(03-31-2021, 10:25 AM)mTheO-LineMatters Wrote:

(03-31-2021, 09:34 AM)Bullseye Wrote: All off season, I've been saying there is a good chance of a run on Ts ahead of our pick at 25, and I still believe that.  After us?  Besides KC, I don't see many teams with a huge need at the position.  Of course, there's always a chance a team at the top of the 2nd round will trade back up into the bottom of the first to get anyone who falls, but besides KC, I don't see a lot of need for LT for those teams currently between 26-32. 

26.  Cleveland-jsut drafted Wills last year and he was great for them
27.  Baltimore-They have Ronnie Stanley and, until they trade him, Orlando Brown who has proven-at least in a limited capacity-he can play the position.
28.  New Orleans-Though they are a team that wound up with severe cap issues, they still retained both of their stud tackles Armstead and Ramczyk.
29.  Green Bay-David Bakhtiari has been heavily lauded at the position.
30.  Buffalo-Dion Dawkins was a guy I wanted a few years back, but he has exceeded expectations and has performed well on the left side.
31.  KC-the one T disaster in this group.
32.  Tampa is absolutely set at both T positions.  Just re-signed their LT.

This is why I could see the Colts trading back if a certain number of players at the position are still on the board.

We see eye to eye on Collins.  If he stays healthy he'll be a stud for whomever drafts him.

Agreed, but there are enough teams ahead of us that will make the "pickins" very slim at the position. Especially for a team like the Colts, who desperately need a LT and may pass on that position with their first pick. 

You are probably right.  I have expressed the same concerns all offseason. But there is always the chance something could happen to change the dynamic.  A team with other needs could trade up/down into that position and let a guy slide.  Another team could surprise and take another position.  The Steelers have been a strange team in that they have had mediocre left tackles over the years and still found success.  Their OL in that Super Bowl against Arizona had to be one of the worst ever offensive lines to win a Super Bowl.  In fact, I don't recall the Steelers having any real studs at LT.  The best ones I remember were roughly in the same period in the 1990s.  They had John Jackson and then after him Will Wolford, who was ending his career after spending his prime years in Buffalo.  However, they seem to thrive with stud centers.  Back in the 70s, their best OL wasn't a LT, but was Mike Webster.  They followed Webster with Dermontti Dawson, and he was better than any other linemen, including the two LTs I named earlier.  They followed him with converted G Jeff Hartings, and followed him up with Pouncey, who has just retired.  Though they have the need for a LT to replace Villanueva, I could see them drafting Creed Humphrey (who is getting a lot of first round talk lately) or Landon Dickerson at 24 and allowing a T to fall further.  Again....this combination of events is unlikely, but could still happen, which may enable the Colts to trade back to later in the round and still get a LT.  If that happens, I can only hope the Jaguars take full advantage and take the stud T still on the board.

Quote:Keep in mind that Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk's contracts both expire after the 2021 season. 

I believe Orlando Brown will be traded on draft day, if not sooner.

I too wanted Dion Dawkins, but I've wanted a lot of OT's we never took. 

Kansas City MUST take an OT. Probably a LT. They drafted a RT in round 3 of last year's draft, Lucas Niang. He will probably start on the right side, but they have nothing on the left side. 

I found the re-signing of Donavan Smith rather strange. He gave up a lot of pressures during the season, but looked a lot better in the playoffs. I think that was what got him extended. 

Who do you think would still be on the board for the Colts? Radunz might be there if the Colts pass on Eichenberg and the Chiefs select him, as long as you don't trade back more than a few spots. If you traded out of round 1, would the Jets take an OT at the top of round 2, to have bookends? What about the Dolphins? They have young OT's, but were very shaky last season. The Eagles showed how poor they were depth wise at the position and Carolina needs a LT as well to play opposite Moton. How far back would you feel comfortable trading, if you were the Colts? 

While your observations about those teams from 26-32 are valid, nevertheless, those factors do not put them in the immediate need category in terms of LT, except for Kansas City, whom I described as a dumpster fire at the position.

As for who might be there for the Colts to take at the bottom of the first if they traded back, difficult to say at this point.  Looking at the draft order...

17.  Las Vegas-the Raiders dismantled their OL, but one of the two guys they kept was LT Kolton Miller, whom they just re-signed.

18.  Miami-they COULD go T, but to me RT seems more likely than LT, especially considering they just drafted Austin Jackson last year and he was recently removed from a surgical procedure that could have adversely impacted him.


19.  Washington-they are wide open, including taking a T.  Maybe if Mac Jones falls to them, they pull the trigger on him.  Or perhaps if they get the chance to trade up for him, that changes things.

20.  Chicago-see Washington. They are in no man's land.

21.  Colts

22.  Titans-could use a T, especially after the disaster with Wilson, but the need is at RT.

23.  Jets-again the need is at RT, and just about every other spot on the roster.

24.  Pittsburgh-see earlier analysis above

25.  Jaguars-Meyer has said the team is fine at the T positions.


I think the key teams in the analysis are Chicago, Washington, and Pittsburgh.  If the Steelers' C-T dichotomy plays out as I described above, and Washington and Chicago decide to take another position, I could see Cosmi or AVT (depending on how you view him) or Eichenberg possibly available at KC's pick.  It would be a risky strategy for the Colts to trade back, but given their recent history, it wouldn't shock me to see them trade back.

Quote:I rarely fall for linebackers, but Zaven Collins is so good at EVERY aspect of the position and is so versatile for every scheme, I see him as a "can't miss" player.

It's funny. The very first player I watched on TV and associated with draft position and his ability to play in the NFL was a linebacker-Wilber Marshall.  I saw him play against USC in '82.  He was absolutely all over the place.  Cornelius Bennett was another player.  In any event, I similarly see good things in Collins, though I don't see him as the pass rusher Bennett was.

---