Is Braden Smith the Colts’ ‘best kept secret?’

Braden Smith enters a big Year 3.

The biggest strength for the Indianapolis Colts is their offensive line and while no one is denying that, the unit still has some players flying under the radar. Enter right tackle Braden Smith.

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Much of the hype and praise for the Colts offensive line goes to left guard Quenton Nelson and left tackle Anthony Castonzo—and rightfully so. But Smith has emerged as one of the top young right tackles in the NFL. Entering Year 3 as a starter, the Auburn product is a breakout candidate for 2020.

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport named the former second-round pick as the team’s best kept secret entering the upcoming season.

It’s not at all unusual for a player who lined up at tackle in college to kick inside in the pros as the result of a lack of length or quickness. However, it’s not that often someone does the opposite like Braden Smith of the Indianapolis Colts.

A right guard at Auburn, Smith was pressed into action at tackle by injuries at the position during the 2018 season. He more than held his own in his first game against the New England Patriots—and he’s been a fixture there ever since.

Per Andrew Walker of the team’s website, head coach Frank Reich compared Smith to super-guard Quenton Nelson:

“Rightly so Quenton has gotten a lot of attention—[but] Braden has played lights out. When we moved him we knew we had a great run blocker. I mean, you just watch his college tape, you knew he was a great run blocker. When he got here you knew the pass blocking needed some work, but he worked hard at that. So that was going to be the big question moving him out to right tackle, ‘How would he handle it?’ He’s just continued to get better and better.”

Smith may start to approach Nelson’s renown this year.

Smith entered the league as a strong run blocker who moved well in space. Those two traits are almost pre-requisites in prospects the Colts consider on the offensive line. He is still improving his consistency with his pass sets, but he has been a wonderful addition to the edge on the right side.

The occasional Colts fan believes Smith still needs to be moved inside to right guard (he doesn’t). Having his youth, talent and mobility skills aren’t easy to come by and while he was drafted as an interior player, the tackle position is simply too important.

The 2020 season will be a big one for Smith as he has the chance to truly take the next step forward in gaining some recognition for his strong play.

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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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Colts have 5 players named to PFF’s top 101 from 2019

These 5 Colts were named to PFF’s top 101.

The Indianapolis Colts took a step back in their progression during the 2019 season, but that doesn’t mean it was a complete wash. There were still some bright spots on both sides of the ball for Indy.

As the 2019 season continues to get pushed back further in the mind of the Colts and the fanbase, there are still some reviews going on before free agency hits in roughly a month.

Pro Football Focus took a look at ranking the top 101 players from the 2019 season, in which the Colts had five players featured. Here’s a look:

11. G QUENTON NELSON, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

“The one offensive lineman who brings everybody together, Quenton Nelson is a force in all areas of the game and a real tone-setter for the Colts’ offensive line, as intangible as that is. On a more tangible level, he didn’t surrender a sack all season despite blocking for a quarterback who makes that tougher than others do, and he was the second-best run-blocking guard in the NFL, one of just two to surpass a PFF grade of 90.0 in that area. Overall, Nelson ran Brandon Brooks close for the best-grade among guards, ending the year at 91.2 overall from over 1,000 snaps of action.” – Pro Football Focus

71. T ANTHONY CASTONZO, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

“There have been few players as consistent as Anthony Castonzo over the majority of his career. Every one of the past eight seasons has seen him end the year with an overall PFF grade somewhere between 76.0 and 85.0, and this season he ended with a grade of 81.3. He allowed three sacks and 34 total pressures but was pass blocking for a quarterback who holds the ball longer than he should at times and stresses his pass protection.” – Pro Football Focus

92. T BRADEN SMITH, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

“The Indianapolis Colts have assembled one of the best offensive lines in football, and it’s largely due to hitting on young players, among them right tackle Braden Smith. A far less heralded draft pick than Quenton Nelson, and even Ryan Kelly at center, Smith has been impressive since entering the NFL nonetheless. He was at his best as a run blocker, dominating on the ground in most games, and while pass blocking was a weaker area, he was dealing with a quarterback who stresses pass protection more than most, and he still had solid grades in that area despite surrendering some pressure.” – Pro Football Focus

100. LB DARIUS LEONARD, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

“Darius Leonard opens his NFL career with back-to-back appearances on the PFF Top 101, backing up his remarkable rookie season with another good year, albeit a slightly lower overall PFF grade. Leonard had five interceptions this season and allowed a passer rating under 80.0 when targeted, around 25 points lower than the average passer rating when targeting linebackers at the NFL level. He proved that his rookie season was no fluke with an excellent sophomore year.” – Pro Football Focus

101. EDGE JUSTIN HOUSTON, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

“Justin Houston had dealt with so many injuries in Kansas City that the team ultimately decided to move on, but in his first year with the Colts, he proved he can still get after the quarterback. The Colts wisely kept him on something of a pitch count over the season, and he totaled just 674 snaps over the year, most of which came as a pass-rusher, and he responded with 60 total pressures, the highest figure he has notched since the 2015 campaign.” – Pro Football Focus

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Colts vs. Jaguars: 3 key matchups to watch in Week 17

Key matchups to watch in Week 17.

