Indianapolis Colts Mock Draft Roundup

Thankfully, the mock draft season is almost over, paving the way for the actual NFL draft on Thursday.

Still, there are a few days left for us to pore over mock drafts and entertain different scenarios for the Indianapolis Colts. There is some value in mock drafts, although it's not in a predictive nature, especially not for the Colts at pick No. 29.

Nobody is quite sure what the draft landscape will look like at pick No. 10, much less No. 29. Anybody legitimately attempting to predict the draft should be committed.

What we can use them for, though, is to talk possibilities. What makes the most sense for the Colts, and why? It's a mental exercise, not a predictive parlor trick.

NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah: OT Ereck Flowers, Miami

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The Colts have a need on the offensive line, namely a long-term need. But NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah sees Miami's Ereck Flowers as an ideal pick because he could be an immediate fix, saying, "Flowers can come in and start right away at right tackle."

Jeremiah's NFL.com colleague Lance Zierlein has similar thoughts, saying Flowers could start right away at right guard. This is the general thinking for mocks that give the Colts an offensive lineman in the first round, that the Colts would get a Day 1 starter.

Take what Mel Kiper of ESPN says about the Colts' offensive line needs after mocking Stanford offensive tackle Andrus Peat to them in his most recent mock:

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The Colts have been active in free agency, but I still consider the offensive line a weakness they need to address in the draft. Andrew Luck is going to produce points for them, but they won't maximize what he's capable of if they don't improve their pass protection and create more of a push in the run game.

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It's not that I disagree with the Colts taking an offensive lineman early, it's that the reasoning seems backward to me. The Colts' biggest offensive line needs aren't short-term unless Gosder Cherilus' knee is completely shot. Even if it is, the Colts have three interior linemen that can play right tackle (Todd Herremans, Joe Reitz and Jack Mewhort).

No, the most important reason to draft a tackle would be to lock the right tackle position long-term by selecting a bookend to pair with Anthony Castonzo for years to come. This is especially true with a guy like Flowers or Peat, developmental prospects with severe flaws in their current game.

CBS Sports' Rob Rang: S Landon Collins, Alabama

Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

When need and talent collide, that's when you get a perfect draft pick. If Alabama safety Landon Collins' talent is as strong as some seem to think, this might just be the Colts' ideal pick.

Rob Rang of CBS Sports agrees: "Collins is the unquestioned top safety in 2015 but because he's better in run support than coverage, he's susceptible to a fall on draft day. That'd be music to the ears of the Colts, who need a physical presence like Collins in the secondary."

While Collins is strong in the box, he's not just a linebacker in a safety's body, as Charles Davis of NFL.com inferred in his mock, calling Collins "rangier than people think."

Colts general manager Ryan Grigson has spoken highly of Collins, and he's the type of versatile, tough safety that the Colts have been interested in before (see Landry, LaRon). Collins doesn't have Landry's top-end speed, but he has better instincts and is a more sure tackler.

If the Colts can marry their top need with the top prospect at the position, they'll be happy on draft day.

ESPN's Todd McShay: OLB Eli Harold, Virginia

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The Indianapolis Colts have a plethora of needs, and outside linebacker isn't exactly high on that list. With a strong mix of aging pass-rushers (Robert Mathis, Trent Cole), run-stoppers in their prime (Erik Walden) and developing projects (Jonathan Newsome, Bjoern Werner), the Colts have enough to chew on at the position.

However, you can never have enough pass-rushers, and if the talent is there, it's a risk worth taking, says Todd McShay of ESPN.com:

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The Colts have needs at offensive tackle, safety and defensive tackle, but in this scenario Harold represents a good value who also would provide needed depth at the edge rusher spot. Harold isn't a finished product -- his instincts and recognition skills are just average and he's an inconsistent tackler -- but he has good upside as a pass-rusher with his length and quickness, and he flashed the ability to convert speed to power for the Cavs.

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Pass rush has been an issue for the Colts in recent years, with Mathis being the only one who could generate his own pass rush consistently. Even with the plethora of bodies at outside linebacker, the Colts could always use more potential on the outside.

Still, Harold is in the second tier of pass-rushing talent, and there may be better defensive playmakers available at No. 29. Harold is a decent option, theoretically, but only if the top prospects on the Colts' board are gone.

NFL.com's Charley Casserly: DT Eddie Goldman, Florida State

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The reasoning for drafting a stout defensive lineman like Florida State's Eddie Goldman is simple: Stop the run.

As NFL.com's Charley Casserly says, to stop the New England Patriots, the Colts need to stop the run. The two blowout losses to New England in 2014 made that perfectly clear.

CBS Sports' Will Brinson also has the Colts taking Goldman, with a touch more analysis: "The Colts have vowed to get better at stopping the run. Goldman is a hands-y guy who can work into the defensive line rotation for Chuck Pagano and help improve this team's defense."

Stopping the run shouldn't be the top priority of a defense in today's NFL, where passing is the priority, but Goldman does offer some pass-rushing potential. Goldman just moved inside on the defensive line this past year, and he still has room to grow as he learns the position.

It's hard to find a true 3-4 nose tackle, and Goldman can fill that role. Because he's primarily a run-stopper heading into the draft, Goldman shouldn't be at the top of the Colts' target list, but he should be someone they have an eye on.

CBS Sports' Pete Prisco: S Damarious Randall, Arizona State

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Personally, this is my least favorite scenario for Indianapolis. Arizona State's Damarious Randall was a player who was lucky to be labeled a third- or fourth-round prospect earlier this year, but then had a strong combine.

As the draft has gotten closer, Randall has shot up the draft boards. Now, numerous analysts have linked him with the Colts, including CBS Sports' Pete Prisco, who said, "Indy needs help on the back end and this is a rangy safety who could also play corner in a pinch."

But in my opinion, NFL.com's Bucky Brooks gets at the real heart of the issue here: "The lack of quality safeties in the 2015 class could prompt Chuck Pagano to pull the trigger early on the versatile safety from Arizona State."

I have my doubts about Randall, largely due to his post-combine rise, but some analysts are very high on him. If the Colts have him at the top of their board when it comes to No. 29, there is reason to select him. However, if the Colts are tempted to reach for him because of the thin safety class, as Brooks says, it would be a mistake. The Colts have other needs that must be addressed just as quickly.

This is not the time to reach for one specific need.