Its the offseason thread

[omahacolt]

Originally Posted by Dewey 5

Ballard better spend in free agency this year.

he will. on pittman and grover and moore. i doubt much else

[Dewey 5]

And Gus Bradley needs to go.

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by HoosierinFL

depends I think on whether Jax loses. There are about 1 minute away from doing so. This is mildly hilarious - leading the AFC south all year, and about to be out of the playoffs entirely!

edit: they're toast.

It looks like we will pick no later than 17th. Maybe as early as 14th, if I am reading the standings right, and if the right teams win today.

[bertjones]

With this years deep crop of quarterbacks the Colts should be able to get
their hands on a player they ordinarily wouldn't be able to get at their
slot or parlay that pick for much needed depth. Ballard needs to step
up here. It's a crossroads that could lead this team one way or the other.
It would be nice if he were more proactive in free agency but if he resigns
our key free agents and extends some of the looming ones that wouldn't
be too bad. still would be nice to sign a player or two. Games are won on
the margins as we painfully witnessed.

[AlwaysSunnyinIndy]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

It looks like we will pick no later than 17th. Maybe as early as 14th, if I am reading the standings right, and if the right teams win today.

The top 18 picks are now set.

Colts end up at 15.

[IndyNorm]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSunnyinIndy

The top 18 picks are now set.

Colts end up at 15.

Are there odds out on if teams will trade down in the draft? If so then I'll be putting down some money on Ballard doing it.

[Racehorse]

Originally Posted by AlwaysSunnyinIndy

The top 18 picks are now set.

Colts end up at 15.

I looked up an ESPN piece on the draft order, and as many as 8 teams ahead of us will be looking to draft a QB. This means we could see quality players fall to our pick. No, I am not talking Marvin Jr., but someone very good will be there for us to pick.

[Lov2fish]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

I looked up an ESPN piece on the draft order, and as many as 8 teams ahead of us will be looking to draft a QB. This means we could see quality players fall to our pick. No, I am not talking Marvin Jr., but someone very good will be there for us to pick.

With so many QB needy teams at 15 there are some quality players on both sides of the ball that could be there for us. Gonna be interesting on what Ballard does with it.

[ChoppedWood]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

I looked up an ESPN piece on the draft order, and as many as 8 teams ahead of us will be looking to draft a QB. This means we could see quality players fall to our pick. No, I am not talking Marvin Jr., but someone very good will be there for us to pick.

Nabers or Odunze should be sitting there- we have to take one of those two. This team demonstrated with Steichen at the helm, it could manufacture points with a very limited set of playmakers starting with a pop-gun QB, give Steichen AR with Pittman, Downs, one of those two and likely Pierce, this thing could be stupid explosive.

[Dam8610]

Going position by position:

QB: The most important position, and we're still not sure if it's right. Richardson looks promising, but a glass cannon won't fire too many times, so we have to hope the injury is a one off rather than a trend. Gardner Minshew thoroughly showed us why he is a top tier backup and nothing more. Great to get you through a 4 game stretch and not implode a playoff run, not so much to guide the team to the playoffs or any further. Need Assessment: Not a position I'd prioritize in any sense of the word, but having a top 15 pick, I'd at least assess the top QBs and see if I like any better than Richardson. If not, no reason to rock the boat. I think Jayden Daniels might fit this offense better, but I wouldn't trade up for him with Richardson on the roster.

RB: Jonathan Taylor is arguably the best RB in the NFL when healthy. Moss is likely gone, and Sermon and Goodson leave much to be desired as a RB2 and RB3. Need Assessment: Backup needed. Moss is likely gone, and nothing else on the roster inspires confidence as a backup. I want Frank Gore Jr. in part because he's good and in part because he's Frank Gore Jr.

WR: If you don't believe Michael Pittman Jr. is a WR1, your standards for a WR1 are too high. I would argue Pittman is a top 10-15 WR in the NFL. Josh Downs is already one of the best slot receivers in the league, and carried his tenacity over from college to the NFL. Downs is not afraid to go over the middle or fight for the football. Alec Pierce is the prototype physically for a deep threat boundary receiver. This group is a solid top 3. Need Assessment: Depth could be had here, but DJ Montgomery is interesting enough for a WR4, and Dulin is likely back next year. Would I add Malik Nabers if I could? Absolutely, he looks like the next Reggie Wayne. But beyond adding a truly elite talent, I wouldn't bother adding here.

TE: Mo Alie-Cox is a backup TE making starter money, I think it's time to move on. Health is a huge issue with this position, with several of the other TEs having missed significant time. Woods could be a long term answer if he can get on the field. Granson and Mallory are more big slots than true TEs. Need Assessment: Unfortunately, the Colts for the most part sat out last year's TE class, which was arguably historically good. This year's class is not close in terms of talent. Are there any good FA TEs? The Colts need help here, and Brock Bowers is unlikely to be available at 15.

