2012 Colts Draft Reaction Thread

[killxswitch]

Let's have a thread for this.

1:1 - Andrew Luck
2:2 - Coby Fleener

A+ and C picks so far IMO. I hope we trade back up to get some of the great talent still available. It's not going to last.

[MaxV]

Allen is a D for me.

And this is not a knock on Allen himself, but the fact that we have a lot of needs to fill.

[RagingColt]

3rd pick is Dwayne Allen - TE Clemson

Can't help but think we have other glaring needs at CB, LB and NT an even WR. From Scott's scouting report Allen sounds like a good pass catcher without much speed.

[killxswitch]

Luck was a great pick. Fleener was ok, not my favorite. Dwayne Allen is ******* embarrassing. Is Bill Polian picking for us somehow? This is so, so bad.

[falloutboy14]

Colts trade 97 and next year's 5th to move up to 92 & select WR, TY Hilton from a college I can't remember. This one's a little earlier then I would've liked. He's quick, fast but tiny. 4.34 40. He's a returner too.


Guess this year we're building the offense, allowing Luck to be successful, and next off-season we hit defense hard.

[MaxV]

Interesting pick. I'll give it a B.

[killxswitch]

So far I like all of Polians drafts more than this one. Minus the Luck pick obviously. I can't believe we are dicking around with all these offensive players.

[VikesWookie]

Hilton has solid skills. Your squad will love this kid... He's absolutely electric :)
If he was 3-5 inches taller he'd have gone much earlier. It's about the only knock I've seen on him. He reminds me a little of a more polished Harry Douglass. Hopefully he can stay injury free and stay on the field more than Douglass has shown...

[RagingColt]

Josh Chapman DT -Alabama is our first 5th rounder

Hey! A guy to play on the D! Decent enough pick to provide depth. Pretty short guy for a DT.

[falloutboy14]

Chapman has a solid chance to be a starter. He tore his ACL his senior year and played through it. So didn't get his surgery done until recently. Was anticipated as a 3rd round pick even with the injury. Lots of value in the 5th.

[killxswitch]

I agree Chap is a great value in the 5th. Hope he heals fast. I am coming around to the 2 TE idea.

[MaxV]

In 3-4 he is a NT, right?

[killxswitch]

3-4 NT for sure. He made Alabama's LBs look great last year.

[killxswitch]

Another offensive player when Alphonzo Dennard is still on the board and we need corners. Ok make that two. Maybe one day we'll have a good defense. Hopefully Freeney and Mathis are still on the team by then.

[Bob Sanders Dreadlock]

Looks like we plan Andrew Luck going 2-14 in hs first season. Which means next season we ill go 14-2 right? I don't understand drafting all these "depth"(nice way of putting it) players on offense. Looks like this QB will be caring a ****** defense too.

[falloutboy14]

Question about Chapman: He's 6'1 310 give or take. Is that big enough for a NT? He's short which might actually him in the leverage game. But 310 is kinda small compared to other 3-4 NTs in the league. I've read he's very strong, don't know how he'd compare to other NTs.

[killxswitch]

Originally Posted by falloutboy14

Question about Chapman: He's 6'1 310 give or take. Is that big enough for a NT? He's short which might actually him in the leverage game. But 310 is kinda small compared to other 3-4 NTs in the league. I've read he's very strong, don't know how he'd compare to other NTs.

I've seen 315, which at 6'1 is fine. Plus he could eat a few extra poptarts and get to 320 no problem. He will do well as long as his ACL heals.

[NorrinRadd12]

I hate what the Colts did. With a great QB you should be building up the defense and OL, not the TEs and WRs. Polian did the same crap with Manning (plus drafted 3 RBs in round 1) and it's why the Colts were always soft and only won one Super Bowl instead of 4 or 5.

[MaxV]

I think it's pretty much unanimous among Colts' fans.

It's not as much a problem with whom we picked, as it is with whom we didn't pick.

All of the players that we got have upside and could contribute, but we certainly left several needs unattended.

[killxswitch]

Indianapolis Colts

1:1 - Andrew Luck - QB - Standford


Need: We just cut a HOF QB.
Value: Best QB prospect in years.
Grade: A+
I Would've Picked: n/a
Analysis: Great pick, 2011 was awful but it will probably have been worth it.
*****

2:2 - Coby Fleener - TE - Stanford


Need: We have one TE and he only blocks.
Value: This is about where he was expected to go.
Grade: B-
I Would've Picked: LB Courtney Upshaw or OG Cordy Glenn
Analysis: I am not a fan of just copying the Patriots and I don't think Fleener is that special. I don't see him being a top 5 TE in the NFL. I hope I'm wrong. I think we should've gone defense with this pick, or Rueben Randle, or traded back if possible.
*****

