Ryan Kelly: The Next Jeff Saturday for the Indianapolis Colts?

Can Ryan Kelly be the next great Colts’ center like Jeff Saturday was for over a decade?

For the longest time, the main issue for the Indianapolis Colts has been creating a stable offensive line to protect their quarterbacks. The team constantly signed aging veterans to team-friendly contracts in hopes of masking this weakness. Unfortunately, the Colts’ strategy finally backfired in 2015 as quarterback Andrew Luck missed nine games due to injuries sustained from getting hit repeatedly.

Clearly, offensive line is an important need for the Colts this offseason, and their lack of free agency spending this offseason has everyone believing they will address it in the draft. For that reason, many people believe the Colts will be selecting center Ryan Kelly with the 18th overall pick in the upcoming draft. Kelly would certainly address one of the Colts’ position needs.

Kelly started 35 games for the Alabama Crimson Tide and won the Rimington Trophy, which is awarded to the top center in college football, in 2015. He was the leader of a very stable and effective offensive line at Alabama. He used his strength and athleticism to prevent defensive linemen and linebackers from reaching the running back or his quarterback. In fact, according to scouts, Kelly never allowed a sack in his final two seasons with the Crimson Tide.

Kelly’s physical traits and experience make him an enticing pick for the Colts at No. 18. However, many scouts believe taking Kelly would be a reach for the Colts. Even after his solid NFL scouting combine performance, draft analysts still view Kelly as a late first round to early second round type of talent. This brings up the question:  are the Colts 100 percent certain Kelly can be a future difference maker for them? If the answer is yes, then they should take him. If the answer is no, they the Colts should address a different position need with the pick.

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If Kelly does become a Colt, he will ultimately be replacing the team’s inconsistent center Khaled Holmes. Holmes has never played more than nine games in a season since the Colts drafted him in 2013. His lack of consistency has only allowed him to start in nine of the 17 games he has played in. Due to his injury concerns and inconsistency, it might be a good time for the Colts to replace Holmes with a player like Kelly.

Honestly, Kelly is a first round talent and can be a long-term solution for the Colts at center. If the Colts are 100 percent sold on him, they should take him. The bottom line is Kelly can help the Colts now and in the future. He is worth drafting with the 18th overall pick.

Next: Should the Colts Trade The 18th Overall Pick?