Locked On Colts - Daily Podcast On The Indianapolis Colts - TOO HIGH/TOO LOW: NFL Draft Prospects We Are Higher/Lower On Than Consensus for Indianapolis Colts
Episode Date: April 15, 2026With the 2026 NFL Draft nearly upon us, which prospects are Jake and Zach higher and lower on than consensus for the Indianapolis Colts? The 2026 Indy Draft Guide is now here! 170+ write-ups on the... 2026 NFL Draft class, plus how each player fits the Colts, and an in-depth dive into Chris Ballard's draft history and usage of draft picks. Pre-order below: https://draftguide.gumroad.com/l/indy26 EVERYDAYER CLUB If you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub TEXT WITH JAKE AND ZACH Join the Locked On Colts insider program to text with Jake and Zach, ask any questions you have, and get updates on news and rumors from the Colts' facility, locker rooms, stadium, and practice field! https://joinsubtext.com/c/lockedoncolts Find and follow Locked On Colts on your favorite podcast platforms: 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-colts/ 📺YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLdpxJspi1hMh5HL7ExpWOQ Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More 🎧 https://lockedonpodcasts.com/podcasts/locked-on-nfl/ Follow Jake's written work on roundtable.io/sports/nfl/colts/ and Zach's on si.com/nfl/colts/, and give them a follow on Twitter @JakeArthurNFL, @ZachHicks2, and @LockedOnColts! Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! TurboTax This year, you’re getting a major upgrade — Intuit TurboTax now has in-person locations nationwide. Visit http://TurboTax.com/local to book your appointment today. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just five dollars and get two hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if their first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as non-withdrawable free bets that expire in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast. Rugiet Get 15% off your treatment → https://rugiet.com/lockedonnhl Rugiet. Performance medicine for men. Rocket MoneyLet Rocket Money help you reach your financial goals faster. Join athttp://RocketMoney.com/LOCKEDON Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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Discussion (0)
The 2026 NFL draft is nearly here, and consensus boards are being built by everyone in the industry.
So here are some guys that Jake and I are much higher on and much lower on than the industry consensus.
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.
I'm Zach Hicks.
That's Jake Arthur.
And on today's show, we are looking at Consumption.
Ratings. We went to a site called a mock draft database where they basically compile a bunch of
mock draft board and compile a consensus draft board where they look at a lot of industry experts
and put them all together in a really neat way. We're so waiting on Arefassans with the
wide left sports to put his official one next week. That's like the huge one of mock draft
database did a really great job of putting this one together for today's episode. So Jake and I are
going to go through and talk about players on day three that we would have above their draft
position. We're going to talk about guys that just in general, we'd have below their average
draft position. But to kick off today's show, we're going to talk about some potential day two
players in the 2026 NFL draft that Jake and I like a lot more than this consensus board does.
So Jake, I think we already kind of know which guys I'm going to say. So I'm going to give you the
floor to start this. Who are a couple guys that you would take on day two that maybe aren't ranked day two
on the consensus board or guys who are maybe on the consensus board for day two, but you would take much
earlier than like the 90th pit.
Yeah, I feel like you and I have both been wronged on our favorite linebackers in this
class.
You with Josiah Trotter and me with Kyle Lewis both somehow being slotted in about the third
round.
I just, I really don't get it.
You know, like Kyle Lewis, for example, his tape is phenomenal.
He flies around.
Like, he's undersized, yes, but like, haven't we kind of gotten past this at a certain
point when guys have like other just extremely high level traits like i think he's 511 around
220ish and change uh which that's not good size for a will linebacker and it's it's whatever for
a strong safety so guys don't know where to put him but if you find the right place to put him
are you not expecting to have a difference making player right there uh he takes the ball away at a rate
about as good as anyone other than Jacob Rodriguez.
Those two are just neck and neck when it comes to splash plays.
Sideline to sideline range.
Terrific athlete.
There's just nothing not to like about a guy like Kyle Lewis.
Other than, of course, you have to, again, figure out where do you play him?
But it's like just if you have any sort of creative or wise defensive coordinator,
this should not be that hard of an issue to solve.
Yeah.
So for me, Kyle Lewis is arguably my favorite player in the entire draft.
And I would be completely comfortable with taking him anywhere in the second round.
Third round, I think is highway robbery.
Yeah, I think I'm a little bit lower on Kyle Lewis than you are.