3:1 - Dwayne Allen - TE - Clemson


Need: We just drafted a pass-catching TE and this guy is slow.
Value: About where he was expected to go.
Grade: B-
I Would've Picked: CB Josh Robinson
Analysis: I don't know if this was the plan all along or if it became the plan when the draft fell the way it did. It seems pretty intentional which to me doesn't say BPA. I would've definitely gone defense here. This TE class is pretty weak and we could've gotten a better athlete in Taylor Thompson or Egnew later in the draft. Hopefully he is not a typical Clemson prospect. If everything goes right our offense could be very difficult to defend.
*****

3:29 - T.Y. Hilton - WR - Florida Int'l


Need: We just took 2 pass-catching TEs and might already have WR1, 2, and 3 on the roster, so I'd say it's low.
Value: I'm not convinced we needed to trade up or that he was worth giving up a pick next year for. Kickoffs are going away so returners aren't that valuable anymore.
Grade: C-
I Would've Picked: NT Alameda Ta'amu or OT Bobby Massie
Analysis: He seems like a Desean Jackson type of player. I am trying to be positive but I wonder how we are going to play defense and ever get the ball back for Luck and all these weapons.
*****

5:1 - Josh Chapman - NT - Alabama


Need: We have two backup/rotational types on the roster but no starter.
Value: IMO, Chapman is a late 2nd/early 3rd round value so getting him in the 5th is excellent.
Grade: A+
I Would've Picked: n/a
Analysis: I expect Chapman to be our starter at NT. Maybe not this year as he recovers from ACL surgery. But at least starting in 2013, maybe midway through this season. This is my 2nd favorite pick after Luck. Love his toughness, attitude, and understanding of the NT position.
*****

5:35 - Vick Ballard - RB - Mississippi St.


Need: We already have 3 RBs, two that are very similar to Ballard. Another offensive pick?
Value: This late value isn't a big issue.
Grade: C-
I Would've Picked: S Markelle Martin, OG Brandon Washington, WR Tommy Streeter
Analysis: He seems awfully similar to Delone Carter and Darren Evans. There were better players on the board that we need more than another RB.
*****

6:36 - LaVon Brazill - WR - Ohio


Need: OMG more offense, really?
Value: A comp. 6th selection can't really be bad value
Grade: F
I Would've Picked: CB Alfonzo Dennard, DE Cam Johnson, LB Audie Cole, SS Antonio Allen
Analysis: I know nothing about this guy but we already took a QB, 2 TEs, a RB and now a 2nd WR? When a 2nd round CB talent was still on the board? Come on. Wasted pick.
*****

7th Round Picks:
Justin Anderson - OT - Georgia
Tim Fugger - DE - Vanderbuilt - A+ for looking like the villian in a Karate Kid movie.
Chandler Harnish - QB - N. Illinois

OVERALL GRADE: B-

Luck and Chapman were slam dunk picks. The TEs seem luxurious for a team trying to transition to a 3-4 but they may become the engine that drives our offense. There was a lot of talent still available when they were picked so they will really need to produce to be worth it. 1 WR would've been fine but 2 was irresponsible, especially with the defensive talent still available. Same for the RB, needless. I didn't grade the 7th rounders because I don't expect much from any of them.

[falloutboy14]

Assuming next draft/off-season they hit the defense hard and often I'm fine with this draft. This draft did 2 things. First it set up Luck to be successful. He should have a solid offensive line. He should have capable receivers. The running game should function well.

Second, they give the defensive players we have a chance to perform in their new roles. None of us really know what to expect from Moala as a 3-4 DE, I believe he played it at USC. So before we replace people, lets see what they do in their new roles.

I realize that we know what we have at corner, and I'm not sure if the statement they provided is truth or fiction. You have to think Dennard in the 7th would've been a good choice (though he did have character stuff and who knows what they thought of that).

In reality, nothing we could do in this draft puts us in the super bowl this year. To a certain extent I'd rather pick top-5 next year than 15.

[MaxV]

I guess you guys didn't see Grigson's press conference on Colts.com.

One of the questions was about not picking DBs late.

He pretty much answered, "there is a reason they fell that far."

For what it's worth, "experts" love our draft.

[killxswitch]

To me that is a lazy answer. You could say that about any prospect that gets taken late. What you can't say about most of them though is that at one point they played well enough to be considered early-round players.

[falloutboy14]

There's a reason Bethea fell that far. Doesn't mean he's not worth taking.

[fishspinners]

At first I was shocked at the Allen pick but after a minute I smiled cause we have been an offensive team for so long and it looks like we will still be! I was thrilled to see them get Hilton in the fourth and hope he can one day somehow replace future HOFer Reggie Wayne. Buckle up boys because we are going to be in some shootouts this year! Gonna stick to my 4-12 prediction for now and another top 5 pick next year which will most likely be the best defender available.