Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - LOCKED ON COLTS 6/4/20: The Draft Network's Jordan Reid on the Colts' 2020 draft class

Episode Date: June 4, 2020

On today's episode, The Draft Network's Jordan Reid joins for an in-depth look at the Colts' 2020 draft class. From Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor to Julian Blackmon and Jacob Eason, all four... go under the microscope with Reid's analysis.Why were MPJ and Taylor viewed as such safe prospects? Both of their impacts on Indy's offense will be felt immediately. Also, what's the upside for the Colts' WR trio and RB duo with both of these players onboard?Blackmon and Eason were rolls of the dice, but, if they hit, could pay huge dividends for the Colts. The duo of Blackmon and Willis will be consistent long-term, and the former Utah Ute could even cover tight ends as well.Eason has franchise QB upside, but what are some on-field red flags Colts fans should watch for as he develops behind Philip Rivers? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript
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Starting point is 00:00:00 Hello, everybody. Welcome back into your latest episode of Locked on Colts, probably a Locked on Podcast Network. Today's audience is your hosts, Evan Seder and Jim Bae, a recurring guest on our show. I know our listeners always enjoy having him on. Jordan Reed of the Draft Network. Jordan, how are you doing today? Good. Thanks for having me on once again.
Starting point is 00:00:15 Yeah, no worries. And like I mentioned, our listeners always enjoy having you on. You always give some great draft analysis. And it's a little bit past the draft now, but I want to get your thoughts on some kind of sauces on the Colts draft because I had to hit out of the park honestly for the first few picks and uh before we dive into pick by pick analysis here for the first four or five rounds what was your thoughts overall on the Colts draft get Mike Putman Jr. Jonathan Taylor take a swing on Jacob Eason later on what was your thoughts on their draft yeah I thought it was
Starting point is 00:00:40 really interesting just because we knew they had a need at wide receiver but we just didn't know which direction that they were going to take. And there were some really good ones on the board. But they elected to go with Michael Pittman Jr., who was one of my favorite day two receivers in this draft class, just because whenever you think about the Colts and just the players that they have selected in years past, of course, they're going to have the utmost respect as far as the class and the background. That's something that you notice, that they take very clean prospects. And that's exactly what Michael Pittman Jr. is, a very clean prospect. You know, he has the football DNA in the background,
Starting point is 00:01:11 with his father being a former running back, successful running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and also the Arizona Colts and a host of other teams as well when he was in his prime. So he has the football DNA that you're looking for. But also, he is a multiversal and he just provides value in a lot of different areas. He's not just a receiver. He's a guy that also was a special teams captain for two years at USC. So even if he's a guy that doesn't see
Starting point is 00:01:35 action and targets right away, you know, he's going to be a special team contributor right away as soon as he steps foot in the Colts facility. So I really liked that pick. The Jonathan Taylor pick was one that I would like to say is really interesting just because they have an established running back already in Marlon Mack, who had a pretty good year last year. So running back was an area where a lot of people didn't really think they were going to target necessarily this early.
Starting point is 00:01:56 But just pairing Jonathan Taylor with Marlon Mack, I think you have a dynamic duo at the top of the depth chart. And then Justin Blackman, Jacob Eason, and some of the other picks that they made, as you sit back and thought about it, I thought they made a lot of sense. Yeah, definitely agree with you on those points, Jordan. Let's dive into Mike Coonman Jr. for a second there.
Starting point is 00:02:14 Like you mentioned, very clean prospect. I think a very underrated route runner, one who could do a lot either over the middle of the field, slant routes, drag routes. You can also have him go deep like we saw a lot last year in the Utah game. I think it was one of the more impressive games we saw from any wire sear prospect last year.
Starting point is 00:02:28 What's now to you most drawing comparing Michael Piven Jr. to guys like T. Higgins, these other big buys in his draft class, where you might have had him at a rate a little bit higher than some of those others? Yeah, I think it was a little bit more urgent than T. Higgins. And what I mean by urgent, he was a little bit more sudden. And obviously he tested better than T. Higgins, even though Higgins didn't perform at the combine.
