Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT: Logan Jones, Jager Burton are Indianapolis Colts' Type of Day 3 O-Linemen

Starting point is 00:00:00 The 2026 NFL draft could provide the Colts the perfect avenue to replace Danny Pinter this offseason. Let's get to it. You are Locked on Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to Locked On Colts, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. My name is Zach Hicks, and today's episode is brought to you by Fanduel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5.

Starting point is 00:00:34 $250 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Head to fendule.com to get started. Today's episode, we are doing our prospect spotlight yet again, but today we're going into two players who fit the mold for today. Today's theme is obviously that the Colts lost Danny Pinter in the offseason, their longtime backup center. He is signed with the Baltimore Ravens to compete for a starting job there. And while the Colts have their starter under contract,

Starting point is 00:01:03 to Tanner Bordellini for the next couple years. They still need that backup center role. And this is a position that Chris Bauer has drafted fairly well, obviously grabbing Tanner Bordellini a couple years back and then Pinter years prior before that who gave them some pretty good snaps. So there are a couple players in this upcoming draft that I think fit the mold that the Colts look for. And I really couldn't do like single episodes on these guys.

Starting point is 00:01:26 So I think putting them together makes the most sense for this format. So first off, we're going to start with Iowa Center Logan, Jones. Logan Jones was actually a defensive tackle when he first arrived at Iowa. He was, he spent two years at defensive tackle with the program, his redshirt year and his red shirt freshman year, before making the change over to center as a red shirt sophomore. I actually asked him about this at the NFL Combine. And he, uh, he basically alluded to Iowa's history of turning out offensive lineman to the NFL that kind of helped make him make this decision for him. He was like, yeah, if you want me to be part of this tradition, for sure, I will go.

Starting point is 00:02:03 over to the offense side of the football. So he became a center for the Iowa Hawkeyes. And from there, he went on to start over 50 games at the position for the remainder of his college football career, topping it off this past year by winning the Remington Award, which is the award for the best center in all of college football. On top of that, he was a first team All-American this past year and a two-time first team, all Big Ten honoree. When we look at just the profile that he brings, he's an elite athlete, 97th percentile 40 time, which I thought was really interesting at the combine, very, very fast player, but also an 86 percentile three cone and an 88th percentile broad jumps. So very explosive,

Starting point is 00:02:44 but also quick and agile as well. When you look at the film, I think he's a very, very good zone blocker with really good eyes in past protection. You know, when you look at these players who had started so many games in their college football career, you want to see that their mental acumen is something that helped them, not even just help them succeed. at the college level, but also it's where you want it to be for a player who is older. You know, you don't want the mental acumen on film to be the same as what it was when they were 18, 19, 20 coming in the college. You want them to look like one of the more older and experienced players at that college football level. And I think that really does pop with Logan Jones.

Starting point is 00:03:21 He's found ways to win when it's not always pretty. He's found ways to combat stronger and lengthier defensive tackles. And on top of that, I think he is just a great zone blocker. that can reach pretty much any block you ask him to. If you want to get him out in space, you want to get him pulled around the outside, he can reach any of those blocks. If you want him to win in the box and reach a linebacker at the second level, he can do that with ease and flip his hips and corner off that player. So Logan Jones, I think, is one of the better athletes in this draft class,

Starting point is 00:03:51 just an effortless mover on film. And honestly, my highest rated Iowa Hawkeye offensive linemen in this draft, which I know is a little bit of a hot take. But it's not all sunshine and rainbows when it comes to, Logan Jones. There are a couple of flaws that are leading to him being more of like a day three type pick in this draft. The biggest issue is obviously his shorter arms than his smaller frame. He has like third percentile arms and frame as well and like wing spans. So it's like historically small arms and historically small frame. That hasn't really limited the Colts from taking centers

Starting point is 00:04:25 in the past. We look at Danny Pinter with his very short arms. When he came out of college, we look at even Bordellini, who's below 50th percentile in that regard. So the Colts don't really mind it as much with their centers, but it is something that is going to lead other teams to pushing him down the board. And then obviously anchoring. Anchoring is always going to be a big issue when it comes to these lighter, more athletic centers. We've seen it with Bort, we've seen it with Pinter.

