5 Colts who are breakout candidates in 2020

Breakout candidates for Indy.

The Indianapolis Colts have a strong young core of players on both sides of the ball entering the 2020 but some of them have barely begun to scratch the surface of their talents.

Sometimes it takes certain players a bit longer to break out—a term that has varying definitions. The Colts have several players beginning to gain recognition on a national scale, but there are some waiting in the wings to produce more than expected in 2020.

Without including rookies (because they shouldn’t be considered here anyway), here are five Colts who enter the 2020 season as breakout candidates:

Braden Smith | Nyheim Hines | Ben Banogu | Bobby Okereke | Grover Stewart

Braden Smith | RT | Age: 24

The Colts have several players who fall under the umbrella term of “underrated.” Smith might be the player that leads the list for the Colts. Because it can be difficult to quantify offensive line play, very few of them are considered breakout candidates year to year.

But this could very well be the year that Smith finally gains the recognition he deserves as one of the best up and coming right tackles in the game. The league has had two seasons to sleep on the Auburn product, but it’s time to wake up.

Entering his third season, Smith has been manning the right tackle spot for the Colts since filling in as a spot starter during that ghastly prime-time game in Week 5 against the New England Patriots during the 2018 season. Though he was drafted as a guard, the Colts believed he could succeed on the edge.

He’s done so wonderfully over the last season and a half and continues to be on the asencion at the position. Though he is listed as giving up seven sacks in 2019, per Pro Football Focus, that isn’t totally indicative of his consistent work on the edge. Both as a pass protector and run blocker, Smith has been a strong asset for the Colts.

With his game maturing in aspects of consistency with his pass sets and moving people in the run game, 2020 might be the season he finally takes that next tier jump among right tackles in the league.

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6 Colts who need to step up in 2020

Taking a look at six Indianapolis Colts who need to step up during the 2020 season.

The Indianapolis Colts are hoping to make a return to the playoffs in 2020 for just the second time in the last six seasons. In order to do so, several players will have to step up throughout the campaign.

This doesn’t mean the following players have to become Pro Bowlers or give that type of production. But stepping up into a bigger role and producing will go a long in making a playoff run. Not all of these guys will step up, and the Colts are likely to have a few surprises along the way.

But here are six Colts who need to step up in 2020:

Parris Campbell | WR | Year 2

The Colts wide receiver corps was a unit that needed some major additions this offseason. It happened to come through the draft when the Colts brought in Michael Pittman Jr. in the second round and Dezmon Patmon in the sixth round.

While those two present intriguing cases to make an impact in 2020, Campbell shouldn’t be forgotten about in the room. Though his rookie season was defined by injuries—and lots of them—the former second-round pick can still carve out a strong role in the passing offense.

Campbell has the speed to be a difference-maker for the Colts. He might be working mostly in the slot, but Campbell is a player that should be looking to take a step forward in 2020. He showed promise when he was on the field during his rookie campaign, and the Colts need him to take on a larger role in Year 2.

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Colts’ 2019 rookie class ranked 9th-most productive

Colts’ rookie class viewed as a top-10 group.

Having built the majority of the roster through the last three drafts, the Indianapolis Colts continue to construct the foundation with young players—including the most recent crop of picks.

The Colts may have traded out of the first round during the 2019 draft but they were still able to get some solid production from some of the selections. While they didn’t get any top-end production, ESPN ranked the Colts’ rookie class as the ninth-most productive unit in the NFL.

Why they’re ranked here: The Colts’ rookie class wasn’t without its struggles, but it did add some interesting pieces in coverage that showed promise. Both linebacker Bobby Okereke and cornerback Rock Ya-Sin made PFF’s All-Rookie team despite early-season growing pains. If those two continue to progress, along with Marvell Tell III and Khari Willis, this class could yield several regular contributors on the defensive side.

How their top pick fared: Ya-Sin (No. 34 overall) improved greatly over the second half of the season. His PFF overall grade increased from 48.4 from Weeks 1 to 8 to 77.9 from Weeks 9 to 17.

Best value pick: Okereke (No. 89 overall) was strong in coverage, keeping pass catchers in front of him in their zone when on the field. He allowed just over 6 yards per target this season.

