think there's another team in the league that values tackling more than the Colts when it comes to secondary players. I mean, if you look at their secondary, you know, Rakdusin, I think last year

was one of the best tackling corners in football. You know, the last half of the season, I mean, he was stout in run defense and on the edge there. And then, you know, Kenny Moore, we all know how great a tackler he is. Marvell Tell is a former safety he can tackle. You know, Xavier Rhodes has always been known for kind of being a run defending

tackling corner as well. So, yeah, they really like those secondary guys to be good tacklers. Corey Willis was big like that last year as well. Yeah, so when the Colts reached out to Utah and the Utah coaches, which the Utah coaching staff is probably one of the best in college football right now. They've been developing talent for years now and pumping a lot of really good players to the NFL. You know, when they're speaking that high of Galli, Julian Blackman, I'm definitely sure that that piqued Ballard's interest and piqued the scouting department's interest.

And that's probably just more so the reason why they made that pick. Zach, let's dive in now to I think the most interesting pick of the Colts draft, Jacob Eason of Washington. How surprising was it to you for them to take Eason at round four, especially after Ballard's comments after Friday night because they were going to play their board, of course, and you watched that series last night on the Colts YouTube channel. It sounded like they actually did like him a little bit with his arm talent.

They think he could develop under Frank Reich. What do you think the prospects are for Easton and Indy? Yeah, so I think, you know, the prospects for any young quarterback coming to this team, I think are really good because you don't only get to work with Frank Reich, but you also get to sit behind a guy like Phillip Rivers, who's a borderline Hall of Famer. You get to learn from even guys like Jacoby Brissett,

which I think there is some value there, you know, learning from how he's able to command that locker room and stuff like that and killing the off-field stuff. And then you can also work with, you know, guys like Tom House as well, who's a great, you know, mechanics guru when it comes to quarterbacks. So there's just a lot of good factors when it comes to, you know, one of the best offensive lines in football, one of the best running games in football. There's a lot of good things about coming to Indy

as a young quarterback. And, you know, Easton's a guy who I wasn't super high on. There's a lot to like on this film. He makes some insane throws and he has flashes of brilliance out there. But, you know, the pressure kind of got to him quite a bit. Every time it got out of the pocket, his accuracy was really sporadic. He does need to improve on his just overall accuracy in general and and there are a couple other things that he really needs to work on but you know again I think when you have a guy with his kind of upside and you put him in a really good situation like Indy you know I think I think good things can happen you know I'm not gonna you know bet that he's gonna be the quarterback of the future I mean we're talking about a fourth round pick here but I But I think that, you know, the sky's up to the limit

when it comes to his stealing. And he can be a good player for this team. So we're going to have to see how his development goes, you know, this kind of this offseason and next offseason. But, you know, the Colts obviously saw something good in him, and he does have the upside. So he definitely could be the guy of the future. It's just we're going to have to still kind of see.

What do you think just with Eason, of course? I mean, imagine Jacoby Brissett will be out of here after the final year. His contract expires. But if Phillip Rivers plays well this next year, Zach, they'll probably want to do another one-year deal, and then Rivers likely retires at the end of the 2022 season. Eason will be 24, entering his age 25 scene at that point. What do you think of a two-year tutelage for Eason,

who reportedly, according to Chris Mortensen, had character flaws, and that's why he put up on the board a little bit, as far as leadership skills maybe too. Seeing a guy like Phillip Rivers up close for two years and learning from a guy like Phillip Wright as far as learning how to be a leader from a passionate player like Phillip. Yeah, I mean, it's tough to really project two years out, especially when it comes to someone's mindset and work ethic

and stuff like that. When I've never talked to them, you know, I've never spoke to Easton. I don't know much about him or the character things, you know, from, from people that I've talked to who have actually talked to him and stuff. I didn't really hear much about character issues. I heard he was kind of a quiet kid and that's maybe where that rubbed off. But you know, it's really hard to project two years out, especially how someone develops. I mean,

someone could come out of nowhere and be, you know, it's really hard to project two years out, especially how someone develops. I mean, someone could come out of nowhere and be, you know, the best quarterback ever with their development. And someone could just spiral down and not really show much improvement. So it's kind of tough to really project that stuff. I just want to reiterate, you know, Easton has all the upside in the world. He can be a quarterback in this league. It's just going to take a lot of work on his part. And hopefully, you know, he comes in with the right mindset and comes in with the right headspace and is willing to work with Reich and House and Sirianni and Rivers

and really hone in his craft and become a good player because the upside is there. It's just going to really depend on his work ethic and depend on, you know, how much he's able to improve in a couple of years here. But he's got time on his side. He's got great coaching on his side. He's got, you know, good role models in Brissette and Rivers on his side.