OT: Bernhard Raimann made the second year leap, I am very comfortable with him as the starting LT for the next 5+ seasons. Braden Smith was hurt quite a bit this year, but has generally been a reliable starter at RT. Because of Smith's injuries, the Colts got an extended look at Blake Freeland, who performed much better than you'd expect from a 4th round rookie, could fill in admirably at either LT or RT, and will make an excellent swing tackle going forward. Need Assessment: None. Starters and backups are quality and will all be here long term.

OG: Quenton Nelson is back, so that's good. Will Fries was adequate as a starter at RG, didn't stand out positively or negatively. Need Assessment: Starters are fine, depth could be improved. I would definitely look for a Day 3 IOL or two in this draft.

OC: Ryan Kelly looked more like his old self this year, which was his 8th in the league. He may have a few more years of quality starting left, but it's not too early to start looking for his replacement. Wesley French is a quality backup center, he filled in well for Kelly at times this year. Need Assessment: I wouldn't be looking for a OC, but if the next Creed Humphrey fell into my lap on late Day 2 or early Day 3, I'd take him.

DE: The depth of this position is fantastic, but none of these guys is going to keep an opposing OC up at night. Kwity Paye is an excellent athlete and disciplined run defender, but his athleticism has not translated into elite pass rushing skill. Dayo Odeyingbo shows some promise as a pass rusher both from the edge and interior of the DL, but ideally he's your number 2 or 3 rusher in a Justin Tuck type role. Samson Ebukam was a quality signing and is a quality starting caliber talent. Again, he's a guy across from whom you'd want an elite starting talent. Tyquan Lewis is a decent rotational piece, but I'd let him walk if he wants more than what he got last year. Need Assessment: Top of the Free Agent class and top of the Draft are the only places I'd look for this position. Danielle Hunter and Chase Young will likely hit the market at this position. Hunter is the proven talent play, while Young is the boom or bust play. In the draft, Jared Verse likely gets to 15, and he looks like Paye with pass rush moves and better football awareness. Verse has developed swim, rip, chop, and spin moves. I'd strongly consider him at 15.

DT: This position is deep and has top end talent at the top. Aaron Donald and MAYBE Chris Jones comprises the full list of 3 techs that I'd rank ahead of DeForest Buckner. Dexter Lawrence comprises the list of 43 NTs I'd rank ahead of Grover Stewart. Eric Johnson and Taven Bryan are competent backups, and Adetomiwa Adebawore is a freakish athlete who could develop into the next Buckner. Need Assessment: If you find the next Buckner, take him. The Colts won't have a need at the position unless they make one.

LB: What an embarrassment of riches the Colts had at this position just 12 months ago. E.J. Speed was the 4th LB on that team. One Bobby Okereke free agency and Shaq Leonard release later, and this unit is much less deep. Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed are quality starters, and Ronnie Harrison is a quality depth piece if he moves back to LB. Need Assessment: Depth is the need here, I'd look for a Day 3 athlete in a similar vein to Franklin or Speed as an addition here, but that's about it.

CB: The kids played. The kids went through a lot of growing pains. Juju Brents missed like half the season with hamstring injuries. Ultimately, the boundary CBs Ballard drafted look like they will be quality starters if they can stay healthy. Jaylon Jones outplayed his draft status to become a quality starter and Brents looked good generally when healthy. Kenny Moore was reliable once again in the slot, and should be a priority to re-sign. Need Assessment: While Moore must be brought back, the reason for that is he's really the only slot CB the Colts have. They need to change that, and CB is a place I'd look on Day 2 of the Draft, maybe even Day 1 if the value isn't there at pass rusher. The primary need is slot CB, but I wouldn't be upset with a guy who could play the slot or the boundary.

FS: The Colts seem to be differentiating the free and strong safety position, so I'll do so here. Nick Cross cost the Colts the playoffs on the first play from scrimmage last night (he was the deep help Brents was expecting that caused Brents to get beat to the inside on a post route), but overall was a much better player this year. His athleticism shows up when he's on the field, and he closes quickly. He might be better off at strong safety in this defense going forward, but he has the speed and athleticism to play the free safety position. He's still young, so there's also room for growth here as next season will be his age 23 season. Rodney Thomas II followed up a surprising rookie campaign with a solid second season, and he is the who I would pencil in as the starter going forward. Need Assessment: As far as I'm aware there are no Jessie Bates type players in free agency and no Sean Taylor or Earl Thomas types in the draft, there's no reason to invest in this position since the Colts will have at least 2 and possibly 3 players on the roster who can play the position.

SS: Julian Blackmon transitioned to this position from FS this year, and played well. He deserves a contract extension, and hopefully the Colts will give it to him. Nick Cross could transition to this position and I think would perform better at this position. Finally, does Ronnie Harrison stay, and if so, is it at SS or LB long term? Need Assessment: If Blackmon is not re-signed, a safety will be needed. If he is re-signed, depth at most. They need to re-sign Blackmon.

ST: I'm grouping K and P together because Gay and Sanchez don't need to be replaced. Need Assessment: None