The Colts didn’t need to rely on rookie production like they had in years prior. Some of the depth built up over the last two drafts allowed the Colts to take some project-type players with upside because they have time to develop.

Even so, the Colts found a great deal of production on the defensive side of the ball. Ya-Sin and Willis were starters in the secondary after just a few weeks into the season while Okereke emerged as arguably the group’s best rookie during the second half.

There were some growing pains with the fifth-round pick in Tell while Ben Banogu made little impact and Parris Campbell dealt with injuries throughout the campaign.

The Colts will once again focus on building through the draft as they believe that brings along sustained success, but they should also be looking forward to the development of a promising class.

Bobby Okereke was PFF’s top-graded rookie LB

Bobby Okereke had himself quite the year.

It was a defensive-minded class for the Indianapolis Colts in the 2019 draft and while there are some players that took most of the attention, linebacker Bobby Okereke emerged as a solid playmaker during the second half.

A third-round pick out of Stanford, Okereke proved that his athleticism, range and sound tackling ability could be put to use right away. He also showed an innate ability to provide the Colts will solid coverage in the middle of the field.

Those traits helped Okereke finish the 2019 season as Pro Football Focus’ top-graded rookie linebacker.

Top rookie: Bobby Okereke, Indianapolis Colts — 77.3

Okereke was one of the best athletes at the position coming out of college last year, and it translated swiftly in coverage for the Colts. On 34 targets this season, he allowed 12 first downs and registered 10 stops. Apparently, the Colts know what they’re doing when it comes to drafting linebackers.

It took a while for Okereke to break into a role that allowed for consistent success. But once he did, he showed the Colts that he can be a weekly playmaker next to one of the league’s best linebackers in Darius Leonard.

Okereke finished the season with 58 tackles (43 solo), one sack, two tackles for loss and two passes defended. His coverage is a nice addition to a linebacker corps that needed it—even with the abilities of Leonard in that area.

The Colts set out to improve the linebacker room during the 2019 season. They accomplished that goal solely with the addition of Okereke to the middle of the defense.

As he enters his first full offseason with the team, Okereke could be vying for the starting role next to Leonard in 2020.

Colts feel strongly about direction of 2019 rookie class

Colts feel good about their rookie class.

The Indianapolis Colts continued adding depth to their roster with a 10-pick crop from the 2019 NFL Draft and while the group has undergone some changes, the team still feels strongly about the progress made during the campaign.

Especially when it comes to the early-round defensive picks the Colts made, head coach Frank Reich is excited to see how much they can develop with a full season and offseason under their belt.

“Man, the rookie class is a strong class, now,” Reich told Matt Taylor of Colts.com. “Obviously on defense, we picked all those defensive players. They are all really good players; we’re excited about all of them. Bobby (Okereke) had a great year, Khari (Willis) had a great year, Rock (Ya-Sin) — all those guys. Excited about E.J. (Speed)’s development, Gerri Green — I mean, those guys are going to be a big part of the foundation going forward.”

The Colts did see some intriguing development from the three players in Ya-Sin, Okereke and Willis. The defensive backs took over starting roles just a few weeks after the season began, and Okereke had a strong second half that showed why there is optimism surrounding the class.

There were some hiccups with the group, of course. Wide receiver Parris Campbell played in just seven games and battled injuries starting in training camp. Defensive end Ben Banogu never truly made an impact and was used sparingly during the second half.

But there is still optimism with the group heading into 2020. Ya-Sin and Willis will return as starters. Okereke is likely to compete for the starting WILL spot with Anthony Walker, who is in a contract year. And there is a chance Banogu works himself into a bigger role in Year 2.

It wasn’t all daisies for the first-year group, but there was enough to warrant optimism moving forward.

There are still plenty of moves that need to be made along the roster, but Reich is confident in the direction the rookie class took on following their first season in the league.

4 Colts who overachieved in 2019

The biggest breakouts for the Colts in 2019.

Before each season starts fans, media and the team set expectations on each player as to how they think they’ll do this season. Sometimes those expectations are way too high, and sometimes way too low, but people set expectations as a barometer for if a player did well that season or not.