So he's got everything in his favor. It's just all on him when it comes to that development. Speaking of 2022, Zach, I feel like this next pick on the board of the Colts, Danny Pinter at 149 overall in the fifth round, I think he will be Mark Lewinsky's eventual replacement or right guard. Just the fact that the Colts use their zone scheme and how fast he is in 4-9 flat 40 and a 99th percentile for all offensive guards there.

I think he just makes so much sense. Even Chris Bowers said he loves Danny Pinter himself. I think the more I read about Pinter, the more I've watched him. I think it just makes so much sense for a developmental guy like that. Yeah, yeah. Danny Pinter is a guy who I spoke pretty highly of throughout this draft season, especially the last month or so. I got some sourced info that the Colts really liked him.

And I think everything about him just kind of just made sense coming to Indy. So it was kind of easy to read the tea leaves there. But, yeah, Pinter, he definitely could be that eventual replacement right guard you know from from what I've seen I think he needs to you know get his pad level a little bit lower and add some strength but you know he has he has athleticism has the versatility of being you know a backup center or guard or tackle even if they need him out there um so I like his long-term prospects for the team I like his mindset I like that he was you know he's a former tight end when he first came um to Ball State so he's got a lot of that stuff going for him as well. Just a really natural athlete and definitely could be a starter one day.

It's just going to take a little bit more development. But I think he can fit in really well as that kind of Joe Hague sixth offensive lineman this next year. Yeah, I was just going to say, I think he's going to fill out Joe Hague role this next year where he can play anything in the pinch as far as tackle, center, guard. And Bauer didn't mention that to the local media when he spoke to them last week. But, Zach, I want to talk to you a little bit about the offense here for a second, just how much they've added in here.

I mean, we just went over Danny Pinter for the Joe Hague role. You had Jacob Eason as developmental quarterback for the next couple years. Throw in Michael Pittman, Jonathan Taylor, Phillip Rivers, the playmaking unit and the quarterback. How big of an upgrade have the Colts made on offense this offseason? I think it's a pretty good one, especially on paper. You know, I like that they went into this offseason with the mindset of, okay, our offense last year was not good enough.

You know, the line was fine. The running game was fine. But we still need to add more to this offense to make them more explosive and more dominant this next season. And I love that they came in with that mindset. You you know like the best thing about this organization is they're not going to go into drafts or off seasons with you know with I guess over reliance on what they've done you know they're going to always be looking to change and improve and a great thing what they did is they saw the offense wasn't wasn't really working so they made upgrades at core positions

like quarterback wide receiver running back and they're gonna just add more talent to that group and hopefully it becomes more explosive next year but and you know when you're looking at paper you look at a really you know you know kind of an average quarterback but that's still an upgrade of what they had they definitely improved at running back by adding one of the best college runners in football they They improved at receiver by adding, you know, a really good contested catch smooth route runner type guy in Michael Pittman. And then at tight end, you know, you add a player that Frank Bright has had experience with and Trey Burton.

So I think overall the offense got a lot better, especially on paper. And it's going to be interesting to see how they mesh this off season. If there's no training camp, but I have more confidence going into this season with this offense than i did for instance last season with that offense speaking of the philip aris for a second just diving into how the offense being built around him zach i think it makes sense getting that big body and pitman you add in a more explosive running back to go with marlon mckinney mine's jonathan taylor i when you look over it i mean there's a lot less pressure on philip aris because

i need that elite work this year than it was last year in Los Angeles because he has the offensive line he has the playmakers now he has the potent running game and the creative play call and Frank Reich it's not a perfect match for Phillip Rivers to maybe make that one last push for a Lombardi trophy yeah you know the biggest thing with him this year is is not going to be to force it too much I mean last year he kind of got into the mindset where he had to kind of push the envelope and try to win games for his team, where this year he's probably not going to have to, you know, like go out and have to win games on his own.

