Draft days are coming so soon the speculation will be replaced with reality.
But in the meantime, let’s figure out who may be the 3 best and brightest draft prospects for the Indianapolis Colts in Thursday’s NFL Draft.
Assumptions
The logic imposed in this analysis makes one significant assumption:
The Colts will use the early-round draft picks for offensive players.
The offseason free agency frenzy shored up the defense.
Besides Philip Rivers and Roosevelt Nix, the offense has been untouched.
Draft Picks
The Colts have the following picks in Rounds 2 and 3:
Round 2
2nd Pick (#34 overall)
12th Pick (#44 overall)
Round 3
11th Pick (#75 overall)
As you recall, the Colts traded the #13 overall pick to the San Francisco 49ers for DeForest Buckner so the team’s first draft picks are in the 2nd round.
Draft day wheeling and dealing is a definite possibility for the Colts to get back into the 1st round.
And they may need to look no further than to Seattle who is notorious for trading their 1st round draft pick.
In this year’s draft, Seattle has the 27th pick in the 1st round but would likely want a 2nd and 3rd round pick for it.
Sports Illustrated‘s latest mock draft assumed that Seattle and the Colts would make a deal.
1. Jordan Love – QB Utah State
In order for the Colts to draft Jordan Love, they will have to trade their way into the 1st round.
Various mock drafts have him going anywhere from 6th to 23rd overall.
Why are NFL teams strongly considering drafting Jordan Love in the first round? See for yourself. #NFLDraft #AggiesAllTheWay https://t.co/5y2Pi6f4V8
— The Hive Sports (@TheHiveSports) April 21, 2020
It is widely known that GM Chris Ballard has been interested in Jordan Love for some time.
Love’s style of play and movement have been compared to Patrick Mahomes.
Given that both Philip Rivers and Jacoby Brissett are only under contract through the 2020 season, drafting a QB of Jordan’s Love is a definite possibility.
2. James Morgan – QB Florida International University
If the Colts don’t move up to nab Love, James Morgan is a later round possibility.
Since I’m hyping up James Morgan for y’all in my Mock Draft, here’s a play that shows a lot of the traits I like about him:
• Poise in the pocket
• Eyes stay down the field
• Big armDespite his flaws, lots of upside to like from the FIU QB. pic.twitter.com/YHFZk9q2VA
— Cody Felger (@CPFelger55) April 16, 2020
There has been growing interest in Morgan in the past few weeks evidenced by the fact that he has talked with a host of teams besides the Colts including the Bucs, Eagles, Patriots, Titans, Jets, Raiders, Cowboys, Saints, Bills, Dolphins, Giants, Chargers, and Rams.
Recent reports have indicated that the Cowboys and Patriots lead the pack of teams in their pursuit of Morgan.
Morgan is a transfer from Bowling Green where he spent 2 years.
He is coming off a stellar senior season where he threw for 2,560 yards and 14 TDs in 12 starts.
3. Michael Pittman Jr. – WR University of Southern California
Pro Football Focus has previously reported that Pittman Jr. is a “perfect fit” for the Colts.
His draft stock varies depending on the source.
Some project him as high as the 2nd round or as low as the 4th round.
Michael Pittman Jr @USC_FB
171 Receptions
2,528 Total Yards
20 Total TDs14.7 Yards/Catch Average
2.26 Yards/Route vs Man (9th)2.8% Drop Rate
10.2 Avg Depth of Target493 Yards, 5 TDs When Targeted 20+ Air Yards
31.4% of Team TD Share
29.2% of Yard Share
27.7% of Rec Share pic.twitter.com/TBhSWKSCQU— The Fantasy Chief (@FantasyChiefFF) April 20, 2020
Playing in the NFL is in his genes, his father is Super Bowl Champion RB Michael Pittman.
During his career at USC, he demonstrated great route-running ability and solid hands.
He only dropped 2.8% of his career catchable targets.
Drafting Pittman could also give T.Y. Hilton more opportunities in 2020.
Tune into the NFL Draft from April 23 through April 15 when projections will be replaced with reality.
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