Starting point is 00:02:49 You can see on film that he's a bit more twitchy than what Higgins does bring to the table and that's something that you like to see out of these wide receivers especially now being paired with Phillip Rivers a quarterback that's just been accustomed to always having these big body go up and get it type of guys even in his days back with the Chargers you know we have Mike Williams and just a receiver like, the Colts didn't naturally have or didn't already have on the depth chart. And I think Pittman Jr. really can satisfy that role for Phillip Rivers. So I'm really excited about this pairing, and I think Pittman is going to be a guy that can be an instant impact type
Starting point is 00:03:16 contributor. What's your thoughts now, Jordan, on the Colts wide receiver trio they're having in place? I know they have Zach Paschal as a sort of case emergency wide receiver four. Now he did well for himself last year as an undrafted player a couple years ago. But you have Mike Pippen Jr., the big body. You have Paris Campbell, the speedster in the middle in the slot. Then you now have T.Y. Hilton as your all-around type,
Starting point is 00:03:34 as your number one wideout. What's your thoughts on the Colts' wideout career? I know it's a little unproven now, Mike Pippen Jr. and Paris Campbell being hurt a lot last year. But it seems very exciting on paper, that trio. Yeah, I'm really excited about it just because outside of T.Y. Hilton, you don't really know what you're going to get from these guys because, of course, Pittman Jr. is a rookie. And then Paris Campbell, we didn't see much of him at all last year, but we know the explosiveness
Starting point is 00:03:57 factor that he brings to the table. So he's definitely going to make his highlight plays, but hell, as with something that he's just always battled, even going back to his days at Ohio State. So if he's able to stay healthy, I think he can be that underneath guy, but also he can be the explosive play threat over the top, excuse me, as opposed to T.Y. Hilton, who's primarily your over-the-top guy, but he really can attack all areas of the field. And then you have Pittman Jr., who's a great complimentary piece to all these guys, just because he's not really going to win over top a whole bunch. He's more of a go up and get it type of guy down the field, but you don't really want him satisfying that role just because you're not going to get the most value out
Starting point is 00:04:33 of him. So he's really going to dominate those underneath targets as opposed to Campbell and Hilton. That can be your roof stretchers or the guys that attack the intermediate, the deep areas. Last one I have for Pittman Jr., Jordan, Is there a player comp that you kind of settled on with MPJ the more you watched him? Because I know Frank Reichs talked about it. I know Michael Pittman Jr. himself talked about it, like a Brandon Marshall type. One of those players is just a bigger wide out with quicker feet.
Starting point is 00:04:55 Any player comp stand out to you the more you watch Pittman? Yeah, and that's the exact player that I compared him to, actually, in my notes was Brandon Marshall. I think they have a very similar skill set. Now, they're not going to be guys that are natural separators like a T.Y. Hilton that you just see blowing past guys on a natural occasion. Pittman Jr. is a guy that he can separate. I think he has plenty of branches on his route tree that he can explore,
Starting point is 00:05:16 just like he showed at USC. He's also really good at getting off press coverage at the line of scrimmage. But like I said, you don't want him naturally running down the field a whole bunch just because that's not really where his game is predicated upon, even though he did a really good job against Utah during his final year at USC. That really was one of the only games that he was able to have success down the field. But those underneath areas, I think that's where he's going to get a multitude of his catches. Moving on to Jonathan Taylor, Jordan, like you mentioned, a very interesting pick. The one that
Starting point is 00:05:44 caught me off guard for sure, moving up from 44 to 41, the leapfrog Jacksonville to get Jonathan Taylor, the running back out of Wisconsin, back-to-back Doak Walker award winner, monster production throughout his career at Wisconsin. What were your thoughts not only on that pick, but also just Taylor the prospect? Because I think he's one of the more cleaner running back prospects in his draft class. One who hasn't really proved much in the receiving game, but I think the fit, the more you dive into dive into a Jordan with this Colts offensive line with the bruiser like Jonathan Taylor the identity scheme fits really well here yeah and this was one of those picks that made you go wow I wasn't expecting that along with some of the other running back
Starting point is 00:06:16 picks in the second round but this definitely was one I don't want to say it was a head scratch or anything like that just because the more you thought about it the more it makes sense just because in today's day and age you have to have a one-two combo I believe in the backfield just because you get running backs that really wear down in a sense and just the bell cow rusher is really a thing of the past and then of course you get to the price standpoint just because it's such a disposable position and the coach wanted to make sure that they have fresh legs at the position that's not to say that Marlon Mack who who was a fourth-round pick a couple years ago, isn't capable of satisfying that 1A type of back.
