Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - SENIOR BOWL: Who the Indianapolis Colts Should Be Watching This Week in Mobile

Starting point is 00:00:00 The senior bull is this week so you know the Colts are going to have their eyes peeled on who is going to become the newest members of the Colts this year in the draft. 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. All right, welcome to Locked on Colts, part of the Locked on Podcast Network. Now the number one sports podcast network. out there. Hello everybody. I am Jake Garthor, the Indianapolis Colts beat writer for Roundtable Sports. And today we are talking all things senior bowl. Now the Panini Senior Bowl, no longer the Reese's

Starting point is 00:00:48 Senior Bowl. This year, it gets kicked off with practice Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and then the game will be on Saturday, of course. I'll be flying out there later tonight so I can report to you guys all about practice. But I wanted to make sure we kind of covered all our bases here. Just kind of give you a good overview players to look at pretty much every position and then what this might mean for the Colts as well. So the Colts in the Senior Bowl, they definitely, this is a treasure trove for them every year. Just looking at the last two years alone, guys who were at the Senior Bowl who eventually came Colts, Liatu Latu, Tanner Bordalini, Riley Leonard, Jalen Travis, Hunter Wooler, Jonathan Edwards, and Seth Hennigan. That's

Starting point is 00:01:35 just in the last two years. And you can look all over the Chris Ballard Colts era and see that there are players from the Senior Bowl every single year, usually several of them that come and join the Colts at some point. Now, the Colts will have kind of special interest in this one. They have a few coaches down there again this year, which they normally do. They're Tony Dungey diversity coaching fellow Diego Ortiz. He is going to be coaching the American team running backs this year.

Starting point is 00:02:03 And then Chris Watt, who I think Chris Watt has been there like three or four years in a row now. He is one of the Colts offensive line coaches. He is Tony Sparano Jr's right-hand man. He'll be coaching the American team offensive line. And then Colts assistant linebacker coach, Cato June, will be coaching the national team linebackers. June's been down there a couple times as well. So those position groups in particular, the Colts will have plenty of intel on. They'll have a lot of background on these guys, how they are behind the scenes, how they are as teammates, what their practice habits are.

Starting point is 00:02:41 And then kind of what they're like if you just kind of drop them into a bubble, because this is an all-star game after all. This isn't their, these aren't their normal teammates. So how does leadership come through and things like that when they're in an unfamiliar environment? It's always really good to have some of your coaches there participating. So there are some marquee players that are going to be down there in Mobile. obviously Ruben Bain, T.J. Parker, Colton Hood. Those guys are going to be first-round picks almost certainly. So I'm not really going to touch on them because the Colts don't have a first-round pick.

Starting point is 00:03:14 But obviously, some of those guys, if the Colts were able to find a way to land them, that would be terrific. But let's go ahead with the rest of the offensive side of the ball here real quick. So it's not a super exciting group of quarterbacks this year. but the head minor really is LSU's Garrett Nussmeyer. Now going into this last college season, he was someone who was kind of up in the air for QB1 going into the draft. That's obviously no longer going to be the point. This group of quarterbacks this year, I think really, really underwhelmed,

Starting point is 00:03:49 plus Archmanning underwhelmed and is not going to declare. So, like, this group of quarterbacks just really kind of fell flat. But Nussmeyer at least has the benefit of his father, being an NFL offensive coach. I think he's still with the Saints. So Nussmeier, like, he understands pro football. He's going to have the work habits. We already know he has those work habits.

Starting point is 00:04:11 But as a player, he's just a bit of a gunslinger and can be a little too risky with it and just did not have a final season there in Baton Rouge that a lot of people wanted from him. But still, it's not too late. Like, at one point, he was a really good prospect. So I'll be keeping a special eye on him as well as Arkansas's Taylin green. So that's a big-bodied guy that can has got a strong arm and he can run it really well. We've seen it at Arkansas. We saw it at Boise State. Obviously, the Colts don't really, once they lock up Daniel Jones, they don't really need a quarterback, but I'm just going through each position

Starting point is 00:04:46 group here. And these are a couple guys that kind of catch my eye. Running back, we're kind of in the same boat there. But I use Kalem Black will be there. Penn State's Nicholas Singleton in Washington's Jonah Coleman. And those are three guys who, you know, bigger, stronger backs, who could probably give you something on all three downs if you want. Not necessarily as a group, the strongest group of pass catchers. But if you want someone to bruise in between the tackles and gut you're out some yards, I think that's a good group of guys to look at. Coleman especially is someone. I know a lot of people have their eyes on as kind of a breakout candidate for this draft cycle.

