This past year the Indianapolis Colts were the lone bright spot in the AFC South. They were the only team that made the playoffs and the only team that even finished over .500. They were able to get out of the 1st round, but fell in the divisional round by the New England Patriots. Who knows how far they could have gone with a healthy Reggie Wayne, who went down in week 7 in a 39-33 win against the Denver Broncos. Now they will be heading into the offseason looking to fill some specific holes on their team. I will be going over some of the positions needed and some possible draft picks to fill those roles and assist their rising star QB Andrew Luck in guiding them to their 1st post-Peyton Superbowl.
Outside Linebacker – Robert Mathis was a beast last year with 19.5 sacks, but on the opposite side Erik Walden didn’t provide much and I said when they draft Bjoern Werner that I see him more as a 4-3 DE than a 3-4 OLB. Jeremiah Attaochu, out of Georgia Tech and Marcus Smith out of Louisville, maybe 2 guys they look at in round 2.
Free Safety – The Colts were torched over the top numerous times at the end of the year. It was put on display in their playoff win against the Chiefs when Alex Smith went all Aaron Rodgers on them. They need to get a ball hawking safety, a centerfielder, to deter opposition from attacking deep. Jimmie Ward, from Northern Illinois, and Terrence Brooks, from Florida State, are 2 guys that could get their attention early.
Running Back – This will be a very interesting position for the Colts this upcoming year. After Trent Richardson bombed last year, and was the reason they don’t have a 1st round pick this year, Donald Brown was huge for them averaging 5.3 yards per carry. He’s now in San Diego and either Richardson has to have a resurgence or they will be looking at 1 of the numerous talented backs in a deep class this year. Marion Grice from Arizona State, Charles Sims from West Virginia, and Bishop Sankey of Washington are all possible candidates anywhere from round 2 to 4.
Offensive Line – The Colts have to add to their depth on the o-line. It is very thin and they need depth at all 3 spots. A versatile guy like David Yankey from Stanford could provide that depth. Since Indianapolis has already selected Andrew Luck and Coby Fleener, we already know that the Colts are more than fine with taking Stanford Cardinals.
Wide Receiver – Taking a WR would be more of a precautionary pick. With Wayne coming back, the signing of Hakeem Nicks from the Giants and the emergence of TY Hilton last year, they seem to be pretty set. However, Wayne is coming off a serious injury, Nicks was dreadful and hurt last year, and Hilton is a smaller sized WR. This year is very deep for WRs and someone like Davante Adams from Fresno could benefit them. Jarvis Landry is also a very talented WR out of LSU.
All in all, the Colts are a talented team that doesn’t have too many gaps to fill. They probably should put the ball in Andrew Luck’s hands more, as they seemed to try to force the rush game last year. However, if they can sure up their defense, especially against the run, they will be once again in the playoffs and playing against the Denver’s and New England’s of the league to try to get to the Superbowl. The most important part is already there for them, their franchise QB Andrew Luck, and in the NFL today, that alone will put you in the mix for the playoffs, and in the talks of being a contender. So no matter who they get to help out in the draft, the fans will surely be yelling “In Luck we trust”.
