Who do you guys like for edge rusher in this draft?
 

I won't pretend to be a draft expert. I can watch college tape and read articles just like anybody with an internet connection. That said, our last GM proved that having a job evaluating talent for an NFL team, and the resources that provides, doesn't make you good at it.

My general thought, especially with our coaching staff, is that I'd much rather draft an NFL-ready prospect than a "tools" project. We don't have the proven staff to develop a player like that, nor do we have veteran leaders to teach them. Someone that's already strong, played at an NFL weight in college, and developed technique rather than just running round blockers because he was lighter and faster than the D3 tackles trying to catch him.

So that's the type of player I am hoping to draft in the first three rounds. Some players that seem to fit that this year are:

Derek Barnett - DE - Tennessee
6'3, 265 lbs.

30+ sacks and 50+ TFLs in his career. Holy shit. Good athlete, already has pass rush moves and knows how to battle and beat blockers (including this year's #1 OT Cam Robinson). His game should translate to the NFL. Famous for recognizing an uncovered WR pre-snap and covering him and breaking up the pass 25 yards downfield. Has the flu at the Combine but still ran all the drills less than a day after throwing up multiple times. This guy is my #1 for the Colts in the 1st. I would trade up to get him.

Solomon Thomas - DE - Stanford
6'3, 270 lbs.

I know, Stanferdz. But he is athletic, football smart, plays hard, strong, and knows how to fight blockers and use several pass rush moves. I like Barnett a little more for the way he finishes but Thomas would be a great #1 pick and might be more NFL ready to play in space.

Demarcus Walker - DE - Florida State
6'4, 280 lbs.

16 sacks, 21.5 TFLs, 3 forced fumbles, against quality competition. 25 sacks in 2 years. 8 batted passes in his career. Good athlete, big NFL-sized body and strength, showed he can play in space and has good play awareness. Knows pass rush moves and uses them. He seems pretty underrated to me. If we could get him later, in the 2nd or 3rd, we'd have a steal, but I am guessing NFL staffs think highly of him.

Charles Harris - DE/OLB - Missouri
6'3, 255 lbs.

Solid spin move, fast first step, played well in an attacking 1-gap D but not as well when his DC changed. I'm not sure he's ready to be an OLB right away but he attacks the passer well. I think he would fit other teams better than ours and would be disappointed to get him in the 1st.

TJ Watt - OLB - Wisconsin
6'5, 243 lbs.

Knows some moves, shows play strength, ran a fast 40 and showed solid (not great) speed on the field, had good production his final year, and has room to grow physically. I would rather get him in the 2nd.

The rest of the prospects like Taco Charlton (DL-only IMO, effort and athleticism issues), Tim Williams (too small, character concerns), Carl Lawson (injuries), Takkarist McKinley (raw), and others don't interest me enough to do a lot of research. Doesn't mean they won't be successful, I just don't see them as the right fit for the Colts this year.

I don't think Barnett or Thomas are going to be there. Not a big fan of Walker.

I hate that I like Watt's game as much as I do but I like the guy and I never expected him to put up the numbers he did at the combine.

I love Harris' game but he tested far worse than I thought he would.

At this point I don't think either guy is worth 15 overall. As of today I'm completely okay taking Tak at 15 as long as everything looks good as far as his recovery goes.

Love to see Barnett or Thomas fall to us... Like the versatility of Jabril peppers if he is there ? :cool:

Hasson Reddick, Temple, is my choice.

Perhaps he did not play against the best competition (ACC) but he has great stats and has shown ability in pass rush, run stop and coverage.

He is my guy.

Cheers,

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You mention no toolsy players, but Hasson Reddick is a guy that I'd like to see the Colts get depending on the round. If he's there in Round 3, I'd definitely take him. He profiles incredibly similarly to Robert Mathis for me. Small school DE who lit up lower ranks and has a great HWS combo, as well as good all-around athleticism. He also shows really solid coverage skills. Anyone think a first 3 rounds of Barnett, Watt, and Reddick is possible? That would shore up the LB corps pretty quickly.

I dont think Riddick will be there in the 3rd but it would be a great draft. But I am hoping for a CB with pick one or 2

I would not complain ... I would not complain if we grabbed Ryan Ramczyk or Cam Robinson to play right tackle either ... :cool:

Reddick will be a 1st round pick....no chance at all that he is available in the 3rd.

This draft is so deep.....the Browns are going to be a really good team in 2 to 3 years time as they have 5 picks in the first 65 selections and are likely to get 5 guys who in some years could all have been 1st rounders.