Starting point is 00:06:49 But I think with Jonathan Taylor, you can take some of the load off of him. And I think Marlon Mack is a much better pass catcher than what Jonathan Taylor does coming out of the backfield. So I think they're a perfect complementary piece to where you can use Marlon Mack all over the field in various formations. And Jonathan Taylor can be that between the between the tackles bruiser. But also you can use on the perimeter a little bit, even though he's not nearly as good of a catcher as Marlon Mack.
Starting point is 00:07:13 But I think they complement each other really well. But just going over some concerns that I do have about Jonathan Taylor, obviously, you're going to hear about the mileage on his body. Over 900 carries, I believe, in his career at Wisconsin. So he does have a bit of wear and tear on his body coming through the door. But I think him now being paired with Marlon Mack, there's not going to be as much wear and tear on his body going through his earlier years. And then the fumbles. 15 lost fumbles, I believe.
Starting point is 00:07:40 And I believe he has 15 career fumbles, 18 career fumbles, excuse me. He's lost 15 or something like that. So it's an alarmingly high number. And I think ball security is something that I think he has to work on. Before we move on with our interview of Jordan Reed with the draft network, give us some great thoughts on the Colts draft and really the upside of some prospects like Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pimmons, Jr. Jacob Eason, for example,
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Starting point is 00:09:26 How did you hear about this box? Looking over Taylor and the games that you watched, Jordan, what stood out to you most from a strength standpoint? I know obviously we see the explosion, this 4.39 speed for a guy over 225 pounds. Him and only Saquon Barkley are the ones recently who have done that. So definitely a freak type of athlete. But what stands out to you most as to why Taylor is really recognized nationally as one of the more cleaner running back prospects in this 2020 draft class? Well, I think the first thing is that he's scheme proof.
Starting point is 00:09:51 And what I mean by scheme proof is that he can survive and maintain in his own scheme. Or he can just be just as great in what's called a man or power blocking scheme, just where you get a body on a body. And you just maul people going ahead. And that's really what the Colts run in a sense. But if they do want to run some zone concepts, I think he's fully fine in that as well. And that's very rare in a running back prospect just because you get guys that are either or, but with the success that Taylor has had at Wisconsin,
Starting point is 00:10:16 he's had success in both schemes. So that definitely was a positive about him. But a weird thing that was going on about him is that his long speed wasn't great, but then he runs 439 at the combine, and he really silences all those critics. So I think long speed and just being able to generate explosive plays, I think that's something that was a huge positive just looking back at him on tape. Looking, like you mentioned earlier in this segment about Jonathan Taylor, Jordan, the one-two punch now is Frank Reich and Nick Ciaran called a one-one punch
Starting point is 00:10:42 with Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor. We're in that ranks amongst the NFL's best. Now, Taylor still has to prove Ciaran call it, a 1-1 punch with Marlon Mack and Jonathan Taylor. Where do you think that ranks amongst the NFL's best? Now, Taylor still has to prove it on the NFL level here, but Marlon Mack last year, like you mentioned, Jordan, definitely was an underrated running back. I think a near top 10 running back in this league. He did damage in multiple games last year behind this Colts offensive line. Where do you think this Taylor-Mack combo ranks,
Starting point is 00:11:00 or at least the upside you can see with this duo? I think still kind of TBD. What I mean by TBD is just to be determined just because I don't like placing high expectations on rookies, even though a running back is easily one of the best translatable positions that we've seen, especially in years past. It's really easy for them to come in and have a day one type of impact. And I think Taylor definitely can do that.
