Indianapolis Colts: Analysts Have Them Fixing O-Line in 1st Round
By Kyle Nishida
With the 2016 NFL Draft quickly approaching, everyone giving their opinions on who the Indianapolis Colts will take in the first round. Add NFLDraftScout.com to this ever growing list.
In this article on CBS Sports, the writer Frank Cooney details what the Indianapolis Colts’ strengths and weaknesses were in 2015. He then allows NFLDraftScout.com analysts Rob Rang and Dane Brugler give their opinions on who the Colts will take with the 18th pick overall.
Rang believes the Indianapolis Colts should select Alabama center Ryan Kelly. Here is his explanation for why the Colts should draft Kelly.
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"“Ryan Kelly, C, Alabama. The top priority in Indianapolis must be protecting Andrew Luck, and that starts up the middle. New offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski and offensive line coach Joe Philbin are looking for more athletic offensive linemen and Kelly possesses the strength, agility and pro-ready game to boost the Colts’ play at any of the three interior positions.”"
Brugler thinks the Indianapolis Colts should draft Ohio State offensive tackle Taylor Decker. Here is his explanation for why he would go with Decker.
"“Taylor Decker, OT, Ohio State. Indianapolis needs to make changes in the trenches and keep Andrew Luck healthy so adding a talent like Decker, who can start at tackle or guard, would make sense.”"
These predictions are nothing new. Kelly and Decker have been popular names whenever there is a discussion about who the Colts will take in the first round. Both individuals are solid players, but the question needs to be asked: are these players worth the 18th overall pick?
Kelly started 35 games at Alabama and just won the Rimington Trophy, which is awarded to the top center in college football. Kelly’ main problem is most draft analysts see him as a borderline first round pick. Outside of the Colts, the Arizona Cardinals, who own the 29th pick overall, are the only other team mock drafts have taking Kelly.
Is a borderline first round pick worth taking with the 18th pick overall? Most of the time, general managers shy away from those players and look for a player of better value at a different position.
Meanwhile, Decker has not had this problem with draft analysts. The three-year Buckeyes’ starter has been consistently rated in the first round by draft pundits. The only concern the Colts have with Decker is he plays offensive tackle. The Colts need to fix the interior of their offensive line.
This conflict between position need and talent puts the Colts in a tough spot if they wanted Decker. Analysts, like Brugler, think Decker can slide over to offensive guard, but position changes are never seamless.
For this reason, general managers sometimes hesitate to draft a guy in the first round if they know he will have to switch positions for them. Are the Colts certain Decker can make the transition? If they are not, he should not be their selection.
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Overall, Rang and Brugler have the right idea for the Colts. However, their picks make the Colts appear desperate to fix the offensive line in the first round no matter what, which is not the case. The Colts are thinking about addressing other needs in the first round, like finding pass rusher. They also know they can get NFL-ready offensive linemen in the second and third rounds. What do readers have to say about this pick?