Starting point is 00:05:25 Looking at wide receivers, you got to go back to the well and blue. I use Elijah Sarat is going to be there. So that is a guy. If the Colts do move on from Michael Pitman, Jr. I think Surat does a lot of the same things really well. He's tough and gritty over the middle of the field. He catches everything. He's not an elite athlete necessarily,

Starting point is 00:05:47 but he's a really good route runner, which helps him get open and makes big things happening passing game. And then Texas A&M's Casey Concepcion. The Colts are in a weird spot here at receiver over the next couple years because we've talked a lot about what you do with Michael Pittman Jr's contract. Alec Pierce, you pretty much have to re-sign him. But then Josh Downs is coming up on his final year next year as well. So Concepcion is just a really dangerous yards after catch slot receiver type. Do the Colts look a year ahead with Concepcion versus Downs?

Starting point is 00:06:24 I don't know, but I expect him to be a pretty big control. contributor this week down in Mobile. Tight end, you know, you don't, you've got your guy now, but Moe Alley Cox is a free agent. Drew Rogel Tree is a free agent. So what do you do there? Justin Jolly from NC State, former wide receiver. He is kind of one of those joker tight end. So he's not going to be your prototypical line it up on the line and stick your nose in a guy's

Starting point is 00:06:49 chest and dominate that way. But if you want another pass catching tied in that can do some really good things, You could look that direction. And then for me, a sleeper is Stanford's Sam Roush. He's kind of a well-balanced guy. He can catch it. He can block. You can move him around a little bit.

Starting point is 00:07:08 The Colts are going to have intel on him from both Andrew Luck and Frank Reich. So Andrew Luck is Stanford Football's GM, and Frank Reich was their interim head coach this year. Chris Ballard is going to have all the information he needs on Stanford players this year. So for me, that's just kind of a sneaky one of keeping in the, the back of my head there because they might need to add another guy or two behind Tyler Warren depending on what happens with Moe-A-Cox and Drew Ogletree. And then on the offensive line, some standout players this year, but a couple just, I think, makes sense for the Colts.

Starting point is 00:07:43 Georgia Tech Guard Keelan Rutledge, I think would fit the DNA of that group really well. Just a tough, nasty player that wants to finish. He's smart and can get out and move a little bit. and then Oregon's Emmanuel Pregnone. Now, he might wind up being a first round pick, but you hardly ever know with Interior Offensive linemen how that's going to go. If he slides down lower to, like, say, the top 50, and the Colts feel like they want to upgrade the offensive line at all,

Starting point is 00:08:13 it's certainly not their top priority, but if they want to get ahead of it and just kind of bolster the offensive line and have reinforcements, because as we know, injuries are always going to have. happen, then they could certainly do worse than pregnant. He's a player that I think is really, really solid. And I'm never fully against the Colts adding offensive lineman, pretty much no matter what time it comes.

Starting point is 00:08:36 So that is it for the offensive side of the ball, guys. Here in a moment, we will talk about the defense, which we all know that is where, you know, if the Colts want to use all the draft picks on the defense, I don't think any of us would have an issue with that. All right. The big game is almost here. We've now got it set. It is the Seahawks.

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Starting point is 00:12:14 Just go to Indeed.com slash locked on NFL right now and support the show by saying that you heard about Indeed on this podcast. terms and conditions apply hiring do it the right way with indeed all right welcome back everyone thank you for making locked on colds your first listen of the day and thank you for making locked on the number one sports podcast network just a reminder that if you haven't joined the everyday air club you got to hop in and join the action it means you could catch our audio ad free and get an invite to the members only locked on everyday club discord server where you could chat with zach and the rest of the listeners and viewers who watch Locked-on Colts.

Starting point is 00:12:58 We're having a great time over there. We've gotten to several topics so far, you know, the playoffs with us all watching from the outside. We've been able to have commentary on that. But we're having a really good time there. Just go to Locked-oncultz.supercast.com to join or you can even gift a subscription. And again, that link is in the show notes as well. So let's go ahead and talk about some players on the defensive side of the ball here at the Senior Bowl. So edge rusher is probably priority number one.

Starting point is 00:13:27 You've got Miami's Akeem Mesidor is going to be in there. So Rubin Bain is a guy that's going to be top five. We know that. But if you want the next best thing when it comes to Miami pass rushers, Mesidor is probably available there for the picking in the second round for the Colts. You've got Missouri's Zion Young and Illinois's Gabe Jockis as well. So if the point is getting more explosive and faster on defense, then I think these guys kind of fit.

Starting point is 00:13:53 the bill. They win. They've got some speed to power. They can bend around the edge a little bit, but generally they're not just guys who are going to run into the tackles chest and try to bull rush. These guys have some juice coming off the edge with, I think the Colts need. And I don't really consider any of them like projects either, because I think the Colts need instant impact players. So those few edge rushers really, I think, fit the bill there. going into the interior, which I think is going to be really important for the Colts with both the Forrest Bunkner and Grover Stewart entering the season at 32 years old. Buckner obviously coming off the neck procedure as well, so we don't know how that's going to look.

Starting point is 00:14:34 So two players kind of in different areas here. Florida's Caleb Banks, that's a huge, massive dude. That's what is he? Like, 6566, well over 300 pounds. big explosive guy coming from the SEC. We've seen that before from Georgia. He's not necessarily to that same degree of those, Jalen Carter and Isaiah Davis, those guys.

