Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - Reviewing the Colts' draft class with NBC Sports Edge's Thor Nystrom

Episode Date: May 19, 2021

On today's episode, Evan is joined by NBC Sports Edge's Thor Nystrom to review the Indianapolis Colts' 2021 draft class. From Kwity Paye to Will Fries, every single draft pick is put under an in-depth microscope. What were Thor's biggest takeaways from Indy?Also, we cover the Carson Wentz trade as Indy's new QB was acquired with draft capital. How will Wentz fare being reunited with Frank Reich, plus having a strong all-around ecosystem offensively?Closing out the show, Thor provides his favorite Colts draft picks who have the strongest possibility of hitting their ceilings.All of this, plus so much more, in a jam-packed draft-centric episode you won't want to miss! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Colts, your daily Indianapolis Colts podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello everybody, welcome back to your first episode of Locked On, Colts Party Locked On Podcast Network. Today is always your host, Evan Sattery, joined by a very special guest today's episode, recapping the Colts 2020 NFL Draft. NBC Sports Edge lead college football and NFL draft analyst, Thor Nystrom. Thor, how you doing today, man? I'm doing great. I'm doing great. Good to join you. Absolutely. Hey, really appreciate you having me on. We had you on this time last year, I believe, to talk about the Colts 2020 draft.

But this time around 2021 in the books for the Colts. And let me talk just in full about how the Colts did. Quiddie Paye, Diogo Dangbo, double dipping an edge there in the first, second round. Then going for guys like Kylan Granson, Sean Davis, and Sam Ellinger in the fourth, fifth, and sixth round, taking a flyer with Mike Strawn in the seventh round, a wide out out of Charleston, and then Will Fries, the offensive guard out of Penn State. You gave them a snap grade of C-minus after the draft.

What's your overall thoughts on how Indy did in this year's draft class? Yeah, you know, the first round pick, I saw what they were doing, understood what they were doing. You know, I think that's about where where pay should have gone about where he was being projected so I didn't have any any problem with that in fact I ranked him even a little bit higher I ranked him 17th my issue with the what the Colts did it was it was some of this stuff later on you know the second edge they took I thought that was a reach. And I like Granson actually, you know, going to the third pick. I like Granson a bit. You know, I actually thought I was going to end up ranking him higher than he got picked. And he went up a little bit above where

even I had him. The pick that I liked that the Colts made later on was Sean Davis. Outside of that though, Ellinger, Ier, I don't see how he sticks. He's definitely not going to be an NFL starter someday. To me, that's just an airmail pick. Strachan is interesting just because of the measurables. Obviously, he did good at a lower level of school. You want to see the measurables there as well. He's 6'5", 226 with a 9.2 RAS. Very similar, hopefully not off the field, but in terms of his athletic profile to Riley Cooper.

And so if you're thinking about potentially using him as a big slot, I'm not really sure how they plan to develop him, but that would be interesting a long kid like that you know well built um that can get down the seam that would be an interesting idea um you know and then and then you mentioned Fries he's just you know later on he's a kid who has a little bit of experience at a high level who had a you know has a solid athletic profile so you're just throwing a dart there but yeah I mean overall for me you know it was slightly you know below average uh output you know they were sort of going at infrastructure position so it wasn't the sexiest of drafts I

definitely get that um but in terms of the value that they got in their selections you know I thought it was okay nothing great slightly below average Let's go pick by pick here, Thor. We'll also include Carson Wentz in this discussion because the Colts did get their third-round pick in this year's draft, plus more likely not a future first-round pick in next year's draft for Wentz. So we'll get your thoughts on Wentz in a little bit here. But the first-round pick, Quiddie Paye, he was your edge one in this year's class, ranked 17th overall on your board.