Starting point is 00:04:50 It is something that always will be in play with these players. But overall, I think there's a good profile here. He's going to be turning 25 in season two. I think that's another issue that teams are going to have to debate with. Not that like it matters with a day three pick because you're hoping to get like a rookie contract, a cheap rookie contract type player. And then you probably move on from him after that. But 25 years old in season, very experienced player, very decorated player at the college level. But yeah, some shorter arms, smaller frame and some anchoring issues that will push him down

Starting point is 00:05:21 the board more to day three. My overall comp forum in the indie draft guide was to Danny Pinter. I just see a lot of similarities. He's a fantastic athlete that can reach any block. I think can be a high-end backup center in the NFL. You probably don't want to put him at guard, though, because that smaller frame will limit him a good bit. But I think there are a lot of good traits to develop in his game. And I think he can be a longtime backup for an NFL team,

Starting point is 00:05:45 much like Danny Pinter was. So Logan Jones out of Iowa, you know how the Colts-like position change players. The former defensive tackle turned into Best Center in college football. I think he is a prime, prime, target for the Colts on day three of the draft. But coming up, we're going to talk about another center prospect that makes a lot of sense, a guy who could maybe play some center and guard. But the best thing about him, his incredible name, Jager Burton, out of Kentucky.

Starting point is 00:06:14 But first, it's tax time. But for a lot of us, the old way of doing taxes is a lot. Trying to book an appointment that's not the most convenient, sitting in a waiting room with a stack of papers, emailing back and forth and wondering if they're really getting your situation. but this year, you've got a major upgrade. Intuit TurboTax now has in-person locations nationwide. You can meet face-to-face with a real tax expert, and your documents get uploaded straight to TurboTax app on the spot. And just like that, you're done.

Starting point is 00:06:43 Your TurboTax expert works to get you every single dollar you deserve while you get real-time notifications as you go about your day. It's the relief of walking in and meeting a real person and walking out knowing your taxes are being handled right. head to turbotax.com slash locked on to find a store near you and book your appointment. In workplace chaos, deadline stacking up, inbox overflowing, and the one position that you have to, that you still have to fill is still sitting open. When the pressure's on and you need the right hire, this is a job for sponsored jobs.

Starting point is 00:07:16 Indeed, sponsored jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for, skills, experience, location. So you're not just hoping the right candidate stumbles across your post. And here's a stat that says, it all. In the minute that I've been talking to you, companies like yours have made 27 hires on Indeed, according to Indeed data worldwide. So if you're hiring, spend less time searching and more time interviewing candidates who check all your boxes with Indeed sponsored jobs. Spend less time searching and more time actually interviewing those candidates. You check those boxes, less

Starting point is 00:07:45 stress, less time, more results. And when you need the right person to cut through the chaos, this is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. And listeners of this show will get $75 sponsored job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at Indeed.com slash podcast. Just go to Indeed.com slash podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs.

Starting point is 00:08:16 And the NBA playoffs are here where every possession matters. Every matchup is magnified and every game can swing an entire series. And right now, Fandul is giving new customers. a great way to get in on the action. Here's what I like about it. You can bet just $5 and get $250 in bonus bets if your first bet wins. The app makes it easy to follow in the action with player stats, trends and matchups, all and one place.

Starting point is 00:08:41 And during the playoffs, this extra insight really matters when you're looking at stars, role players, in key moments. I know the Indiana Pacers are not going to be in the playoffs this year. But look, we can still hate watch. We can still hate bet against the New York Knicks against the Oklahoma City Thunder. So make sure you are logging on to Fandul today. It just makes the entire playoff experience much more engaging from start to finish. So head to Fandul.com to get started.

Starting point is 00:09:05 FanDuel, play your game. All righty, Locked on Colts every day as we are back with our Prospect Spotlight series here on Locked on Colts. And we just talked about Logan Jones at the start of the show, a former defensive tackle turned offensive center who became an award winner at the college level and just fits all the boxes that the Colts are looking for at the position. I think the Colts could probably get him in round four or five with his age and his lack of arm lengthing wingspan. And I think that he would be a great option for the Colts.

