Indianapolis Colts Mock Draft Roundup

Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell claps as New England Patriots former lineman Joe Andruzzi (not pictured) speaks during the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL Draft is just 29 days away. The Indianapolis Colts have the fewest picks in this years draft with just five selections they can make.

After a poor 2013 class, GM Ryan Grigson needs to nail this years draft class.

The Colts have plenty of needs across the board, and thankfully this is a pretty deep class. They should be able to find an impact player even late in the second round with the 59th pick.

Many people will tell you that they used up their first rounder on Trent Richardson, and since that’s basically the case the 2014 Draft isn’t off to a good start. It is interesting to note that there is a real possibility that no running backs will be taken in the first round this year.

In fact, most ranking boards don’t have a running back in the top 32 players. It shows you just how devalued the position has become and the direction the league is going in.

Just don’t tell that to coach Chuck Pagano who has repeatedly stated that he will have a run oriented team until he is kicked out of town. I still can’t figure out why you would insist on driving an ’89 Chevy Silverado (any running back on the roster) and leave the Ferrari (Andrew Luck) in the garage.

The Colts have a few clear needs on the roster. After letting Antoine Bethea walk, the could use a safety. They’ll at least need someone to push Delano Howell in training camp for the starting spot.

They also need to find the next Reggie Wayne. This team appears set at WR for this season, but Wayne will turn 36 this season and is coming off ACL surgery. They need a possession receiver for the future, and this is a good draft to find that guy.

The Colts also have needs at the corner back position. Vontae Davis is solid, but Greg Toler will likely get hurt at some point and they are thin beyond those two.

You could also argue for outside linebacker. Bjoern Werner is promising, but still a bit of a project. Erik Walden isn’t worth the paper his overblown contract was printed on. Robert Mathis is 33 and can’t be expected to put up nearly 20 sacks in a season again.

Everyone has put out a mock draft, but only a few analysts go past the first round.

Draft News Roundup:

ESPN’s Mel Kiper put together a top needs for each team list. Scroll to the bottom to see the Colts.

He suggest WR Donte Moncrief from Ole Miss in the second round. He’s a solid receiver with good size. But if the Colts want a receiver here, they should look at IU’s Cody Latimer. He had better production and has better combine/pro-day numbers. Latimer had a sub-4.4 forty time (as opposed to Moncrief’s flat 4.4).

Latimer also set the WR record at the combine on bench press with 23. If the Colts want a vertical threat, who can also block, then Latimer is a good choice. The problem is that recent buzz likely has him being taken before the 59th pick in the draft.

Kiper also picked OLB Carl Bradford from Arizona State in the third round. While he wouldn’t be a bad choice, there are much more pressing needs in the secondary. Bradford would likely struggle to find the field and end up solely on special teams.

Jason La Cafora asked a bunch of random questions for each team before the Draft. The questions for the Colts, nor any other team, really don’t have much to do with the draft and there is little analysis offered. The biggest questions for me would be: did the free agency signings remove the need to draft certain positions?

Matt Miller of Bleacher/Report recently offered up his most recent mock draft. Miller does a great job drafting for all seven round and is a very good analyst. That said, I don’t agree with his pick of Ra’Shede Hageman, a defensive tackle from Minnesota. This position isn’t a high enough need for the Colts, especially after signing Art Jones. Like I’ve said before, the secondary is of much greater concern on defense.

Hageman is very highly rated (one of the top three defensive tackles in the draft) but has some off field issues that might hold him back. He is likely a high risk, high reward player. If he is available here, it might be worth taking a shot on him, but the needs at other spots are much greater.

Andrew Garda of Bleacher/Report also has a mock draft out. He has the Colts taking CB Lamarcus Joyner from Florida State. He is a little undersized for the position, but had great production at FSU and was solid at the combine. Joyner definitely fills a need for the Colts and he has the skills to be a very good corner in the NFL. He is also exceptional at run support, which would likely stand out to the Colts coaching staff.

It seems like many of these analysts haven’t really looked through all of the Colts needs going into the draft. Regardless, there are a number of players to keep your eyes on. We’ll have more draft coverage in the coming weeks.

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