From watching Quiddie Paye, Thor, what stood out the most to you? Because it seems like now an indie alongside DeForest Buckner, it might be one of the best fits on Peter for Paye to reach his ceiling next to a player like Buckner. Yeah, I agree with that. Yeah. I mean, the more, I mean, like what you want for him initially is just to be left alone with the double teams. And so, you know, like what I was thinking about him initially, you know, I just wanted him to go to a team where he was going to be playing with a couple, you know, like what I was thinking about him initially, you know, I just wanted him to go to a, to a team where he was going to be playing with a couple of, you know, solid veterans next to him. So he, you know, that wasn't going to be an issue. It wasn't, he wasn't going to have

to start out as, as one of the, you know, one or two top guys on his line. But like, you know, with him, you guys know what the book is. He's an absolutely ludicrous athlete. We've known this going back years. He's been on the Bruce Feldman Freaks. In fact, I think he was the number one Bruce Feldman Freak, either last year or the year before. And then you saw it at his pro day workout. But those workout numbers, those have been coming out of Michigan,

and they're spring testing here for several years. So, like I said, we knew he was a freak. He he's a kid who it's like the spring thing going forward off the snap. You know, he just has ludicrous strength in his lower body and then the explosion going forward. He's going to be able to take the outside edge of tackles in the NFL. And then where it becomes scary with him is in conjunction with the power because he he has the power he has the athleticism it's the raw thing you know like if if he was fully formed um he would have gone higher than he ended up going and you know I I baked some of that ceiling into my rankings why I ended up putting him 17 he he quitty pay has a very high ceiling

just because human beings there aren't many of them that are that big that are that freakish you know with that athletic profile so I I liked what the Colts were doing there and uh you know to your point I I think it's a nice situation as well for him starting out his career and in terms of trying to uh you know develop and and try to get that kid to hit his ceiling. Looking at DraftKings real quick, Thor, and their rookie of the year, odds for defensive rookie of the year, they have Micah Parsons at plus 500, Jim Phillips at plus 700, then two linebackers, Jameen Davis and Jeremiah Wusukoromo at plus 800. Tied for fourth there is Quiddie Paye at plus 1,000.

Do you like those odds if you're trying to make a quick bet on this? And let's say Paye does hit the ground running and he never really sees much attention because DeForest Buckner is next to him. Do you have to sneak a good bet at plus 1,000 to make if you're out there listening? Okay, so what's intriguing about that is you know that he's going to get the playing time initially. So, I mean, that's how I would always cleave down the defensive one the offensive one you can cleave it down by positions you know pretty much I mean it's if if a quarterback has a good season it's you know it's going to be the quarterback with who had the best good season um but you know on on defense obviously you're looking for a guy

who's going to get regular snaps because you got to accrue the counting stats and then one of the marquee ones of course is sacks and so that that becomes more circumstantial you know i mean like a part of the the thing with him right now is like you're wondering you know when is that production gonna gonna shoot up um but like we've you know i mean like circumstantially he quidipe has gotten more uh pressures than you know he's been able to convert into uh havoc stats, you know, in some of these past couple years. You know, when some of that stuff normalizes the other way, you know, if he gets enough sacks, for sure he's going to be in contention for it. I know that Jalen Phillips is another popular one. Jalen Phillips, you know,

the only thing with that is he's, you know, and this is, I mean, this is going to be the case going forward, but he's one head injury away from being out for the season. And so that would be my only concern with him. I guess there'd be another data point at pay. If I had to put, you know, money on an edge, I guess it probably would be Quidipe. Let's go to Dio Odengbo-Thor. This is someone that Chris Bauer fell in love with in the pre-draft process. He mentioned that if Dio didn't tear his Achilles, he would have been in discussion number 21 overall in this year's class.

He mentioned him pretty much on the same tier right below as Quidipe, which kind of threw me for a loop there because Dio is a raw guy. He didn't put up monster numbers at Vanderbilt. he was moved around the line too as well played a lot interior there you haven't ranked as a 90th player on your board he went at 54 overall there the colton second round i think he has first round potential up now for that achilles injury what's out to you about the odango pick and also this odango as a prospect yeah i think uh that that um description uh strikes me as as a little bit rich you know but I suppose you're trying to pimp the players you you just got so I I get it the the thing that I I I will get behind is you know we talk about circumstance circumstance and stuff like that. This kid had it going against him on multiple fronts.

I mean, you know, first of all, Vanderbilt has been a dumpster fire for years now and somehow even got worse here in the past couple years. I mean, he was based – it was a one-man defense essentially. And so, you know, people could just throw – you know, we talk about the double team thing. They could just throw multiple blockers at him every play. And then, of course, you mentioned the injury as well. And so, you know, those are the things, you know, that like, you know, when he was going into the draft process,

obviously there was like a narrative thing that he had to fight in terms of that. What the things that I like about him i i agree that the ceiling is higher you know like you know i i'm not sure if i would say top 32 in the class because you know at that point you would just have to go with everyone's best case scenario but certainly his ceiling is is well higher than his slot so i certainly agree with that he's a really really big kid who moves really well you know and so like those are the similarities i i suppose to pay but but pay is like it's a it's a different thing where pay is is a world-class athlete like uh dale has twitch but um the rpms that that quitty can um generate from his lower half. Like, those are the differences and the speed and stuff like that.