I would love for the Colts to try to trade down and acquire an additional pick in the 2nd or early 3rd round........there is great depth at RB's, LB's and DB's all of which are major needs, especially LB's.

just put me down for whoever dam doesn't like

Trade down, get an extra 3rd, and pick two edge rushes in the first three rounds.

Yep, Reddick is going to be a stud. Would love to move back into the 20's, get an extra pick, and grab him.

I Like your list. I've already stated that Barnett is my guy, and I don't expect that to change.

I've also stated that that I don't know what to make of Hassan Reddick. But I do believe that him and TJ Watt are probably guys that you could line up all over the field. At the very least they could play a Clay Matthews role and move inside or outside.

I like Barnett a lot...I just don't think he'll be there at 15.

The Browns are the team of the future and always will be.;)

Reddick is an interesting player but I wouldn't burn a first on him. I see him as a complimentary player. He's someone you use to exploit mismatches. Great speed, but not ready to play 3 downs in the NFL.

Have you watched him play? He covers well, covers his gaps against the run, bends the edge effectively, has some capability on stunts and twists, and doesn't quit on plays. There's not a thing you could ask of a 3-4 OLB that he isn't capable of doing. If anything, his versatility and ability to stay on the field for 3 downs is a selling point.

The extent of it for me is the video on Draft Breakdown. Specifically for an edge defender I'm not convinced his game will translate to the NFL. And with his coverage skills I'm not sure having him rush the passer most downs would be his best fit anyway. ILB?

Something else with Reddick is that he's currently 237. That's crazy light for a 3-4 OLB. So his eye-popping numbers aren't as impressive compared to players who are 260.

After watching his tape I'd like to change my vote to Jordan Willis.

I'm fine with that, in the 2nd round.

Bleacher Report Matt Miller has us taking Charles Harris, Missouri in the first.

Not my first choice but his spin move reminds me of Freeney.

I am not saying he will be as good as Freeney.

I'll take an SEC pass rusher any day, particularly one that has racked up 16 sacks in the past two seasons.

That said, part of Charles Harris' knocks appears to be some questions on coachability. No, I don't think the Mizzou coahing staff is any great shakes, but then neither is ours.

Except Freeney ran 1 4.4 40 and Harris ran a 4.8.

Harris was my favorite guy on tape but he didn't pop like I expected him to, actually he performed athletically far worse than I expected.

I'd love him in the 2nd but I'd bet everything he'll be long gone.

You might be right, and honestly I have no idea. I've seen him ranked as a 3rd to 4th round prospect.

Also I've seen guys like Solomon Thomas, Derek Barnett and Taco Charlton ranked anywhere from top 10 to the mid 20's.

Actually nobody ever expected Phillip Dorsett to be a 1st rd. pick. It only takes one dumb GM to pull the trigger though.

What? I saw dorsett going top 15 all the time. He was very much a 1st round prospect

What the fuck are you talking about?

TJ Watt allday

Hell no

I saw the same rankings you did before the combine people were talking about Willis like a mid rounder but if you look at his combine numbers they're better than almost every single elite pass rusher currently in the league, which doesn't mean anything if a guy can't play football. So I went and watched his tape and It's all there. I think the biggest knock on him are his lack of counter moves and maybe playing down to his competition. Otherwise he looks like the best player of the field all game every game.

He may have been on NFL teams 1st round radars pre combine but I'm going to bet he climbs media rankings fast. I just don't see how he doesn't go in the 1st.

In round 2.

Yes, I think most Colts fans know about Freeney's 40 time. I am not saying Harris can match or even approach what Freeney accomplished. I don't like Harris that much as a prospect. Freeney is one of the best athletes in NFL history. I was only commenting on his spin.

Show me more than one that had him going top 15.

He was mocked to the Dolphins I believe a lot. Regardless he was always considered a 1st round talent

I told you the answer. You go look it up if you don't believe me

Not doss but here's what I found using the googles:

Top 20:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap300...-draft-round-1

Top 32:
http://walterfootball.com/draft2015_1.php

Top 45:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2...-7-round-picks

Consensus Top 32:
http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2015/4/2...marcus-mariota

Top 34:
https://www.draftsite.com/nfl/mock-draft/2015/

1/3 @ 16 overall:
http://www.si.com/nfl/2015/04/29/201...1-expert-picks

16 again:
http://mmqb.si.com/2015/04/28/peter-...nfl-mock-draft

To be fair, though, mock drafts rarely have their finger on the pulse of what ends up happening on draft day so it's possible teams were higher on him than the media. With that said I couldn't find anything listing him as a top 15 player.

Figures you'd want Taco Charlton.

Well, I still stand corrected then. We all know that he hasn't produced to his drafted position.

Will he still be there?

Doubt it... :cool: