5 Indianapolis Colts Players Who Should See Their Roles Expand in 2015

While the Indianapolis Colts have gotten attention for signing an older group of free agents this offseason, the real measure of any football team often rests with its young players.

That's certainly the case for the Colts. While Andre Johnson, Frank Gore, Robert Mathis and Trent Cole will get a lot of headlines, the development of the Colts' younger players may play a bigger part in the team's ultimate success in 2015.

Having a mixed record in the draft over the last three seasons, the Colts need a strong draft this year, and doing so could place less of a burden on the young players we'll talk about today. But for now, here are five young guns who will be leaned on more heavily in 2015.

OLB Jonathan Newsome

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Yes, even though the Colts added Trent Cole at outside linebacker and Robert Mathis should be returning, I think second-year outside linebacker Jonathan Newsome will see his role expand as the Colts attempt to develop him into a pass-rusher for the future.

Sure, Newsome was a key player in the playoffs for Indianapolis, as Bjoern Werner fell further into the coaches' doghouse. But for the season, Newsome was down at the 13th-most snaps on the defense, Werner alone had over 180 more pass-rushing opportunities in the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Newsome might not see many more snaps, but he should see a game plan more purposefully designed to his skill set. The Colts have to focus on developing him. While Cole and Mathis are the big names and their contributions will be needed, Newsome is much more important for the long-term state of the defense. His 6.5 sacks in 2014 (most for any rookie not named Aaron Donald) was a good stepping stone to build from.

For perspective, former fifth-round pick Mathis had just 3.5 sacks in his rookie season but jumped up to 10.5 in his second year as a pass-rushing specialist. Newsome might not see that kind of jump, but hopefully he can progress from a one-on-one perspective to more consistently cause breakdowns in the pocket.

C Khaled Holmes

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This slide could have Jonotthan Harrison's name on it. It could have a rookie's name on it.

The point is, the Colts desperately need consistency at the center position, something they haven't had since allowing Jeff Saturday to walk in 2012. Whoever wins the battle for the starting center will be expected to start for the entire season, and they will be expected to take a leap in development in 2015.

For now, I'll give the edge to the third-year center out of USC. Harrison won the job initially last season after Holmes was injured in the preseason, but the team grew tired of his lapses in pass protection and mental breakdowns, eventually replacing him with Holmes in Week 16.

With Holmes, fewer breakdowns occur, and he keeps Andrew Luck fairly clean. But, to be clear, Holmes wasn't perfect—far from it. His run blocking left much to be desired, largely due to a lack of functional strength, and his pass protection still had plenty of room for improvement.

The Colts have been waiting for Holmes to come into his own for two years now. If this isn't going to be the year, it's unlikely it ever comes.

S Dewey McDonald

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While the Colts could still add a starting center in the draft or via free agency (veteran Dwight Lowery visited the Colts this week, per Albert Breer of NFL Network), former undrafted free agent Dewey McDonald should see more snaps on defense this season.

McDonald was largely a special teamer last season, most known for dropping a wide-open reception on fourth down on a fake punt in Week 16 against Dallas. Formerly of the California University of Pennsylvania, McDonald played just eight snaps on defense, according to Pro Football Focus.

With former depth safeties Sergio Brown and Delano Howell now gone from Indianapolis, along with starter LaRon Landry, opportunities should arise for McDonald in 2015. Even if the team signs or drafts a starter, McDonald should fill right into Brown's role as the third safety.

Don't be alarmed, McDonald has shown an ability to contribute in that role before. The rookie earned a positive-1.7 grade from Pro Football Focus in the preseason last year, including a positive-1.3 grade in coverage, after impressing throughout training camp. McDonald will have to beat out Winston Guy and Colt Anderson to really take advantage of snaps in a depth role, but he beat out Guy last year and Anderson only had 30 more snaps than McDonald last year.

WR Donte Moncrief

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Having spent most of last season as the fourth wide receiver, second-year receiver Donte Moncrief took on a bigger roles as the season wound down last year, much like Jonathan Newsome did.

Moncrief played over 420 snaps for the Colts, according to Pro Football Focus, while disappointing veteran free agent Hakeem Nicks played over 600. With Nicks gone and Andre Johnson taking snaps from the departed Reggie Wayne, it's easy to see where Moncrief will fit in during 2015.

With Johnson likely staying on the outside instead of sliding inside to the slot like Wayne did, the Colts will probably move T.Y. Hilton inside to the slot on three-receiver sets. Hilton has played particularly well in the slot over the last two years, and Moncrief should receive much less attention with Hilton and Johnson garnering defensive attention.

Running a limited route tree last season, Moncrief was very efficient when targeted. Andrew Luck had a 122.0 quarterback rating when targeting Moncrief last year, according to Pro Football Focus, the sixth-highest mark among 90 qualifying receivers. Luck might not have the same, well, luck, when targeting Moncrief this season, but with a year to develop his routes and timing, especially with Johnson in the mix, the Colts hope Moncrief is on his way to becoming a star.

DL Zach Kerr

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

A big part of the reason why the Colts didn't spend a boatload of money on a free-agent defensive lineman like Ndamukong Suh was the presence and impact of second-year defensive lineman Zach Kerr.

While the team did add Kendall Langford in free agency, that's not the kind of jaw-dropping move many expected. With Cory Redding and Ricky Jean Francois both leaving in the offseason, the Colts know that they will be relying heavily on their young linemen. General manager Ryan Grigson said as much at the owners' meetings last week, per Kevin Bowen of Colts.com:

"

We have guys that are big, athletic guys that can run, but they’ve got to develop and they have to come through. I don’t think they have a choice. None of us have a choice. They have to be (ready).

"

Kerr impressed as a rookie last year, earning a rotational spot despite being undrafted. While he currently isn't projected to start, he should be the first lineman off the bench. Kerr has potential as a starting 3-technique defensive tackle if the Colts wanted to move Arthur Jones inside to nose tackle.

What would really help the Colts would be if Kerr's pass rush developed a bit more this year. He was solid against the run, but his pass rushing left some to be desired as a rookie, though he did have three sacks. If Kerr could be more than just a rotational run-stuffer some day, it could drastically increase the Colts' standing among their AFC brethren.