But, you know, just in terms of twitch from a big end, Deo does have that. And I like the way that he uses his hands. He's able to control blockers. He's also able to create separation with that. He's a big, strong kid. So I do see the projectability there. But, you know, on the other hand of it, it's a kid that didn't have a ton of production who's coming off of that

injury who, you know, like, you know, in college, we didn't see a ton of flashes from him. So it's one of those where you're, you know, they've gone a bit out on a limb, I think, with the slot that they took him in, is I guess what I would say. Looking at just the Payton O'Dingbo picks as a whole for getting both those guys double dipping in the first two rounds, it's Chris Fowler really taking a swing on his misses in the past. Komoko Ture, Taekwon Lewis, Ben Banigou, either those guys are not paying due to injury or just inconsistencies

and lack of playing time. What's your overall thoughts on them kind of just pushing the chips all in on a new wave of edge rushers here with pay no dang bow and if they do hit what do you think the outcome could be with both those guys on each side well just in general i'm always about um not not chasing your losses you know or you after, you know, how do you say, the sunk cost fallacy. So, you know, in terms of, you know, acknowledging the mistake and moving on, you know, you give credit there whenever you see that. And then the other thing is just, you know, like, just in terms of the edges that they're going after, you know, I mean, like, you know, some of those guys that you mentioned,

it was more of the like long string bean, you know, type three, four linebacker off, off the edge type of a guy. Whereas like the guys that we're talking about now are like the huge, you know, the, the, I mean, they play they ended any formation or whatever, and they could even play some inside. I mean, they play at the end of any formation or whatever, and they could even play some inside. I mean, both Pei and Deo are really, really well-built guys that play with power. And that group that you just mentioned, power was the thing lacking with them.

So maybe that's a philosophical change, you know, as far as, you know, turning the page. And then obviously they sunk some draft capital into this. Bet online is the fastest and easiest way to bet on all your sports action. Baseball scenes in full swing and check out all the action over at BetOnline. Get all the latest news, odds, and info for your sporting needs, including MLB, NBA, NHL, and all your UFC MMA action. Before the next pitch, head over to BetOnline on your laptop or mobile device and check

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Technically, you're a third-round pick in this year's draft. Also, a huge caveat being a probably more like a nine, first-round pick in next year's draft. What was your whole thoughts on this Carson Wentz situation this year, Thor? Him landing an Indy, the price they paid, and what his fit could be with Frank right there? Because it's obviously – this Colts team is ready to win, and it's really all in Carson Wentz's shoulders moving forward.

Yeah, it's – yeah, it was an interesting bet. I – for me, if you're trading the first rounder next year, that's where it becomes a lot in conjunction with the contract. For me, with my first round picks, if I need a quarterback, I want to keep doing the roulette. You know, I want to scout the quarterbacks. I want to take the shots on the guys that I like. And then I want to, you know, let them sink or swim or whatever, because everybody

knows this, the big cheat code in the NFL right now is getting a, you know, a starting quarterback on a rookie contract. It's, you know, outside of signing Tom Brady, that's your quickest route to the Super Bowl. And so that's my only concern, you know, with, with a Wednesday, it's just, you know, the third rounder is, is obviously fairly negligible that I think it's, it's the, concern, you know, with a Wentz trade. It's just, you know, the third rounder is obviously fairly negligible. I think it's a second, you know, it's a conditional second that conveys into a first to be placed 75% of his snaps. That's really interesting. I don't know if the Colts have any plans for Tomfoolery to try to get away from giving up the first.