So I'm okay-ish with him around 73 is his average draft position here.
I don't think I would take him at 47 for sure.
Maybe in a tradeback, I'd be okay with it.
But I think, you know, both of our guys, our favorite linebackers,
and we'll segue this into Josiah Trotter,
I think are being penalized for not being all around complete players, right?
With Kyle Lewis, you have to have,
like if you have these two guys next to each other, for instance,
you probably feel really good about your linebacker.
Yeah.
Right?
But I think, like, with Kyle Lewis,
you need to have like that thumper, Mike linebacker next to him
that can really take on blocks and get around
because Lewis is not going to be a good run defender on his record.
You got to have a mountain space.
That's why I wouldn't put him anywhere that wasn't Will linebacker
when it comes to the linebacker core.
Right.
And that's why even I don't, like, I even don't mind the safety talk with him.
I'm actually, for the Colts, I'd probably rather him at safety, I think.
I think he would be a safety with the Colts, yeah.
Yeah, I think that's where I would have him.
But I could see some teams, like, in their four three base defense, having him as a will linebacker.
Where Josiah Trotter, he is just like a classic thumper that defends that run at such a high level.
Outside of Sunny Styles, I think he's the best run defending linebacker in this class.
Still very young.
And there are some coverage, like steps.
he needs to take in coverage to grow, but I think he can be a day one mic for you.
For me, he's a top 40 player in the draft.
The ADP here has him at 64, which is an early third round pick.
I understand, again, why both of our linebackers here, Jake, are pushed down because
in the NFL, every single down now essentially is run or pass is on the table because
teams are running the ball so much more.
They're passing out of every look on early downs as well.
So having somewhat limited guys in one area does hinder you a little.
bit, but if you have a created defensive coach, I think you can get around it. And, you know,
Trotter is very young. Lewis isn't as young, but he's still like a dynamic player. I'm with you.
I think that these guys should be valued a bit higher, but I do understand the consensus a bit.
Although with my consensus bringing Trotter up so much, I don't know who's bringing him down to 64,
right? That means someone has to have him close to a hundred that's breaking him down. So I don't know.
Awful. Yeah. So, okay, let's another guy that I thought of immediately when we were
thinking up this exercise with someone we've talked a good bit about and it's wide receiver
to sean stribling depending on who you ask i've seen him in the second round i've seen him
most commonly like in the fourth round like if you do any automated mock drafts or anything he's
usually available to you around the fourth round and i that that variance is just crazy to me and
his ADP winds up being there at 120 in the fourth round so to me he checks so many boxes like he is
big he's athletic and explosive he's got good hands he offers yards after the catch 50 50
competition like he's played for a million different schools which probably plays into it a little bit
if if people think there's like a lack of commitment there perhaps but you know he tries
if i'm if i remember correctly uh pretty solid as a blocker as well so like he's he is nimble and
physical big athletic sure hands like there's
for me, there's nothing not to like about him in like the second round because like you get
in the second round and there's a bunch of receivers that you're starting to get into that have
big questions. I don't have as many questions about stribling as I do some of these other guys,
you know? I have some questions about stribling in terms of being that high. I think there is
that dynamic ability from him on film, but I just don't know if it's that consistent. He was a number
two receiver in his fifth year last year or six year. I think what it was at Ole Miss. He still
wasn't a number one wide receiver at the college level.
So I do have concerns there.
His contested catch rate wasn't, it was like a 37% I think last year.
So I do have some concerns with stribling.
I'd happily take him in round three.
Round two at like 47 gets a little generous for me.
That is a little high.
I think I'd prefer a tradeback scenario.
Yeah, if you trade back into like the 60s, I'd be fine or like the high, high 50s.
I'd be very fine with taking him there.
But that's probably the earliest that would go.
I probably have him as like a top 70, top 75 player in this draft for me,
because I do really like what he can bring.
I just don't think he's a guy who's going to step into the NFL on day one and be like
a thousand yard wide receiver.
I think you'll be like a 400.
Like I compare him a lot to Trey Harris, who came out of Ole Miss last year with,
but he's a little bit more juice than Harris.
Harris, I think went in like round three last year to the Chargers.
So I think that's a good comp for him.
