You need a replacement in the wings for both Hunt and Woods.

I will never argue with investing in the Lines and Edge Rushers. I agree with OC, in the modern NFL you need lots of corners, so investing a mid-round pick is wise.

I like our DL to a point, we have had some real success from the inside at rushing the passer with whomever has lined up there be it Autry, Hunt, Ward, Lewis....but we can still be a little soft up the middle at times, and i think that Woods and Stewart have had down years in their roles. Ridgeway has been a healthy scratch almost all year, which is a huge disappointment as he looked promising earlier in his career.

The Edge guys, Sheard has played the run really well most of the year, but hasn't been a hugely impactful guy rushing the passer, he hasn't been bad by any stretch of the imagination. Turay has shown some promise earlier, but has seen his playing time reduce once Lewis has been activated, and he has actually looked fairly good rushing the passer. Muhammad has shone quite nicely in his limited role.

So if you had Sheard, Turay, Muhammad, Lewis, Autry, Hunt and Ward with a run stuffing DT high on the list, along with a pass rushing specialist, i then think this is starting to look like an elite defensive line.

We don't 'need' anything on defense right now. Are we perfect? Hell no. But, this team is already playing at an elite level. Of course a stud pass rusher would be wonderful, but thankfully we won't be drafting high enough to guarantee one of those. I agree totally about drafting lineman, both offensive and defensive. That is where December/January football is won. To me obviously most important thing is this front office and coaching staff. They truly know how to work together. When Ballard says you do or don't fit the scheme we are going to run he knows what the hell he is talking about. The coaches know what kind of player they want and when they get them they put them in situations to thrive. Just look at Quincy. We can really enjoy this on a deep level because we lived thru the shitshow of the last regime. It's great

Sorry... but this Defense and Elite doesn't belong in the same sentence right now. Yes they are playing much better than anyone had expected at this point. Let's not kid ourselves though. They are still 4-5 players away and still lack a serious playmaker. Yes we have Leonard but we are no where near elite much less very good.

You can still find good pass rushers later, just need to do some good scouting. I think the talent in this upcoming draft and our needs align well. Hunt is 31 so I see a good 3-tech the biggest priority. Getting rush up the middle with this D is the biggest factor IMO. We get that and we will see more turnovers. We play man and zone, so a dominate man corner isn't necessary and those guys go early.

Also, if they are unsure about our safeties, the Alabama safety might be there when we pick. He should be a very good player able to fill a variety of roles including nickle back.

I think in total defense we are ranked around 10-15. They are playing better now than earlier in the season so that is weighted down. I think it has been so long since we saw quality defensive play that we are happy. But we are not in the league of the best defenses yet.

I suppose it depends on your definition of very good, but statistically the Colts are in the top half of the league in most major defensive categories. After 14 games, we are:

11th best in points scored against us
12th best in total yards against us
6th best in run defense yards per carry (3.9)
14th best in pass defense yards per attempt (6.4)
9th best in defensive takeaways (23, consisting of 12 interceptions and 11 fumble recoveries)

On the downside, we are the most penalized team in the league (116 penalties accepted against us).

Here’s a link to sortable defensive stats at Pro Football Reference:

https://www.pro-football-reference.c...s/2018/opp.htm

Definitely a positive to see.. just curious how did we look against teams with a top 10 QB? TOP 10 Offense? I definitely like where the Defense is headed. Be nice to add another playmaker.

Fair point about the quality of the offenses we've faced, but I don't know of a way to break down the stats that way (or better yet, a website that's already done this). It would be interesting to see though.

I will say what they did against Dallas was impressive. If they make playoffs that's what the D will have to bring.