Starting point is 00:09:38 But another player that really fits the Colts mold is Kentucky Center Jager Burton, not only the greatest name in the class, but also a great fit for what the Colts are looking for. He's a bigger center, 6-4, 312 pounds with 32-5-inch arms. So he's not like Logan Jones, where I think, Jones is pretty much a center only prospect in this draft class. I think Burton is a guy who offers some guard and center versatility. He actually played guard early on in his career before moving to center for the final two years. But on top of that, he offers elite athleticism 95th percentile 40 time in an 88th percentile

Starting point is 00:10:15 broad jump as well. When you look at his film, I think there's a lot to like in terms of what he offers. There's some really good flashes. He creates really good displacement at the point of attack, especially working in combo and in concert with his guards next to him. So when he's getting those combo blocks, when he's getting just that ability to displace players at the point of attack, I think he does a really good job of driving players off the spot

Starting point is 00:10:38 and really working in concert with those guys next to him. He's gotten above average anchor. So we talked about with Logan Jones and kind of what we've seen with Colt centers in the past is the anchor has always kind of been an issue going back from Pinter and Bordellini. I don't really see that much with Burton. I think the anchor is pretty solid. He can get a little bit stood up something. sometimes, but overall, good arm length and good anchor allows him to keep things in front

Starting point is 00:11:02 of him and keep the pocket pretty clean up front. And as I mentioned, that guard and center versatility, I think is very, very vital for a backup for the Colts, where with Logan Jones, if you draft him, he's one guy filling one backup spot. If you draft Jagger Burton, he's one guy filling potentially three backup spots at left guard, center, and right guard as well. There's obviously some difficulties with moving back and forth, but overall, I think it projects a little bit better as a backup who can move across that line. And who knows, maybe what, Morrissey or whatever that they have at center right now is their backup. Maybe they really like him in camp, and then Burton can move out and play guard full-time as the backup to Gonzalez or Quentin Nelson.

Starting point is 00:11:42 So I think there's a little bit more versatility, a little bit more upside with that ability to play on either spot there. So I do like Jagger Burton for that reason, maybe a little bit more. than Logan Jones for the Colts, but overall, I think they're both very good prospects for this Colts team. When we look at the negatives with Burton, I think he's just been fairly inconsistent in his college career. He's a bit of a leaner in the run game, so we'll see some whiffs here and there.

Starting point is 00:12:06 We'll see him just kind of try to explode too much with his upper half above his feet, which leads to him whiffing on blocks and falling on the ground and getting out of the play. But when you look at the traits, when you look at the size, when you look at the SEC, had a really good Shrine Bowl week this all season as well. I think he projects well as a fourth round pick in this draft, maybe a fifth round pick.

Starting point is 00:12:26 And the profile just screams Indianapolis Colts with the versatility and the size and the athleticism. Everything about this player screams Indianapolis Colts. So my comment for him in the indie draft guide was Dylan Parham, a guy who's been a really good spot starter for the Raiders and a couple other teams in his NFL career. I think Burton can really hit that type of potential in the NFL. So Logan Jones and Jager Burton, the two centers in this class that I think on day three, if the Colts are trying to replace Danny Pinter, I think both of them would be great options. And I think they would immediately give really good depth to the Colts interior in this draft. But you guys let me know in the comment section below what you think of these two players,

Starting point is 00:13:07 which one you'd prefer, or maybe there's another center. Maybe there's an Indiana center, for instance, that you like better for the Indianapolis Colts. But let me know in the comment section below. and thanks again for tuning in to Locked on Colts Prospect Spotlight. We're back yet again later today for the actual full-time show alongside Jake Arthur. So make sure you're subscribe to our show so you get all the latest episodes. And if you don't already, make sure you're following at Lockdown Colts at Jake Arthur

Starting point is 00:13:30 NFL. And that's that kicks to all on socials. Don't forget to check out the Everyday Air Club as well for ad-free episodes and access to a group chat with me, Jake, and other listeners of the show. Tate the link below for show notes or go to LockdownColts. com. We'll catch you guys back here later. today though for the full show with Jake Arthur.

Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - PROSPECT SPOTLIGHT: Logan Jones, Jager Burton are Indianapolis Colts' Type of Day 3 O-Linemen

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.