I do agree that like mid-fourth round where the consensus board has him is a bit low.
but like I can't go up to round two with some of these like who was it it was Chad
rudder who had him the Colts taking him in round two at 47 I was like man I don't know about that
like if Chris Brasel Chris Brasel on the board there I take Brasel over him even though I think
stribling could be a better fit it's just Brazell just has some better film as of right now but
stribling I like a lot much higher than that average draft position of 120 a couple other guys
here that I threw on here, and you can react to them real quick here, too, Jake.
Dominic Orange, the nose tackle from Iowa State, Big Citrus is what they call him.
His average draft position is around 67.
I have a top 50 grade on him.
He's such a good run defender.
He's such a, like a fun player.
And I think he's just going to be the next Grover Stewart in the NFL, like that type of
player.
I gladly take him top 50.
I don't, maybe not for the Colts, but just in general for the NFL.
And then two edge rushers.
talked about a lot and one i don't think we've talked about enough uh j sean barram from
michigan he's flown all the way up to number 88 on here which i think is great i think that's higher
than most people would have them i just have like a top 55 grade on top 50 i am so so high on jason
barram he's one of those edge wresters like when you get to day two day three or not day three
uh round two round three i'm betting on those traits and what he can be i compare him a lot to jalen
walker last year he just didn't get uh more time at edge like he's
should have. And then Alabama edge rusher L.T. Overton. We haven't talked about him a ton, Jake,
because he's like 280 pounds and he's just a stout run defender. But if the Colts miss out on
an edge in round two, and they're just looking at the board of guys in round three. And it's like,
you know, deny Dennis Sutton and Joshua Joseph's and like L.T. Overton, I'd be fine with
Overton over those guys. I think you're going to get a good floor and a guy who can play inside
and out and really fit your defense, they have its average draft position of being 108 right now.
I would, I'd have him in the top 80, top 85 for sure.
I've seen some people have them in the top 50, but I'd say like top 80 is where I would have
them.
So if he was there at 78 in the best edge rusher, I'd be fine with him over some of these other guys.
Yeah.
So Barham, I'm in on him being higher than the normal.
Like you said, 88, he's starting to climb up.
He had been like fourth, fifth round for a lot of this whole process.
But I think what people are uncomfortable with is he's just a lot of projection, again,
because the tape on edge rusher just isn't a lot of it's not there.
But I mean, if you got the traits, again, I like that he's a run defender as well as a pass rusher.
I really like that.
You're, I mean, again, you're trusting him and projecting him to be like a solid three-down player.
I think the traits are there for it.
So I'm all for him being up above that.
overton is i'm fine with overton being in the fourth round just because again he's he doesn't
excite me like i think he's fine he's solid uh but fourth round is good and he is probably around
that last lump of guys where i'm like man you really need this like the strong side end to do something
for you and earn snaps as a rookie i would be comfortable with him doing that you just have to know
that you're probably getting a limited contributor when it comes to pass rush at least from for my
perspective. But drafting him overall, I'd be okay with that.
He's your Zion Young consolation prize, right? If you really want Zion Young and you miss out,
I think that he'd be a good one to get. But coming up, we have more players to talk about that we
like above their average draft position. Now as we go into more of like the guys outside the top
100, I know it's not as crazy on day three because it's a crap shoot there. But Jake and I still
have some bones to pick with this consensus board and where they have some of the guys.
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All right, welcome back, everybody.
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All right, Zach, let's get into day three.
Now, this is where it gets really wild because consensus is one thing,
but teams are just going to be going to get their guys on day three.
It does not matter.
Some teams may have a guy out six and seventh round,
but he's going in the fourth round of Team X.
You know,
so when you look around the landscape at certain guys in their ADP,
who are you just saying, I'll be damned?
I'm going to get in this guy as soon as I can.
Yeah, I mean, I think the three guys that really stood out to me
when I was looking at this consensus board.
One was linebacker, Caleb, alarms, or at a TCU.
We talked about him on Monday when I took him in round four.
in our mock draft Monday, this ADP has him at 142, which is like the early fifth round range.
I don't really know what pushes him down that far.
Like I understand that he's a bit stiff and the past coverage wasn't always perfect.
But we're talking about a linebacker here.
Most linebackers in the NFL can't cover.
Like it's kind of the nature of the position or they have some struggles with covering.
So I get a guy with long arms, super production last year in every facet.
he ran a 447 at the combine and tested out of this world in general.
Like, why is him outside the top 140?
Like, I think he'd be closer to like 100 or 90 than having him back in 140.