To finish off their regular season, the Indianapolis Colts will head south and play in one last divisional matchup vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even with their playoff hopes ended after Week 15, it didn’t stop the Colts from quickly coming out of the gates and dominating the Carolina Panthers in their 38-6 win last Sunday.

Whether it was Nyheim Hines having an all-time performance as a punt returner or the defense having their best success in several weeks, the Colts are looking to bring those factors and then some down to Jacksonville for their final game in 2019.

Here are three key matchups to watch in the Colts’ Week 17 bout:

RB Leonard Fournette vs. Colts’ defensive front seven

As I mentioned in this same piece in Week 11, when these two teams faced off, the Colts would have to put a lot of emphasis on defending running back Leonard Fournette. The LSU product has been the Jaguars’ best offensive player this season and is currently seventh in rushing yards (1,152).

But even with the fact, the Colts successfully contained Fournette in their first matchup (eight carries for 23 rushing yards), it doesn’t mean the Jags could allow that to happen again. Ever since the total number of Fournette’s carries have lowered since Week 11, the Jaguars are 1-4 and struggling to generate much offensive success.

So with an increased chance of Fournette getting much action on Sunday, the Colts’ defensive front seven needs to quickly contain him in order to greater pressure on rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II.

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5 Colts to watch vs. Saints in Week 15

Colts to watch in Week 15.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-7) will be doing all they can to keep their playoff hopes alive Monday night when they travel to take on the New Orleans Saints (10-3) at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Needing to win out in the final three games of the regular season to have any chance at making the playoffs, the Colts face a tough challenge in the Saints, who have won three of their last four games.

Here are five Colts to watch in the Week 15 matchup:

WR Marcus Johnson

The Colts might be seeing the return of T.Y. Hilton on Monday night but that is still undetermined until the inactives come out. Regardless, Johnson should have another big role in the passing game coming off of his career performance against the Bucs in Week 14.

Catching three passes for 105 yards and a touchdown, Johnson was a big-play machine in a game in which the Colts needed to keep up on the road. Something similar could happen Monday night as the Colts battle a Saints team that is averaging over 26 points per game.

Who will emerge in the passing game remains to be seen, but Johnson has as good of a chance as any with his recent emergence.

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5 Colts to watch vs. Titans in Week 13

Keep an eye on these Colts in Week 13.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-5) are preparing to host the Tennessee Titans (6-5) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in what is expected to be a physical AFC South matchup.

Both teams are looking to find a way into the playoffs, which means this matchup will have plenty of implications down the stretch—not only in the divisional race but the AFC playoff race as well.

Here are five Colts to watch during the Week 13 matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium:

QB Jacoby Brissett

A player that everyone will be watching on Sunday is Brissett. After the Colts have gone four consecutive games without throwing for over 200 yards as a team, Brissett’s status as the future of the Colts’ quarterback room has come into question.

Brissett certainly has the tools to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. He’s intelligent, he has strong pocket mobility and he has a rocket for an arm. But he hasn’t been trusting it for the majority of the season. Those concerns reared their ugly head in the Week 12 loss against the Texans.

The Titans are likely to sell out against the run, which means Brissett will have his chances to air it out. Whether he will take advantage of those chances is what likely determines the game.

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Studs and duds from Colts’ 33-13 win vs. Jaguars

Studs and duds from the Week 11 win.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-4) bounced back against the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium with a 33-13 win.

The victory, combined with the Houston Texans’ loss, moves them into first place ahead of the Thursday night bout that features both teams. This was a complete team win with strong performances on both sides of the ball.

Here are the studs and duds from Week 11:

STUD: RB Marlon Mack

The Colts got back to their roots of dominating in the run game. Mack, behind the offensive line, spearheaded the rushing attack. Though he eventually left with a hand injury and didn’t return, Mack was the engine that kept the offense rolling.

Mack left halfway through the third quarter but finished taking 14 carries for 109 yards and a strong touchdown. The third-year back had five runs of 10 yards or more on the day. It remains to be seen if he will be healthy enough to play on Thursday night.

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