Byron Jewell | April 29th, 2020
The Colts didn’t have a first-round pick this year, but they had nine total picks and made the most of the selections they had. Indianapolis lives through the draft and developing their own guys so this a focal point for this team. They brought in a pretty good haul and had a nice mix of team need and the best talent available picks, with four of their first five selections on the offensive side of the ball.
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Round 2, Pick 34: Michael Pittman Jr., WR, USC
This was arguably the Colts’ best draft selection. Pittman was one of my favorite prospects in the draft. He’s a big guy at 6’4″ and 223 pounds, with excellent length, physicality, intangibles, and toughness. However, he showed there’s a lot more to his game. He has good body control and soft hands. Pittman can high-point a ball really well and is an underrated athlete with good short area quickness. He was also a team captain, a Senior Bowl participant, and had a steady increase in production during his time in college. Philip Rivers will love this pick Pittman will be an instant impact player and he’s the big-bodied wideout the Colts have desperately been looking for the past few years.
Grade: A+
Round 2, Pick 41: Jonathon Taylor, RB, Wisconsin
Something the Colts have made clear since head coach Frank Reich arrived is that they want to be a top-five running team in the league. With the offseason additions of excellent blockers in Trey Burton and Roosevelt Nix, this selection will hope to achieve that aspiration. The explosive Taylor will be the Colts new feature back over the next few years, though Marlon Mack is still on the roster.
Mack has been prone to the injury bug during his time in Indy and with his contract year coming up, this is likely his last season playing for the Colts. Taylor was one of the most productive backs in college football. He’s a true home run hitter and a super explosive athlete, with the numbers to back it up. His rare combination of size, strength, and speed will pay dividends and should excel behind the Colts stellar offensive line.
Grade: A-
Round 3, Pick 85: Julian Blackmon, S, Utah
Malik Hooker’s name appeared in trade rumors right before the draft began, as he is another guy who will be on a contract year next season. I think this pick provides insurance incase Hooker becomes a free agent and in the meantime provides some serious competition to Khari Willis for the strong safety position.
Blackmon is a former corner who projects best in a strong safety role. Played two seasons as a corner for Utah but converted to safety during his senior season, and really excelled there. He’s absolutely phenomenal in run support, has above average size, good ball skills, nice athleticism, and has some versatility that’s pretty appealing. The ceiling is high but he’s gonna need some development and coaching, especially coming off an ACL back in December, before he’s truly ready to go.
Grade: B
Round 4, Pick 122: Jacob Eason, QB, Washington
The Colts missed out on the top four quarterbacks that went in the first round. Eason will get to learn from a highly intelligent quarterback in Rivers around him along with offensive minded head coach Frank Reich, to help him reach his full potential. Eason has an elite level arm talent and can make throws to any part of the field, but he’s pretty inconsistent and raw at this point. He’s gonna need some development and will most likely need to sit out at least a year, maybe two. Overall, this is a low-risk high-reward pick, and Colts fans will need to remember he’s a fourth-round pick. He has potential, I like this pick.
Grade: B+
Round 5, Pick 149: Danny Pinter, IOL, Ball State
Pinter is an interesting local product from Ball State. He’s only played offensive line for two years as he’s a converted tight end. He’s an extremely athletic swing interior player with nimble feet and is patient. He reminds me a lot of former Colts interior swingman Joe Heag, who they lost in free agency this offseason. Though still raw, Pinter has a lot of positive traits that he can build on and potentially start at guard or maybe even center in a few years.
Grade: B
Round 6, Pick 193: Robert Windsor, IDL, Penn State
Windsor is a smaller defensive lineman, especially considering he’s on the inside, but only in terms of play weight; weighing only 290 pounds. He can play either spot of the 3-tech or 1-tech as he played positions throughout his college career. Windsor had a standout junior season where he had 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in only 11 games. He has some nice agility and speed but needs to add some play strength and counter moves to rush the passer. Nothing much more than a depth piece the Colts can hope to eventually develop into a role player.
Grade: B-
Round 6, Pick 211: Isaiah Rodgers, CB, Massachusetts
You know Colts’ general manager could only go so long without getting his “diamond in the rough” during the draft. Rodgers is a small school guy who is insanely athletic. He had excellent measurements from his Pro Day that includes plus size arm length, 40 inch vertical, and sub 4.3 speed. He was one of the best kick returners in the entire county last season, as Pro Football Focus tabbed him the First-Team All-American in that department. Overall, Rodgers has an extremely high work ethic and plays with a chip on his shoulder. I actually really like this selection as he has totaled 9 interceptions and 34 passes defended throughout his college career and will look to complete for the backup slot corner position from day one.
Grade: B+
Round 6, Pick 212:. Dezmon Patmon, WR, Washington State
Ballard doubled down on the big receivers as Pattmon, like Pittman, stands at 6 foot 4 inches. He’s also an extremely athletic dude given his size measurements, with a 4.48 40 yard dash and a 36 inch vertical. Patton will look to come in and compete for one of the last two receiver positions and hopes to provided Rivers with another big reliable target.
Grade: B-
Round 6, Pick 213: Jordan Glasgow, LB, Michigan
Glasgow was a linebacker and safety hybrid back at Michigan. He’s an extremely reliable tackler as Pro Football Focus gave him the highest linebacker tackling grade in the country last year. Glasgow has a great football mind and will make most of his money off special teams in the NFL, and isn’t much more than a depth piece at linebacker.
Grade: C+
The Colts definitely got better through the draft. With an early focus on offense, the team hopes they found that spark that reinvents their rather slow paced and nonaggressive style in 2019. They managed to hit on a ton of team needs and overall I really think they did a good job. Pittman and Taylor can both be considered first-round talents and they were able to pick both of them up in the second. Colts should be stoked after this draft as they will now potentially look to make a run at an AFC Championship or maybe even a Super Bowl.
Overall Grade: B+
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