So, yeah, Caleb Alarmes-Or that really popped out to me.
One that made me upset, I think, was offensive tackle Drew Shelton from Penn State.
It had him all the way down at 193 in the sixth round.
I had an early fourth round grade on him in the indie draft guide, very high on Drew Shelton.
And like I understand there are some deficiencies with him.
There's a reason why we're pushing him to day three,
but very good athlete,
very good zone blocker.
I think he can be a high level backup offensive tackle
with like a spot starter potential.
And I even think he could play a little bit inside if you need him to.
So like Drew Shelton being below,
there were a handful of offensive tackles I saw in here that,
it saw in there that I just disagreed with.
But Drew Shelton being all the way down the sixth round,
I thought was a bit crazy.
And then linebacker Justin Jeff,
from Alabama as well.
He in the early part of the draft process, like, correct me if I'm wrong, Jake,
I saw him in like the top 80, top 100.
And now it, like, he's all the way down at pick 205 in this, like 80P of 205, which is like,
you know, late six round.
Look, there are, again, there are issues with him.
We're talking day three players here.
They need to be a little bit better with his instincts, but he flies around to the football.
I think, you know, playing in Alabama, you naturally pick up a lot of things.
that I think most players don't.
And whether it's at safety or linebacker,
I think you at least get a special team's demon out of him.
So him all the way down at round six is just wild to me.
Like, I would be tempted to take him in round four if the Colts still didn't have a
linebacker there because I do like some of the stuff he can do on day three.
He's kind of in that same mold of like a Kyle Lewis and like those type of players
in this draft.
So round six for Justin Jefferson, I think is a bit wild.
Yeah.
So I'm glad first off that you mentioned,
Caleb alarms or because I think Colts fans need to get used to that name such a ballard linebacker well he is he is one of the
like non top 50 guys I've probably heard the most link to the Colts and I usually do a much better job
throughout the pre-graph process of keeping up with Tony Pauline because no one does like pro day notes
and like snippets from that better than he does so the Colts sent a had a linebacker's coach at
TCU's pro day. So you lump alarm alarms or and Nomdi OBAZor together into that. OBA's or more of like
a later day three guy. I think former safety convert to linebacker. Now, I don't know if that was
James Betcher or Cato June or both. I don't know. But the Colts had some sort of linebacker coach
representation there. And we have both speculated that, you know, the Colts made.
maybe comfortable waiting a little bit to get a linebacker.
And maybe that's alarms war in the third round or a tradeback or whatever.
Early fourth, what have you.
I know there are other teams like the Jaguars, for instance,
Tony Wiggins, who runs locked on Jaguars,
he's convinced that Alarms Orr is a day two lock to Jacksonville.
So like there are people very high on him.
But I think the Colts are going to be one of them.
And like they got to have, they got to address at Dresher early.
That just might force linebacker.
backer down the board a little bit.
So a guy like Alarms Orr makes a lot of sense.
Trey Moore is another one.
I think ADP of 199 in the sixth round,
this is someone people like a lot.
You know, a linebacker, edge rusher type.
He's very similar to who were we just talking about with the,
oh, the linebacker convert to edge rusher with very limited reps there.
Yeah.
So I think it was really just his final year of the two-way tape.
but he's like a productive, athletic guy out of Texas.
I think we ought to be talking about him a little more than we are in the sixth round.
Like, that's a guy who brings you some versatility.
And more and more in the NFL, we're getting these front seven star players.
I'm like I'm legitimately thinking of breaking up my positional rankings next year into back seven star players, front seven star players.
like the offball and edge rushing hybrids,
and then you got like your big safety types.
This is becoming very in vogue in the NFL.
And then so guys like Trey Moore, I think are very in demand.
So I think he should probably be mentioned way up on boards more than he is.
Highweight speed guy who had early production.
He was a freshman All-American at his first stop.
I can't remember right now where his first stop was.
He's another Texas school.
North Texas, I think is what it was.
I believe it was North Texas.
Now I've got to look.
Yeah, you look it up while I talk here.
But yeah, he was a freshman, All-American across the all-of-college football,
very productive player there.
So, yeah, I do think people are underselling how high he's going to go.
UTSA.
UTSA, that's what it was.
Yeah, that was the other one.
Yeah, yeah.
And then a couple more players I want to throw out here.
