In the latest mock draft from our friends over at Touchdown Wire, the Indianapolis Colts took an emphasis on building through the trenches—a staple of Chris Ballard’s philosophy.
In the first round, the Colts stayed put and selected edge rusher Azeez Ojulari with the No. 21 overall pick. Here’s what Mark Schofield had to say about the selection:
The Indianapolis Colts could use some help off the edge, and Frank Reich has said as much recently. With the return of T.Y. Hilton the Colts largely have their offense intact from last season, and while left tackle remains a concern — Sam Tevi might not be the answer — the depth of the offensive tackle class lets Indianapolis go in a different direction here.
Azeez Ojulari is a name rising up boards off the edge, thanks to his length and athleticism. He needs to fill in some of the pieces, as he relies heavily on winning to the outside and needs to develop a complete array of moves as a pass rusher, but the upside is tough to ignore.
Adding to the edge might be the top priority for the Colts in the draft. Of course, teams don’t want to pigeon-hole themselves into taking one position, but it would be a massive surprise if they passed on a strong prospect in the first two rounds.
In the second round, the Colts selected the player who would be competing for the starting left tackle role following the retirement of Anthony Castonzo by taking offensive tackle Jackson Carman out of Clemson.
The Indianapolis Colts addressed pass rush in the first round, and now they turn to another pressing issue: Making sure they can protect Carson Wentz. Indianapolis added tackle Sam Tevi recently, but something tells me they are not done trying to find a replacement for the retired Anthony Castonzo. Jackson Carman protected Trevor Lawrence’s blindside the past two seasons and is a powerful tackle, but might struggle with pure speed rushers off the edge.
Adding an edge and an offensive tackle with their first two picks is likely what will happen, with them also being interchangeable. The Colts could easily take an offensive tackle in the first round and an edge in Round 2.
We are just about a month out from the draft and after a quiet free agency, fans are ready to see what Ballard has in store.
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