But, you know, just in terms of draft capital given up I I think I would like to trade more you know just again because of the contracting if it was it was the second but just as far as a player to um you know take a shot on on on the bounce back for sure I mean like you know I like Carson Wentz a lot coming out of college um I I live right by Fargo like you know I'm two hours away. You know, so I've gotten to watch, you know, not, I got to watch a lot of Wentz live in college and I got to watch a lot of Lance as well. I, you know, I still think he's a starting quarterback in the NFL. And in terms of draft equity, again, you didn't give up the most. It's just a thing of, can we

create, you know, if, you you know if Carson Wentz does bounce back you know and you know but he's not a superstar with the amount that we're paying you know let's say he's I don't know you know going forward if he's like the 14th or 15th best quarterback are we going to be able to win a Super Bowl with the contract we're paying him and now we're out of first round pick next year I think that's the bigger question as far as that goes but just as far as Carson Wentz the quarterback and as far as the situation the Colts were in I'm totally fine with that that dart throw you know I I I would guess that he returns more value than a second and a third you know just in a vacuum looking real quick Thor just to how the

draft played out and obviously this went straight happened in February looking into late April when the the Giants are on the clock at pick 11 Devontae Smith goes right before them the Eagles trip the Cowboys and they end up having to move back the Bears from number 20 overall trip to get Justin Fields for their first round pick a fifth a fourth this year and a fifth next year it seems like to me Thor I don't know like looking back on it maybe the Colts be biting themselves later on, but do you think maybe that could have been a situation where if the Wentz trade didn't happen, the Colts might have been in a position

to move up there and kind of get like their own Justin Fields? So for me, that's, those are the situations I'm looking for. Yeah, exactly. So, you know, when I, you know, any, any sort of criticism you got for me from, from that response, that's, when I, you know, any, any sort of criticism you got for me from, from that response, that's, you know, when you're like, well, what would you have done? That's what I would have done. I, you know, in, in this draft, it, you know, it's, it was Justin Fields is the guy that fell down with, you know, where you're, you're, you know, you ended up as far as the draft equity went, but, you know, moving up there, you know, you've already basically sacrificed your first next year.

And so, you know, you mentioned what the Bears gave to the Giants to move up. You know, it seems like the Colts would have been able to get that done. We'll see if Fields is, you know, like what happens here, you know, what kind of a player he turns out to be, et cetera. But I think one thing that fans might miss as far as like the way that the salary cap now works and whatnot is it's like really super-duper hard to win in the NFL now when you're paying a guy who's not like, like literally like a top eight quarterback, but when you have to pay him like that premium, you know,

the Vikings found this out with cousins, et cetera. You know, like you, you sort of see that around the league. It's in, in terms of expenditure and in terms of what you're giving out, salary caps, no different than, than draft equity. And if you, if you just keep firing the bullets at the quarterback position in terms of what you're giving out salary caps no different than than draft equity and if you if you just keep firing the bullets at the quarterback position in terms of draft capital until you hit um i i think you're going to end up giving up less and getting getting to your your ultimate path quicker than the path of like paying the guy who's not the top 10 guy a bunch of money i i realize this is a really convenient thing to say for someone that doesn't run a team because you don't just have access to the top 10 guys,

or you just don't have access to pick whatever quarterback you want in any given year. But again, for me, just to use this draft as an example, it really did seem throughout the spring like Justin Fields was going to fall. That he was going to fall out of the top five, and then it seemed like he was going to fall out of the top ten. And that's indeed what ended up happening. I'm sure the Colts discussed this. They knew as well as anyone that this was a five a five quarterback class or whatever. You know, it would be interesting to know how those discussions went and why they decided to go with Carson Wentz, you know, instead of that scenario. But if it was me, I certainly would have gone the other way.

You sacrifice the first either way. You know, in this case, you would have sacrificed your first this year as well, you know, in a day two pick or whatever. But, you know, on the other hand of it, then you have a bunch of cap room, right? Like, you know, you have cap room for the next, you know, ostensibly five years, right? Because once you, you know, you draft a quarterback, it's the five-year thing. And so, you know, just think about the enormous cap savings every single year between the rookie contract and, you know, say in this case, what Wentz is going to make, you know, it's like, it's like a $20 million difference every single year.