Starting point is 00:11:20 But I think this combination definitely has the potential to definitely be a top 10 pair in this league, just because, I mean, we know how dangerous Marlon Mack is, but you add the type of power and the punch that Jonathan Taylor can bring to the table. And then you talk about this offensive line, who I think is by far a top five unit in the league, just wearing these defenses down with those two guys behind them. I think this offense is going to be a lot of fun. Yeah, definitely agree with you there. And one more thing on Taylor, because it seems like this is a big impetus as far as getting
Starting point is 00:11:50 Pittman and also Taylor, two NFL ready-made prospects who should really contribute heavily from day one. Taking a lot of pressure off Phillip Rose these two picks, Jordan, especially Jonathan Taylor with Marlon Mack, where you might see games where Phillip Rose, he had a lot of turnovers last year, 20 interceptions. But if they're a power running game, might be more of a game manager than Philip Rivers in 2020. Absolutely, and you know, let's just be honest, a quarterback that's getting older, he still doesn't have that same pop and drive in his arm, so he's not going to be able to hit some of these downfield targets like a T.Y.
Starting point is 00:12:16 Hilton and Paris Campbell on occasion. There's going to be times where he maybe does struggle in between games, and they're going to have to lean on that running game in this offensive line up front, and I think with this have to lean on that running game in this offensive line up front. And I think with this one-two combination, especially now adding Jonathan Taylor in the mix, I think it's going to help take some of the load off Phillip Rivers that we saw when he was with the Chargers last year. Moving on to Julian Blackman here, Jordan, their third-round pick. They traded back 10 spots and still got their guy they targeted all along.
Starting point is 00:12:41 And Blackman tore his ACL in the Pac-12 title game. So I don't expect him to contribute much until midway through the 2020 season. But Chris Dottard told the media that he sees a legitimate free safety prospect in Julian Blackman, a former corner who translated over to safety this past year for the Utes, and definitely showed a lot of ball skills, Jordan. But what do you think about Julian Blackman and his fit as a safety long-term in the league?
Starting point is 00:13:03 Well, it's going to be really interesting just because I think he's best served in the free safety spot. And he played a little bit of both during his time at Utah. And they were really interchangeable with their safeties. But I think he's better as far away from the line of scrimmage as possible, in my opinion, even though they already have Malik Hooker really to satisfy that role. But he is a guy that really can be interchangeable. But I thought he played a little bit better when he was in that free safety spot.
Starting point is 00:13:25 Tackling is something that he needs to clean up a bit. I thought he struggled a little bit. And then just being disciplined back there, I thought he was a bit misled by following the quarterback's eyes a little bit too much. And then just roaming a little bit. He had some free range back there. But I think Blackman is a guy that definitely could contribute to this defense immediately. And you guys have an underrated player in Kari Willis.
Starting point is 00:13:46 I think he was outstanding during his time there. I think they found an absolute steal with him in the fourth round last year. And then Malik Hooker, we know even though he hasn't been healthy, we know what he's capable of when he is out there on the field. But if they use him as that third safety, in a sense, I think he definitely could satisfy that role right away. We see a lot of teams nowadays, and I know the Arizona Colonels have brought us up with Isaiah Simmons where they see him covering a lot of tight ends and playing that role immediately in this league in 2020 can
Starting point is 00:14:13 you maybe see that sort of role Julian Blackman do you think he's versatile enough where he's a former corner convert 6-1-2-0-5 he has this the size and at least it looks like the length on him to cover tight ends in the NFL you think Jordan. Yeah, I think he does. And that's something that he did a little bit at Utah, even though it wasn't a whole bunch, but when the few reps that they did use him in that role, I thought he was able to satisfy it. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:14:35 That's a really interesting point because the Colts love to use three, four safety books. They like to get undrafted rookie George Odom on the field a little bit. He's a good tackler as well. So the Colts love using multiple safeties in their scan. I think Blackman definitely fits a lot of boxes there. Moving on here to the fourth round, I think the most interesting pick, quite honestly, in the Colts draft was Jacob Eason.