Josh Cameron, wide receiver from Baylor, limited player,
but I think he does some cool things after the catch and had a really good year at Baylor last year.
They haven't at 157.
I'd be fine in round four with Josh Cameron.
I like them.
Poor man's debo.
Right, right. Jacoby Thomas, the safety from Miami. You and I are both very high on him.
I think we'd have early fours on him. Do you have a third or a fourth on him? And then you draft guy.
I think I put, oh, man, let's see. So I have Jacobi Thomas. He's fourth. I have him right after VJ. Payne.
Yeah, so barely into the fourth. Yeah. So you were pretty high on him. I love him, though. I think if he wasn't such a disastrous tackler, I'd have him much higher.
But I think there's some fun there with him for sure.
Bishop Fitzgerald, a safety you didn't get to in the end of draft guy, but I thought his film was really good at USC all the way down at 215 out of USC.
Jalen Stroman as well, your guy from Notre Dame also went to a school pretty close to me.
Okay.
Yeah, yeah.
So I love me some Stroman family blood right there.
Average draft position of 350.
So we'll see if he gets the camp invite.
But real quick, Jake, I did want to push back a little bit on Bryce Betcher here in round five.
If you have him as someone you would take higher, I might take him lower than 141.
Oh, they're real.
Really?
Okay.
So just because he had short arms?
I don't think he's that good an athlete either.
I don't think he's good against the run at all.
There's a little bit there in coverage.
There's a little bit there in coverage.
I do like some of the coverage.
Okay.
Yeah.
He's good in coverage.
And then so the run defense was like the big question he had to answer coming into like the senior bowl.
But when he was down there, dude, he was flying all over the place.
He was meeting guys in the backfield.
He was blowing things up at the line of scrimmage.
And I was like, okay, I'm pleasantly surprised by him and Kyle Lewis
and their ability to defend the run in this setting.
Now, mind you, part of that might just be because it's like new blockers
and offensive linemen playing together and things like that.
So there's important context.
But, I mean, we're talking about the fifth round here.
Yeah.
Like if you can't give me Jeffrey Bossa last year, please give me Bryce Becher.
I already can't have Dylan Phanaman.
He's going to be way gone.
Give me an Oregon defender, please.
Yeah, I think my one thing with him was basically, I wrote in my notes, like, if he got
touched by a defender or by a blocker, he's out of the play.
Like, he's just not going to be involved in the play.
I called him poor man, Jack Kaiser, I think, in my notes.
And I was like.
Jack Kaiser was like a six-rap.
So that's why do we disagree on there, Jake?
But transitioning to the final segment, we're going to talk about.
players that on this consensus board were much higher than where Jake and I would take up,
like a price pressure, I guess, for me. But we're going to talk about it here to close out today's show,
kind of hating on some players in this draft class. If you've ever opened your bank account
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All right, welcome back party people.
We are talking mostly about the players that Zach and I are higher on in the upcoming draft in the consensus.
But now we're going to take a dark turn in the final segment here.
These are the guys we are not so high on versus consensus.
And it's not so much.
Okay, so for the most part, we don't love these players.
But this first guy I'll start us out with, I really like him as a player.
I just think it's too risky.
it is Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks,
who at this juncture could be available to the Colts at 47,
even though as a player and a prospect,
he has no business being outside the first round,
but he missed essentially all of the 2025 season
with a foot injury and then re-aggravated the foot during combine workouts.
So you've got a guy who's like 330 pounds with multiple foot injuries
within a 12-month span,
And that's concerning because for me, I, I am scared to death in players of foot injuries and back
injuries.
And he's got multiple foot injuries just since like August or September.
Yeah.
You know, it's funny with this last segment, I think Jake and I are going to argue a little bit and differ quite a bit in this final segment.
But this is one, I think we generally agree on.
Like, if a team took him in the top 40, I completely understand it.
If a team took him in round one, I'd understand it because the flashes and 24th.
24 before these foot injuries really started popping up are really, really good.
Like, here's a throwback here, Jake.
He reminds me a lot of Malik McDowell out of Michigan State, right?
Do you remember that?
Physically, not mentally.
Yeah, not mentally.
But like physically, Malik McDowell was like a top 10 player on film, like the flashes,
but like it just never could get together.
And different reasons, obviously here.
But it's just one of those like early risk guys.
It also reminds me a bit of Chris Jones when Chris Jones came out, though, right?