So you're, you're literally talking about a hundred million dollars in salary cap space, you know, you know, extrapolated over the five years. That's what we're talking about. You know, like when, when, you know, when we talk about why is it so valuable to get that quarterback, the difference between what they make and then what the Stars make, it's different than every other position. And, of course, the value is as well. Bouncing back to the draft, or good stuff there on the Wentz debate and discussion,

but let's get to Kylan Granson. And ironically enough, your comp for him in your book was Trey Burton, who they really see as Trey Burton 2.00 a more athletic twitchier version of burton he's going to be playing that move tight end role that burton did indie last year he's going to play an immediate role in 2021 as well granson will see playing time alongside molly cox and jack doyle when you went and watched granson what was your thoughts on him as a prospect yeah i i you know like you know just going back to like what i said before i i think they got him you know like you know just going back to like what I said before I I think they got him you know like I think they they understand you know exactly what

he brings in and and so like it's that's an interesting fit you know you bring up the confidence just a funny thing like it's funny that the you know you know the roles and that the you know not just four specific roles, but also the specific types of players that teams get attracted to. Another example of this from this class is I comped Kenny Yeboah to Chris Herndon, and then the Jets ended up signing Yeboah to a record UDFA contract to compete with Herndon. But just as far as what Granson provides,

it's very much like a young Trey Burton coming into the league it's like if if Kylan Granson was you know four inches taller he would have gone in the second round you know like that's the only difference between that's the only reason he's available there he has really good ball skills. You know, he moves really fluidly and he has a lot of different skills. You know, you can move them around. He can function and win in various spots of the formation, et cetera. And he can block in space a little bit too. So, you know, I think there's a lot of different things that they can do with him. And of course, in the passing game, I just think he's going to remind everyone just so much of trey burton it's it's basically

the same thing it's just a sought-off guy who's you know 245 it's like the 6-1 245 thing with good ball skills and athletically they're they're just about the same so it's yeah it's like the dueling spider-man gif or whatever colts fans rock auto.com is the place to go if you want to save money on your next car purchase. Whether it be saving about $100 on a fuel pump assembly or saving on so much more, like brake parts, tail lamps, motor oil, new carpet, engine control modules, really everything that rockauto.com has to offer. It's a lot cheaper and a lot more efficient than the other competitors out there. And best of all, prices at rockauto.com are always reliably low for everyone out there.

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Honestly, just looking at their profiles, it almost is the exact same person. I'm excited for what Grants could do in his offense here in 2021 and beyond. But let's go now to the Colts' next pick, which is Sean Davis. You mentioned at the top of the show, Thor, you really like this pick. And it's something the Colts do as well. They see him as the third safety with Julian Blackman and Kari Willis switching in and out and dime looks as well.

He's a hard hitter from what I've seen on tape, Thor. What was your thoughts on Sean Davis in that pick? Yeah, like the way he plays, he definitely brings an attitude to the field. You know, you don't see sort of the hit men anymore. But like, you know, you see it with that kid. You know, he's a very tough kid. And it's not just the hitting. There's certain players in this class, and I'm trying to think of an example guys that like they're, they're big

hitters, but they, they're, they're tackle rates are, you know, they miss a bunch of Chaz Surratt, I guess is one example. Like his missed tackle rate is, is way higher higher because he doesn't use his arms very well. Davis comes in with the hammer, but he wraps up too. So you like to see that. I guess, you know, like he had a little bit more inconsistency the last season, you know, this past season in 2020. I guess that's why he fell. You know, he had a knee injury in his past, you know, or he's had two different, you know, injury in his past, you know, or he's had two different,

you know, injuries in his past, but you know, like we talk about like the, the run support thing in coverage, I thought he was really underrated. And so like, for me, you know, I was led to believe that he was going to go even lower like in the draft. And so it was, it was cool to see that a team had a conviction on Davis like that. Because again, like, you know, I, I think like you, you know, just from, from watching a little bit, the, the, you know,

the physicality that he's going to bring and that sort of edge and stuff like that. But I, I think there's more fluidity in space and more ball skills and more just understanding in coverage than was given credit for during his pre-draft process. Do you see starter upside with Davis? I know they have Willis and they have Blackman, but I think it's fair to say just based on what you described with Davis,

if he didn't land an Indy where he could probably be the third safety for the next couple years at least, he probably could have been a starter elsewhere just the profile he has yeah I do yeah you talk about like the upside for sure yeah because it's it's the ability to do both things it's and for him it's the thing that ties them together is the range right like when when he's triggering against the run you know coming up to support with that um he comes down real quick um and then it you know it's it's the same thing as far as like i mean he's sitting there in zone or whatever and then he's got to come up to contest the ball um it's just it's closing really quick he has great range around

