NFL Draft: Indianapolis Colts Team Draft Retrospective

This article is part of a series that looks at each NFL team’s recent draft history with the hope of extracting information about the way they think and the players they value.

The analysis is limited to the past five drafts in the interest of relevance, and the first three rounds because that’s where most impact players are taken.

This entry will focus on the Indianapolis Colts.

Draft History

In the past five years, the Colts have taken the following players in the early rounds. Their positions and the rounds in which they were drafted are listed next to their names.

2006:   Joseph Addai, RB (1)

            Tim Jennings, CB (2)

            Freddy Keiaho, LB (3)

2007:   Anthony Gonzalez, WR (1)

            Tony Ugoh, OT (2)

            Dante Hughes, CB (3)

            Quinn Pitcock, DT (3)

2008:   Mike Pollak, C (2)

            Philip Wheeler, LB (3)

2009:   Donald Brown, RB (1)

            Fili Moala, DT (2)

            Jerraud Powers, CB (3)

2010:   Jerry Hughes, LB (1)

            Pat Angerer, LB (2)

            Kevin Thomas, CB (3)

Breakdown by Position

Here is the number of players the Colts have drafted for each position:

Cornerback: 4

Linebacker: 4

Defensive tackle: 2

Running back: 2

Center: 1

Offensive tackle: 1

Wide receiver: 1

Impact

Joseph Addai is very good running back who has come up big in some important games. Anthony Gonzalez is a talented receiver, but just can’t seem to stay healthy. Jerraud Powers is a solid cornerback.

Despite what looks like an underwhelming span of early draft picks, the Colts have been one of the league’s top teams, winning a Super Bowl and making it to another one during this time.

Trends

The Colts love to build up their back seven. More than half of their early picks over this span have been spent on either a linebacker or a cornerback. This appears to be largely out of need, as inside linebacker Gary Brackett has been the only real defensive stalwart outside of the defensive line.

A couple of defensive tackles have been taken to complement the Colts’ terrific end tandem. As with CB and LB, Indianapolis has yet to find a great player there.

Both the receiving corps and the offensive line have been curiously neglected. Apparently the team has faith in quarterback extraordinaire Peyton Manning to get rid of the ball quickly and make the most of middle and late round receivers. Still, they’ve got to help him out at some point.

2011 Outlook

After making it to the Super Bowl in their first year under coach Jim Caldwell, the Colts fell back to earth somewhat. Though they rallied to win the division, they lost their very first playoff game to the Jets. The loss, and really their entire season, proved that even Peyton Manning can’t do it all by himself.

Colts general manager Bill Polian has admitted that he should have addressed the team’s pass protection issues, and he will almost certainly do so here. This year’s offensive tackle class is very top heavy, so Indianapolis would be foolish not to take someone in Round 1.

Ideally, Anthony Castonzo (BC) would slip to them. If he’s gone, Gabe Carimi (Wisconsin) or Derek Sherrod (Mississippi State) would be a terrific pick as well. Either way, they need to come out of round one with a left tackle.

The receiving corps needs to be replenished as well. Reggie Wayne is now into his thirties and shows signs of slowing down. Austin Collie and his poor cranium can’t seem to catch a break, and Pierre Garcon’s hands are too unreliable.

The second round would be a good chance to come away with a talented receiver like Jonathan Baldwin (Pittsburgh), Torrey Smith (Maryland), Leonard Hankerson (Miami), or Titus Young (Boise State).

Defensive tackle is also a major liability for Indianapolis, and the main reason for their struggles in stopping the run. Luckily, they could find themselves benefiting from a deep draft class, as a quality tackle like Drake Nevis (LSU) could fall into the third round.

One final consideration—Colts fans will undoubtedly shudder at the thought—is that Peyton Manning is now in his mid thirties. He can’t play forever, and given the steep learning curve of the QB position, it’s a good idea to take someone earlier rather than later.

They had the same idea a few years ago with Curtis Painter, but he hasn’t looked very good thus far. It’s possibly they’ll try again this year in a higher round. Ricky Stanzi (Iowa) and Nathan Enderle (Idaho) are some possibilities.