We Need The Colts To Trade Up To Take Brock Bowers
The pick is in. Hot take: I like the NFL draft process more than the regular season. Is that crazy? Even if your team is complete ASS, you are filled with hope that the handful of players selected are all going to pan out and help your team win. I loved putting on the GM hat and building a team in Madden. Even in NCAA Basketball 2k5 video game (with Josh Childress on the cover) I loved the process of sending letters and visiting 1-2 star recruits and building a program out of nothing. So tonight, I'm locked in on who the Indianapolis Colts will be selecting with the 15th pick in the draft.
In the NFL the worst spot to be is middle of the pack, your franchise enters into a state of mediocrity limbo that is difficult to escape. That's why when Anthony Richardson's shoulder put him out for the season, I said the Colts were fucked with Gardner Minshew. Minshew is probably the best possible back-up in the NFL, he's going to win you some regular season games, BUT at what cost? The ceiling could only go so high Minshew at the reins. You might make the playoffs (or fall one game short), but you aren't doing anything in playoffs. So what's the point? You won a bunch of regular season games and fucked up your draft capital by falling into no man's land. If Richardson is healthy and you make the playoffs, at least your rookie QB is getting NFL experience, and who knows where his ceiling stops?
NOW, on paper, losing a bunch of games to get a top pick in the draft seems great in theory, but I have no idea what that does to the morale of a locker room. You don't have the same roster coming back next season, but the Colts have re-signed a ton of players from the last season, so I'm sure the confidence they gained from making the playoffs with your backup QB means something. In a perfect world, I wouldn't have hated having another shit season to get a top weapon for Richardson, or a defensive stud to help out with our shit secondary.
BUT, here we are at pick 15. What should the Colts do? Our biggest needs are Cornerback, Safety, Wide Receiver. I've also seen some chatter of the Colts moving up in the draft to grab TE Brock Bowers, which would be incredible for Richardson to have Bowers + Michael Pittman Jr. If we get Bowers, we wouldn't have to throw to our 3rd string RB on the biggest play of the season.
If the Colts don't move up for Bowers, I'd like to see the Colts improve their secondary with their first pick instead of taking a WR. During the Atlanta game last year, we saw how bad the pass game can be with Pittman out, so another weapon to help out Pittman / the young WR room is much needed, but I feel like it's easier to find a WR later in the draft than a ready to go CB or Safety.
Who do we take? That's where I have to trust Greg Ballard and the coaching staff who have actually looked at these players closely. Everyone has their opinion on who will be good, I found this tweet with an article from scumbag Bob Kravitz (only slightly better than Gregg Doyel when it comes to pompous Indiana media dickheads) and Indiana was ready to riot in 2002 when the Colts took Dwight Freeney with the 11th pick in the draft. Freeney is now an NFL Hall of Famer and won a Super Bowl with the Colts. He'll also be joining John Rich and Myself tonight on the EN EFF EL Draft Show when the Colts pick at 15. Tune in, and In Ballard We Trust.