Because Chris Jones fell to early round two.
because there were some questions about, like certain things with his personality.
Again, this is different because it's injury with Caleb Banks.
But it really does fall into that like early round two risk at defensive tackle that we've seen quite a bit.
Malie McDowell, it didn't work out.
But for Chris Jones, it absolutely worked out for the Chiefs.
So Caleb Banks, like, if a team took him that high, I'd get it.
But multiple foot injuries for a 330-pound guy, it is concerning for sure.
You have another injury guy on here as well, as well, wide receiver,
or Chris Bell out of Louisville.
ADP of 53, I don't mind it.
The film is good.
It is just a tough adjustment for a player to miss a lot of rookie camp and then be ready
for year one.
So I don't mind 53 for most teams.
Maybe not for the Colts, though.
I'm wondering if that's where you're going with this too, Jake.
I think so, yeah.
Not that he wouldn't fit with some teams, but he's coming off the ACL, which we already know
we have to kind of pump Chris Ballard's breaks there a little bit because you need
instant impact players.
So I cannot imagine needing instant impact players.
And then he goes out in round two and picks a receiver that is coming off an ACL.
And the ACL was in like November, if I, if I'm not mistaken.
So it was like late in the calendar year.
But like just as a player too, he's fine.
Like I think the most optimistic people compare him to AJ Brown coming out of
Old Miss back in the day.
But just like the route tree is is not got a lot of branches.
and I think it was our guy Eric Crocker from from Locked on 49ers.
He was ribbing,
ribbing peacock a little bit saying like,
this guy can't stop.
Like,
he's got issues with stopping and turning and like there,
there's just some,
some foot stuff going on there.
That's,
I don't know,
like,
he's not very nimble.
You can say it.
You can say it.
Not very flexible or nimble.
Like,
trust,
there are some things I like about it.
But like,
it's just not my bag there.
If you're taking a receiver in the second round, I've got other options.
I don't even really love taking a receiver in the second round.
But a guy coming off an ACL with a very limited route tree who kind of struggles in the short area,
stop and start.
I'm just not in love with it.
Yeah, we're going to move through some more names here,
but I'm going to throw three more wide receivers at you.
And you can tell me if you agree or disagree with these three wide receiver names, Jake.
First of, Zachariah Branch from Georgia, ADP of 62.
Malachi Fields from Notre Dame,
ADP of 75,
and then Dionne Burke's wide receiver from Oklahoma,
80P of 95.
I think all those are way too high for me.
Branch,
I understand betting on the traits,
but his average up the target was like three yards last year.
And this archetype has always struggled in the NFL.
We all think back to Malachi Corley a couple years ago, right?
Where Corley was only catching screens at Western Kentucky,
and he still went round two.
And now he's basically out of the NFL.
That was like four years ago, three years ago.
He's out of the NFL.
Malachi Fields, I'm not saying that you need speed in the NFL to be a great wide receiver,
but I just don't think he can really threaten with his speed.
And that was a question I had on film before the testing was I didn't think there was much
there vertically.
He can be a fine wide receiver four or five in the NFL, but I don't see top 100 player.
And then Dionne Burks, I understand the testing was incredible from him, but the production just wasn't there in college.
And while some injuries did play a factor there, top 100, it's a bit of, and he's an older player, too.
He's an older player with very little production in college.
I just, I can't get there with Dionne Burks.
I think he's a fun day three player, but top 100 players a bit too much for me.
Yeah, so I'm out on Branch and Berks.
I'm not really always with it with like the super small speedy guy that doesn't do anything but like his one trick.
Those guys just don't really translate.
Fields, I think at third is fine.
If it was up to me, I probably would not take him earlier than like the early fourth.
Like if you're looking at like his GPS stuff, it's actually pretty good.
But like there has to be something for your actual testing.
I think four or six at receiver, like,
not everyone can be Anquan Bolden, you know, like not everyone's that next Anquon Bolden
or Pukua.
Like those guys are outliers and it's, trust me, I really like him and I wanted him to run faster
than that.
But 75 might be.
Yeah.
Well, and part of it, I don't want to hype on this too long because we're running out
of time.
But like the best trainers in the world right now are teaching these guys only two things, right?
How to jump and how to run the 40.