the field and so um you know again between the the physicality he shows and the reliability as a tackler and i again i i think he was a bit better in coverage than he was given credit for and so with that kid um another thing i like about that pick is i know he's going to be able to contribute on special teams right away and so you already have that thing in the bag and then you know like as far as his his tool set goes I I don't see any way that he you know is not capable of at least being an NFL backup and and you know early and so and and then of course you have the the starter ceiling so like he'll be able to hang just on you know being like the third safety and a special teams guy early you know maybe early on he's even lower than the third safety but um he for sure has because of his ability to do both things and because of the fact that he's not um sort of pigeonholed into a scheme like there is a bunch of safeties in this

class that they're like they basically had to be in a very specific kind of scheme because of their limits like divine diablo is a great example like he divine diablo is basically like just an enormous like he he's basically stuck in limbo between being a linebacker and a safety you know he's like a quadruple a like you know stuck in limbo whatever um and so like he he had to be in a system that sort of limited you know like uh cam chancellor is is was like his forebear at virginia tech he had to go in a system that sort of limited, you know, like Cam Chancellor was like his forebear at Virginia Tech. He had to go to a cover three, you know, and he got into one with Seattle. So that played up all of his strengths, played down all of his weaknesses.

One of the things you like about Davis is because of his skill set, he's not pigeonholed. He's not pigeonholed to like a specific role within a team. He also, in the pre-draft process, it wasn't pigeonholed to like, specific role within a team he also in the pre-draft process it wasn't pigeonholed to like oh these you know dan quinn or one of these four other teams they're the only options for this kid right so like yes and and the scheme versatility it speaks to the versatility of the skill set so yeah i i i do think that there's possibility. I'm not sure if he gets there, but there absolutely is that upside for sure. One of the more interesting picks, Thor, in this year's draft for the Colts, back-to-back years now, was drafting a backup quarterback.

Last year it was Jacob Eason. This year it's Sam Ellinger. The Colts, ironically enough, Thor, I've not mentioned much at all when talking about Sam Ellinger, the player on the field. It's more so just his character and his leadership. And in your book here you have Tim Tebow as compares for Sam Ellinger. I think on the field, it's more so just his character and his leadership. And in your book here, you have Tim Tebow as a comparison for Sam Ellinger. I think that's pretty spot on, honestly. Ellinger wasn't that great of a thrower, really just more so of a jumbo runner.

He's not Taysom Hill as an athlete. I think he's more so just a guy maybe to use on goal line situations if you want to even use him. But what's your thoughts on them rolling the dice on Sam Ellinger here and really creating a competition long-term between East End, who I know you weren't a fan of as well last year, and Ellinger. So it's kind of just an interesting mix of guys there. Yeah, it's really, it's interesting because I, yeah, you mentioned I wasn't a fan of Eason

and I'm less of a fan of Ellinger. But what's funny is they're essentially the polar opposites as players. If they could, if the Colts could figure out a way to get those two in the lab and you could just combine them, you know, into sort of like what you gave Eason, Ellinger's athleticism and his brain, now we'd be cooking. But, you know, as is with those two guys, you know, at least Eason's got the right arm where he's just going to hang around because he will be able to make all the throws,

even if in practicality it never happens for him but with ellinger that's where it loses it for me because i don't think he has the the arm to make it's not any throws it's there's a lot of throws that he can't make you know in texas it was a lot of um you remember uh two classes ago when devin duvernay came out and it was like, oh, you know, he mostly just got screen passes. Like, well, yeah, it's mostly with Sam Ellinger throws, you know, it's, you know, they, yes, you know, when you look at Texas's numbers, you know, someone might be inclined to be like, well, you know, you guys are saying, you know, he's not a good passer, but like,

look at these stats he put up in the, you know, whatever, you know, it's, it was a lot of this dink and dunk stuff to good athletes, you know, on the perimeter, like, you know, he's not a good passer, but like, look at these stats he put up in the, you know, whatever, you know, it's, it was a lot of this dink and dunk stuff to good athletes, you know, on the perimeter, like, you know, extended handoff type stuff. I just don't think he has either the arm strength or the accuracy to hang around long-term. And then, you know, you talk about some of these anomalous guys where it's like, they're able to overcome some of that stuff. And it's it's because of the athleticism you know like you mentioned Taysom Hill and I agree with you on Ellinger because it's you know in terms of that it's very much like Tim Tebow like Tim Tebow was a good runner in in college but in the NFL he wasn't so much anymore he was just like you know sort of like a slightly above average athlete

in a big package you know but he wasn't uh you know like you know to scramble in the NFL and be really good at it you have to be an athlete on par with you know Kyler Lamar Jackson or or those kind of guys and these guys are not even close so the Ellinger pick again like for for me it's just like I guess they felt like they they you know they wanted to get a third quarterback or whatever but for me it's just an airmail pick I I don't see any shot that he has of contributing in the NFL last two picks here that we're going to cover Mike Strachan out of Charleston that said that these two seventh round Darthro's here Strachan a big body wide out who I think is interesting as a project player.