Starting point is 00:14:53 After they didn't take a quarterback in the first two rounds, Jordan, all the smoke around Jordan Love ended up just being a smokescreen on the Colts end. They go and take a risk, roll the dice, so to say, with Jacob Eason in round four, 122 overall. For a former five-star, number one overall recruit, Jordan, picking up 122 overall I think is a very well put, just home run swing of the bat. If it works out, it does.
Starting point is 00:15:12 If it doesn't, you just move on. It's a fourth-round pick. It's a small contract. But what do you think of Eason in landing at Indianapolis, where he's a pocket quarterback that doesn't have good mobility, but you have the offensive line in place there, one of the best in the NFL, and a power run game with some young playmakers around him. Yeah, he couldn't have asked for a better landing spot, in my opinion,
Starting point is 00:15:30 just because he didn't need to go anywhere where he was going to be asked to play a bulk of the reps right away. He needed to go somewhere where he could essentially be an understudy, behind an established veteran, and he already has that. And then Phillip Rivers and also Jacoby Brissett, who has had success in the league, even though he didn't play particularly well last year. He's a guy that has experienced some positive reps when he was in the league. So with Easton, he's a guy, in my opinion, that really has only started one year. I really don't really count that first half season at
Starting point is 00:15:56 Georgia, even though he did have some success there. I still think his first full year as a starter was at Washington last year. And what you notice is that he is extremely raw. He's only a fastball pitcher right now. He has no idea how to take some of the pop off the ball, some of the speed off the ball in some of these areas. And I actually compared him from just an on the field standpoint to Jay Cutler coming out of Vanderbilt. Now, his ceiling might not be as high as Jay Cutler, but as far as the arm strength, some of the intangibles and, you know, some of the things that he brings to the table, I think he's very similar to Cutler and he just needs to be an understudy and just understand how to play the NFL game.
Starting point is 00:16:32 And I don't think he could have landed in a better situation just because he needed to be under the tutelage of a known quarterback developer, which he has in Frank Reich and then behind an established veteran and Phillip Rivers. But the best thing for Easton is that Phillip Rivers is on a one-year contract and then Jacoby Brissett is entering the last year, the extension that he signed prior to last year. So he's looking at a situation where he might sit back one year
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Starting point is 00:17:45 Definitely some ups and downs. What are some red flags, maybe, Jordan? You mentioned inexperience, his not really inability to change up the speed on his football when he throws it. Any other red flags still out to you? I know the carrot concerns were something that popped up on draft day. But on the field, what's still out to you as far as maybe some red flags that maybe Eason won't pan out in the NFL? Just the speed of his progressions. And what you notice with him is that it's a funny analogy that I've been talking to some scouting buddies in the industry.
Starting point is 00:18:09 So the best way to put it is that he has the confidence that he can fit a football through a coin slot. That's how much confidence he has in fitting the ball through some of these windows that he has and what's operated or available to him, I should say. So speed through progressions and just not relying so much on his arm strength, just because what happens with him is that he'll eye targets and he'll eye them all the way across the field when he just needs to get to his second, third, and even fourth or even check down option on his progression. So speed and clean, or I should say progressing through his progressions
Starting point is 00:18:42 is something that he needs to work on. And then just getting through them more cleanly. I think that's the biggest area. And, of course, the ball speed, which I talked about earlier. Speaking of that rocket arm he has, Jordan, when you watched him compared to other quarterbacks in the 2020 draft class, I've heard the howitzer term a lot with Easton and his arm. Was he the strongest arm, like the velocity-wise,
Starting point is 00:19:01 you saw in this draft class when you watched him on film? I know the BYU game, like you some of those those tight windows here are pretty crazy what's out to you with his arm because he could really make any throw on the blade of grass there yeah so it is a bit of a positive and a negative for him just because I think he's a guy that can make any throw on the field it doesn't matter how far targets are down the field or how close they are to him or how far away they are either. So he can make any throw on the field. It's just a matter of how much RPMs and the miles per hour he puts behind his throw. So I think arm strength obviously is something that you love to see in a quarterback,
Starting point is 00:19:34 but you just want to be able to see them tone things down a bit when necessary, just because there will be guys that are five or ten yards away from him, but he's throwing it with everything he's got. So just finding some more pitches in his repertoire, I think that's something that he needs to develop the most. The last thing on Easton here, Jordan, before we dive into our last few questions on the show, appreciate the time as always here.