And then they're all sitting out the three.
right so four six isn't like oh you're slow it's like what was the preparation man because
there are other guys like Jacob Rodriguez was supposed to test terribly right like it wasn't supposed
to test very well like linebacker like you know the cold starling and he came out and tested
freaky because he probably put a lot of effort in to train and I'm not trying to say Malachi
fields didn't put effort in but I'm just wondering how is it possible in this era where nobody
tests poorly when they can afford great great coaching and great training from these trainers
and he had extra time to prepare, right?
It's not like Notre Dame was in the championship game
and then you couldn't prepare.
They skipped the ball game too.
They skipped the ball game.
Yeah.
So he also elected not to retry it at the pro day either.
So it's like that fast as he could get to him.
Let's just be legit.
Yeah.
So trust me, I like Fields maybe like if you took him in round four
because I do think like his play speed is maybe a little bit better than that.
And like you can,
I think he gets downfield a little bit better comparable to like Michael Pittman in 2020, whatever the Carson-Witz
year was.
But like he's not a burner.
There's nothing he does.
It's like special.
I think he's a fine player.
Let's get on.
Let's get on to the fight here.
Actually, let me mention someone that we know you'll take every opportunity to express your distaste for.
Jennings Dunker.
Oh, I'm going to, I'm going to say first.
hook line and sinker this guy was obviously going to be the big media darling for having red hair
and a mullet and being the goofy dude and they all fell for it the guy's supposed to be awesome
when you hook them like that and he's just fine he's not a tackle i don't know why he was playing
tackle at iowa he can't pass block in any way um the testing was good which a good good worker i guess
because on film he moves like a duck.
His legs are bow-legged.
I'm not trying to be too mean.
Like being completely honest right now,
I think there's an avenue where it can be a fine player.
He has great tenacity in the run game,
a good drive in the run game as well.
But I just don't see anything positive in the past blocking department.
Yeah, it's second round.
I can't do it, man.
There's so many better players.
Like he's a 200th ranked player in the Indie dream.
I'm not a fan at all.
But real quick, before we get out of here,
because we are running late on time,
we can resume our Drew Aller argument that we always have every single day, Jake.
Would you take him in round four?
No, I wouldn't.
Okay, okay.
Number one, I don't want the Colts to take a quarterback at all.
But like for other teams, if they wanted to, like, in betting on traits, here's the thing.
I'm not going to be like a blind supporter here.
I was really banking on that 2025 season for him to come in and be like, okay, here's,
here's me improving. I don't have Tyler Warren, but like still I'm, I'm supported by this awesome
run game. Like here is me making my final pitch to the NFL. And like even before the season
ending injury, it just wasn't going well. So like, I'd still be willing to like give Alar a shot like
in the last couple rounds, bring him into competing training camp to be like your third or fourth
quarterback. But like trying to groom him to be like your right away backup or like your quarterback of
the future. I've lost a little hope there, but like I still really like him as a prospect,
giving him some sort of leeway to come in. But like, I'm putting a, I'm putting a ceiling on
where I'm willing to trust him initially. You're like me if I didn't completely fall off
of Kade Klubnick, because I did want Klubnick to have a good 2025 because I liked his 2024
a lot. But then I completely, I just abandoned him. I'm like, I'm like Andy and Toy Story.
Like, I don't want to play with you anymore. And I just threw him out. But you just can't fully quit,
I don't know.
For me with Drew Aller, we've just seen this song and dance so often with Zach Bettenberger,
with Jacob Eason with like, except the problem with Aller is like at least with Isson and
Metenberger, right?
There wasn't that much film on them.
Like, we, there's no reason to, like, there's a reason to fall for those guys, right?
Aller, what are we falling for here?
He's been the same guy for four years.
Like he hasn't.
Trade some work ethic.
What's the work ethic?
He's been the same guy for four years.
He's just been.
He does have a really good track record of being like.
a grinder behind the scenes.
Oh, okay.
Just because it's not manifesting in positive ways doesn't mean he's not trying.
Oh, I just can't do it, man.
I can't do it.
I watched too much of him in college.
Even some Penn State buddies of mine were like, oh, my God.
Like fans, not Penn State, like Swarces or anything.
But, like, I can't.
It reminds me of me when I was a VT fan when Logan Thomas went in the top 100 of the draft
as a quarterback.
And I was like, oh, no, who was doing that?
Immediately moved to tight end after.
one year quarterback. But we are running late on time. We want to thank you all for
to tune again today to Lockdown Colts. We're back yet again tomorrow afternoon.
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