And you add in Will Fry as the interior offensive lineman out of Penn State. What's your thoughts on those two picks? They're kind of just guys who might not even make the roster, probably more so practice squad guys that you stashed a little bit. Yeah, that stretching kid, you know, like I was mentioning before, the eye-opener, you know, i was mentioning before that the eye opener it you know you knew you knew with the kid you know you knew that there was this you know six five 225 kid that was like tearing up the lower you know you know stuff like that but like it was when he he tested so well and that's when

it was like oh um with me with him what i would do is what i mentioned before i wouldn't try to put too much on that kid's plate early on and try, you know, and be like, oh, you know, let's try to turn him into a starting X, you know, let's, let's try to, you know, whatever. For me, like I would try to put them in like, you know, that, that sort of Riley Cooper role. I mean, like the Colts, you know, they, in that offense, you know, we've talked about the Trey Burtons. We've talked about the Trey Burtons.

We've talked about the Kylan Gransons. Well, you know, those guys are, you know, and they function in the slot, but, you know, move around a lot as well. If you want, you know, a big slot who's more in the vein of like a receiver, that's more what I'm thinking with that kid where, you know, he could threaten down the seam, and it's not something where his development would just take years and years so you know to me that's where where he becomes intriguing to follow his development and then with fries to Thor this

is someone who played tackle at Penn State moved inside to guard you think in the NFL level just athletically he's definitely more so a guard oh for sure yeah he's yeah definitely added a guard but like you know the fact that he showed um some of that athleticism at his pro day workout I thought was you know he so he had an 8.49 razz that was really good for him I think that locked it you know in um you know his ability to um you know get drafted or whatever potentially a you know a swing uh tackle kind of a, you know, in, you know, his ability to, you know, get drafted or whatever. Potentially, you know, a swing tackle kind of a guy, you know, you know, but for me, it would be more of like the break glass in case of emergency type thing, you know, as far as guard goes. But the thing you like about him is like he's played forever, you know, like he played a

long time at Penn State. And you mentioned he played out on the perimeter. He's a kid that had some, you know, a couple of all Big Ten teams and stuff like that. But he's a little bit stiff. You know, it's like, you know, you see the kids where it's like they move all right, like on the hoof, but, like, they can't get down in their stance, you know, and, like, you know, going side to side with the twitchy guys

is a little bit more difficult for them. That's where Fries falls off, you know, as far as the tackle goes. Inside, it's going to be easier, especially because he moves better, you know, and stuff like that. It's just going to be, you know, maintaining his leverage against NFL defenders that are power players. I think that's going to be, you know, if he proves he can do that, I think that's when he starts to become interesting. Last one here for you, Thor. Appreciate the time tonight going over the Colts 2021 draft class. If you had to pick just a few guys who were your favorite picks

or more so guys who could really hit on the next level in the NFL, who would you say off the Colts players that we just mentioned that they drafted, you're going to be successful NFL players? Well, I mean, pay for sure. You know, Davis would be my pick for the late round guy. And yeah, those would be my two guys. I mean, like, you know, cause I think there's a real shot that pays the star. And I think that there's a real shot that, that Davis, not only do you see him sooner than you think, you know, because I think there's a real shot that paves the star. And I think that there's a real shot that Davis, not only do you see him sooner than you think, you know, like, you know,

Sunday week two and all of a sudden this kid makes a hit on special teams and someone fumbles and, you know, the announcer's screaming his name kind of a thing. And then, you know, you start to see him, you know, mixed in on defense later. I think those would be the two names that I toss out. Thor, hey, this is a lot of fun, man. Really appreciate coming on tonight's episode.

Colts fans, go ahead. If you're not already, go ahead and follow Thor on Twitter, at ThorQ. He is NBC Sports Edge's lead college football and NFL draft analyst. Thor, appreciate the time tonight, man. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it.