Starting point is 00:19:54 I wanted to hit on Easton just as far as his upside, like you mentioned, but also the fit with nowadays you see more – the pocket quarterback is sort of a dying breed, so to say. We see these players like Apache Mahomes and Lamar Jacks and Josh Allen even from Buffalo you can make plays with their legs and really extend plays and Easton as we saw Washington can't really do that he's more of a statuesque quarterback maybe in the 2020s it's sort of a dying breed like I mentioned do you feel like that type of quarterback can still survive in today's NFL? It's really tough just because we know offensive line play and then defensive
Starting point is 00:20:26 line play, there's such a huge discrepancy and you really need these Uber type of athletes back in the pocket. But I don't think Eason's a total statue by any stretch of the imagination. I think he has the athleticism really to extend plays and make throws down the field. So I wouldn't call him strictly a statue or a non-athlete or anything like that. But I think he has the athleticism to extend plays but it's not an area where he really hangs his hat on and I
Starting point is 00:20:50 think he needs to get a little bit better in the pocket and then climbing vertically and then throwing these balls down the field and striking these short to intermediate windows as well so um I like I said I don't think he's a total statue or anything like that I think he has the athleticism in order to survive, but it's just not an area that he predicates his game upon a whole bunch. Last one I had for you, Jordan. It's a little off-topic off the draft here. Just the Colts offseason as a whole.
Starting point is 00:21:15 We mentioned the draft. They had Mike Pippen Jr., Jonathan Taylor, who I think are going to be day one contributors right away in heavy roles. Jacob Eason rolled the dice in round four. But he also traded DeForest Buckner, the first-round pick they used to get the all-pro defense type from San Francisco. You get Phillip Rivers on board to replace Jacoby Brissett as he slides back into his backup role.
Starting point is 00:21:30 They got Xavier Rhodes on board, too, as sort of a reclamation project. Did you like the Colts' offseason, Jordan? What do you think their upside is in the AFC now, where, of course, Kansas City is the favorite and Baltimore, but do you think they can make some noise through the Colts? Yeah, I think so. And that's something that we've been waiting for them for quite some time. But injuries and other variables have really held them back in a sense.
Starting point is 00:21:51 But to get Darius Leonard back fully healthy this year, I think that's going to help the defense tremendously. Of course, they added Justin Houston last year. I think he's going to continue to come on. But DeForest Buckner, man, I think he's going to be a huge addition to this defense just because going into the draft, the biggest weakness prior to the DeForest Buckner, man, I think he's going to be a huge addition to this defense just because going into the draft, the biggest weakness prior to the DeForest Buckner trade was the biggest weakness for the Colts, obviously, was that defensive tackle and then wide receiver. And then they checked both of those boxes coming out of the draft.
Starting point is 00:22:15 But I think it was a no brainer for them to trade the 13th overall selection for a player like DeForest Buckner, just because I don't think whether it was a Derrick Brown or Javon Kinlaw or any of those guys, if they were available, I don't think they have the upside and the instant impact contributions that they can make right away wouldn't have been anywhere close to what you're getting from DeForest Buckner. So I was really happy not only to see him land in a good spot, but also get paid. I think he's going to prove to be fully worthy of that money. But as far as Xavier Rose, I love the risk that they have taken with him. Even though, like you said, he's a bit of a reclamation project, they need some help at outside corner.
Starting point is 00:22:50 And we know he's a proven player in this league, even though he hasn't played up to par like when he signed that massive extension in 2017. But he's a guy you get for cheap on a one-year deal. And you never know, maybe he comes out and plays like his old self. So I'm fully fine with him taking the swing on Xavier Rhodes. Jordan, appreciate the time as always. I know our listeners always love having you on here.
Starting point is 00:23:11 Jordan, you're the Draft Network Senior NFL Draft Analyst over there. You can follow him on Twitter at JReedNFL and go read his work at the Draft Network. Jordan, appreciate the time. No problem. Thanks for having me on as always.

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