Starting point is 00:15:01 But Caleb Banks, enormous defensive tackle prospect, who's actually explosive and he's not just a space eater. He's very, very intriguing. He had dealt with some injuries, so we'll see what he looks like down in Mobile and whether he's kind of regained that form. And then Penn State's Zane, to ramp. That's a guy who is, again, explosive from the interior. You could use him at 3 Tech there

Starting point is 00:15:22 and can definitely provide some penetration and some pass rush juice there from the inside. Looking at linebacker, kind of an intriguing group. So Texas Tech's Jacob Rodriguez is a guy that know a lot of you like. You've mentioned him to us before. He will be down there with several of his Texas Tech teammates. He's kind of a rangey, do-it-all linebacker. He's not, like, brilliant in any one area, but you're not going to lose games because the guys like Jacob Rodriguez. So he's very intriguing. If the Colts are going to give the linebacker group a facelift, they could do much worse than adding a guy like that on day two. And then Pittsburgh's Kyle Lewis is interesting.

Starting point is 00:16:05 I've heard people project him to safety in the NFL because he's a bit undersized, but he's explosive. But for what it's worth, they have him listed at linebacker. still on the senior bowl roster, which means that's where NFL personnel mostly wants to see him. So I think he's going to get the opportunity to kind of show his chops there at linebacker and prove that he'll stand up tall to the competition there still. If it doesn't go well, maybe they'll have him work out as a safety at the combine or something. But explosive guy, rangy, a bit needs to be a bit more refined in his game, but is a playmaker with plenty of potential, nonetheless.

Starting point is 00:16:47 At cornerback, you're looking at IUs, DeAngelo Pons, yet another IU player we're going to talk about. I think he is probably the draft prospect that we have discussed the most here on the show between Zach and me and then even over on the squad show with Derek and Allen as well. DeAngelo Ponds, very undersized. He's, you know, he's under 510. I think he's like 170. I know the Colts just drafted Justin Wally, another undersized corner last year, but I don't care.

Starting point is 00:17:15 Like this guy knows how to play football. He knows how to get to the ball, and he plays well above his size. So if the Colts are going to throw a bunch of smirks out there in the secondary, who cares? I think everything else about him fits what Lou Aniromo and Chris Ballard really covet and cornerback prospects. And then Arkansas's Julian Neal is another intriguing guy because we know the Colts need kind of bigger bodied press man corners with a little bit of speed as well. and so Arkansas's Julian Neal, I think is very interesting there as well. And then when given the opportunity, it takes the ball away. So he's pretty intriguing.

Starting point is 00:17:52 Safety is going to be a good one this year as well because, you know, Nick Cross is a free agent. Rodney Thomas is a free agent. You've got Cam Bynum, who you sunk a lot of money into last offseason. So what does the safety position look like for the Colts next year? Toledo's Emmanuel McNeil Warren, big-bodied guy. you can move around and do a lot with him. He takes the ball away.

Starting point is 00:18:15 He can come up into the box and tackle. He can make plays in the secondary where he can, you know, cover a ton of ground and swat the ball away. So he is among safeties there at, in Mobile probably going to be the top one. Arizona's Genesis Smith is a guy you've, you guys have heard Zach talk a bit about playmaking and taking the ball away is the name of the game for him.

Starting point is 00:18:39 And then Miami's Keontay Scott is kind of, you know, well-rounded guy. He could take the ball away as well. Rangy, I think instinctive, intuitive out there on the field. I'll be interested to see how he matches up in the one-on-ones because he's a guy who could kind of steal the show in that department. So, again, defense, I think we all know. We all want the Colts to lean heavily into that throughout the draft. There's plenty of interesting players.

Starting point is 00:19:05 And mind you, I haven't even scratched the surface of everything I'm going to do draft season. I have a lot to learn about the guys down there, which I will do over the next few days. I'm going to catch a flight here at about 12 hours or so. So I'll be there again Tuesday and Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday for practice. I'll be able to tell you guys all about it. And then, yeah, I mean, this is always my favorite part of draft season to kick things off. And it's like, for me, learning all this information, it's like drinking out of a fire hose.

Starting point is 00:19:35 But I love it. And it really builds the foundation for my draft coverage every, off season. So looking forward to, hope you guys follow along. Thanks again for tuning in today to Locked on Colts. We'll be back again throughout the week to bring you all the updates from the Senior Bowl. Make sure you subscribe and follow Locked on Colts so you can get all the latest episodes. If you don't already, follow at Lockdown Colts at Jake Arthur, NFL, and at Zach X2 on social media. If you never miss an episode, then remember the Everydayer Club is just for you. Get Locked on Colts, add free audio, plus members only Discord access.

Starting point is 00:20:09 and more. Just had to lockroomcults.com or lockdormcultz. com to join the club. And with that, thank you guys for listening and you have a great day.

Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - SENIOR BOWL: Who the Indianapolis Colts Should Be Watching This Week in Mobile

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