While the Indianapolis Colts finished the season losing five of their last seven games, and finished 7-9, missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five years, there were some pleasant surprises from the season.

Here are some of the biggest overachievers from the 2019 Colts’ season:

LB Bobby Okereke

The third-round pick in the 2019 draft, Okereke solidified the SAM linebacker spot halfway through the 2019 season.

Okereke became a full-time starter in Week 8. He would go onto have 58 tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovered, and he intercepted and returned a two-point conversion attempt for points.

Okereke was just recently named to the PFF 2019 NFL All-Rookie Team where he was graded out at 79.2 coverage grade. That ranked him 10th among off-ball linebackers. He was also PFF’s eighth-highest-graded overall rookie with a 77.3 grade.

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3 Colts named to PFF’s All-Rookie team in 2019

Three Colts stood out in the eyes of PFF.

As it has become a trend with the new regime, the Indianapolis Colts have had plenty of playing experience for their rookie class. It was no different in 2019.

While the jury is still out on the majority of the class—per usual with rookies—the Colts had a few standouts along the way. Three of those rookies were named to Pro Football Focus’ All-Rookie team for the 2019 season.

The three that made it were cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, linebacker Bobby Okereke and a bit of a surprise in kicker Chase McLaughlin.

Here’s what PFF had to say about all three of them:

Okereke: “Okereke hasn’t seen quite as much playing time as some other rookie linebackers, but when he has been on the field, no player from the class has a higher PFF grade. Okereke has been strongest in the most important area for a modern-day NFL linebacker: coverage. His 79.2 coverage grade ranks 10th among all off-ball linebackers, and though he doesn’t have any official interceptions to this point, he is due for one. Okereke has dropped two interceptions and had a pick-two on a two-point conversion that won’t show up on the stat sheet.”

A third-round pick, Okereke really had a strong second half. His coverage ability truly began to take off and his range as a tackler improved as well. With him, Darius Leonard and Anthony Walker, the Colts truly have a solid linebacker corps.

Ya-Sin: “Looking at the season from start to finish, Ya-Sin hasn’t had a smooth ride to a spot on the All-Rookie Team. A 55.0 coverage grade through the first nine weeks of the season set him back, but we saw improvement from the Temple product as the campaign wore on. From Week 10 through the end of the season, Ya-Sin picked up a 76.1 coverage grade while allowing just a 67.7 passer rating into his coverage. That’s the kind of performance the Colts expected when drafting him in the second round, and it’s what they’ll look for next season.”

There were some rocky games along the way, but Ya-Sin’s gained some valuable experience during the 2019 season. He steadily improved during the second half, which is exactly what the team wants to see with young players.

McLaughlin: PFF didn’t have any snippet for the undrafted rookie. But he was very solid when he arrived to Indy following the news that Adam Vinatieri had to undergo season-ending knee surgery. In four games with the Colts, McLaughlin converted five of six field-goal attempts (83.3%) and all 11 of his extra-point attempts. After signing him to a one-year extension, it seems McLaughlin will get the first chance at succeeding Vinatieri.

Stock up, stock down in Colts’ loss to Titans

Stock report from the divisional loss.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-6) are falling further out of the playoff race following the devastating collapse that led to a 31-17 home loss against the Tennessee Titans (7-5) on Sunday.

Now the ninth seed in the AFC playoff race, the Colts are seeing their hopes for the postseason come crashing down. In the loss, the Colts had some bright spots but there were also some concerns that were made known in a big way.

Here is the stock report for the Colts in the Week 13 loss:

Stock up: RB Jordan Wilkins

It seemed the Colts had the temporary replacement for Marlon Mack in the form of Jonathan Williams, who was trying to record his third-consecutive 100-yard game against the Titans. Despite that, he had a very short leash and the Colts weren’t afraid to take him out of the game.

Stepping in for Williams was Wilkins, who has been dealing with some injuries that have kept him off the field. He came back strong to lead the backfield in snaps (44%) while also leading the unit in carries (11) and rushing yards (47).

It wasn’t an extremely explosive day for Wilkins but he showed he was definitely the hot hand in the backfield. It will be interesting to see if this gives him the starter’s role over Williams.

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