2012 NFL Draft: 5 Biggest Positional Needs for Indianapolis Colts

Over the past decade, the Indianapolis Colts were one of the most dominant franchises in NFL history. They broke records for wins in a decade, won countless division titles and appeared in two Super Bowls, winning one of them in 2007.

Last year the Colts were without the man who single-handedly turned this franchise around in Peyton Manning, and struggled mightily.

Every weakness was exposed, as they showed why they were just a Peyton Manning team and nothing else. Now, with the uncertainty of Manning, and other key players getting older and due too much money, change is coming within the Colts organization.

The Colts can no longer succeed being a one-man team, especially with the key man gone. The Colts added a new GM, new head coach and coordinators, and most likely a whole new scheme on both sides of the ball.

The team had too much talent to only win two games, so a new era in Colts football is coming as soon as this April.

These are the biggest positional needs in the upcoming draft that the Colts need to address to not slip from greatness to the 2000s version of the Buffalo Bills or the San Francisco 49ers of the '90s.

Quarterback

An upgrade at this position is an obvious one. Last year this was the key reason for why the Colts were so bad. It was all due to the lack of a back-up plan for Peyton Manning.

This year, the Colts have made it very clear that they will draft a quarterback with their first pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Most likely, the pick will be Andrew Luck.

The Colts can no longer rely on the arm of Peyton Manning. I feel the organization is done with Manning anyway, so whomever the Colts draft with the top pick will be the new leader in the organization.

This is obviously the biggest area of concern for the Colts. The also need to establish a good back up to whomever they draft so they’re not in the same position as they were in last year.

The league has shown to become a quarterback’s league, so the Colts have a prime chance to avoid the drop off and stay afloat in the ever-changing National Football League.

Wide Receiver

Wide receiver is the next most important position to upgrade for the Colts.

The top two receivers from the last couple of seasons are free agents, and I don’t really see both returning if Manning is gone.

The third-string wide receiver was Austin Collie, but he showed this past season he won’t be what he once was due to suffering two severe concussions two seasons ago.

The fourth and final receiver on the roster from last season is Anthony Gonzalez. I don’t think the Colts will keep him around anymore after a disappointing tenure in Indy.

This means the Colts need at least two top receivers for the team next year or it won’t matter who’s behind center. I think this is an area that needs to be addressed early in the draft.

If Austin Collie becomes the No. 1 receiver, then the Colts will have a long season in 2012.

Cornerback

The cornerback position was by far the worst of any for the Colts last season. I grew tired of seeing Jacob Lacey and Jerraud Powers play at least 10 yards off the line of scrimmage and get beat on slant routes.

Luckily for the Colts, I don’t think they will bring either of those two corners back.

The Colts really need two lock-down corners to help the defense get a pass rush. Last year, Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis struggled to get to the quarterback due to weak coverage in the secondary.

If Peyton Manning was 100 percent healthy, I’d say the Colts need to go after the Claiborne kid from LSU in the first round—but with going for a quarterback early, I’d go with a corner in the second or third round at the latest.

If the corner position doesn’t get an upgrade, then the defense will be back to what they were last year.

It’s no secret that teams with good coverage succeed. Ask Green Bay or New England how they fared against good coverage on their receivers in the playoffs.

Tight End

The Colts desperately need to upgrade in this position as well. Dallas Clark has revolutionized the position, but he’s getting older and has been injury prone the last couple of seasons.

The second- and third-string tight ends haven’t had much production, and I don’t think either of them will return next season.

With the tight-end spot becoming so valuable with good offenses using the new bigger athletic tight end to spread the field and keep the defense guessing, I think the Colts need to go in this direction.

Andrew Luck loved to hit his tight ends at Stanford, and if given a big target, I think it will help him ease into the starting role.

With no receivers or any valuable tight ends right now, the Colts don’t stand a chance next year if they don’t upgrade.

Defensive End

It sounds weird to say the Colts need new defensive ends with the dominance over the last decade from Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney but, in reality, they do.

The Colts are definitely moving towards a 3-4 scheme with a new coaching staff, and I don’t think undersized defensive ends will work.

Robert Mathis is a free agent, and Dwight Freeney is owed over $19 million next season and he only had 18 total tackles this past year.

I think Mathis can be retained and made more of an outside linebacker like Mario Williams was made into in Houston when they switched to a 3-4, but I don’t think Freeney will necessarily succeed in the new 3-4.

Usually, 3-4 defenses are big and beefy up front. Most D-linemen are big guys who stuff the run and get a good enough pass rush. Freeney is very undersized, and I’m afraid he won’t be able to get to the quarterback much.

With all that being said, I think the Colts need to draft some beefy guys and rebuild the defensive front. This will help the Colts all around and help improve the run defense. If not, this defense may be one of the worst next year if they switch to a 3-4 and don’t have the personnel to play that scheme.