You know, he's got to control the ball. He's got to be safe with his pass. He's got to find that first read and get the ball in his hands and, you know, utilize that run game and let the defense, the Colts, you know, kind of stay fresh and off the field, but also let them go to work. So, yeah yeah he doesn't have that much pressure on him this year he's in a system that he knows already which is great um but yeah this is definitely going to be his last big push here for Lombardi and I think um I wouldn't say the Colts are favorites by any

means but I think they you know they have a chance to make a run this year as long as you know Rivers is back to maybe not his old self but but at least pretty adequate quarterback play from last year. Flipping to the other side of the field here, Zach, before I let you go, the defense and their improvements were more so via free agency and then trades. DeForest Buckner, a third-tier broad pick, an all-pro at the three-tech. But Chris Ballard has said at three-tech he drives this thing, so it's going to have a foundational impact on all three levels

of the defense, we hope, there. You added Sheldon Day as the Marcus Hunt replacement, too, as a rotational three-tech, one-tech. And then Xavier Rhodes replaced Pierre Desir. So what's your thoughts on those upgrades and what they're going to do to the defense as we talked about the offense in the last question? How much did the defense improve this offseason? Yeah, so the biggest thing is just DeForest Buckner.

You know, adding an all-pro to your defense always helps, but adding one who is still in his prime, who just is a big disruptor in the run and pass game, I think that's going to be so big for this defense, especially when you factor in, you know, another big addition that's going to be going this year is, you know, the return of Kamoka Ture. I think that's going to be really big for them as well.

You know, Ben Bonnegut is a development and see how that goes. If at least one of those guys, you know, develops and is playing at the level that, you know, Ature was playing at early last year, this defensive front is going to be really good. So, you know, adding a guy like Buckner makes everything easier, not only for the rest of the defensive line, but also for the secondary. And then adding more veterans on that defense, you know, and TJ Carey and Xavier Rhodes, Sheldon Day, adding guys who have done it before and kind of know what they're doing. I think that's going to be big for this defense because the defense was so

young last year that, you know, they had some growing pains, they had some warts and the depth was kind of tested with all that youth. But now adding, you know, some more veterans and that kind of young, those young players can be more reserve roles. I think that's going to be big for them. So, yeah, we're going to have to kind of see how this defense goes this offseason. But just on paper, you know, again, adding Buckner and adding someone like Rhodes who maybe isn't what he used to be,

but he still knows his way around the game and he can still make some plays. I think those two additions are going to be really big. Closing here on the division here, Zach, before I let you go, when you look at Tennessee, they, of course, made a deep playoff run. They got into the wild card last week of the season. Houston won in division this year. The Colts were 5-2 and fell down to 7-9 due to what happened in the second half of the year, just a really horrible slide.

They got on both sides of the ball. How much do you think they closed the gap this offseason compared with Houston and Tennessee, and do you feel like they might even be the AFC South favorites right now on paper? I think it's tough to say favorites because I think those three teams are all really close. You know, when you look at the Texans, their overall roster is really not that great, but they have the best quarterback in the division. And it's really hard to count out or, you know, discount the best quarterback in the division.

And then when you look at Tennessee, I think they're really built similar to the Colts, you know, where they have a really good offensive line. They have a really good running game. And they also have a quarterback who maybe isn't like the best in the league, but they understand how to get the ball out and they can play effectively. And then both teams have really solid defense as well, with good coaching staff and great front offices. I think both those teams mirror each other really well.

So it's really hard to favor one over the other. Maybe you favor the Titans just because they made that big run last year. But I think all three of those teams are really close to each other. I'd probably still give Tennessee a little bit of the edge right now because they didn't really lose too much. And they had a really good draft as well. They had a good offseason. And they just understand how to build their team well, just like the Colts.

But, you know, I would never count this Colts team out, especially with guys like Frank Reich running the ship and with the talent they added this offseason. So I think all three of those teams are right there with each other. And I think it's going to be a really competitive divisional race between those three teams. Zach, always fun talking to you, man. You can follow Zach over on Twitter at ZachHicks2

and do his work over at ZachHicks2. Appreciate your time, man. Yeah, thanks, man. Have me on anytime.