2018 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft: Indianapolis Colts, Pick #6

The first five picks of our 2018 Daily Norseman Community Mock Draft are in the books! The last pick saw the closest race yet, but in the end the offensive line won out for Denver.

1. Cleveland Browns - Sam Darnold, QB, USC
2. New York Giants - Saquon Barkley, RB, Penn State
3. New York Jets (from Indianapolis Colts) - Josh Rosen, QB, UCLA
4. Cleveland Browns (from Houston Texans) - Bradley Chubb, DE, North Carolina State
5. Denver Broncos - Quenton Nelson, G, Notre Dame

Now, we have a team that has traded down in the first round in this year’s draft already, the Indianapolis Colts. This will begin a stretch of five teams (Indianapolis, Tampa Bay, Chicago, San Francisco, Oakland) that will definitely not be taking quarterbacks in the first round, so the options might get a little more varied. With Andrew Luck returning for 2018. . .hopefully. . .the Colts can focus on some of their other needs. They certainly have a lot of them.

Indianapolis Colts

2017 record: 3-13 (4th place, AFC South)

Offseason acquisitions

DE Denico Autry (free agent signing), TE Eric Ebron (free agent signing), WR Ryan Grant (free agent signing), OL Jack Mewhort (re-signed), OL Matt Slauson (free agent signing)

Offseason losses

LB Jon Bostic (signed with Pittsburgh), S Darius Butler (unsigned free agent), RB Frank Gore (signed with Miami), DT Johnathan Hankins (released), CB Rashaan Melvin (signed with Oakland), LB Barkevious Mingo (signed with Seattle), WR Donte Moncrief (signed with Jacksonville)

Team needs

Defensive back - With Darius Butler still unsigned after a down year in 2017, the Colts have a void at the safety spot next to last year’s first-round pick, Malik Hooker (who is coming back from an injury that ended his season early). The Colts really need talent everywhere along the defense, and this could be a place for them to look.

Inside linebacker - Neither Bostic (who has left for Pittsburgh) nor Anthony Morrison was anything to write about as the middle linebackers in the Indianapolis 3-4 scheme. If the Colts want to improve on a defense that was 30th in the NFL last year in yards allowed, finding someone to take over at least one of those spots would be a good start.

Offensive line - No team in the NFL gave up more sacks than the Colts did last year. Left tackle Anthony Castonzo and center Ryan Kelly are both fine where they are, and they did bring Mewhort back after an injury-plagued season, but the right side of the offensive line is a mess. They really need to upgrade here, whether Luck is the quarterback behind them or not.

Outside linebacker - With Indy running a 3-4, the outside linebacker spot has a bit of a different role than what Vikings fans might be used to, as this is primarily a guy that is used to get after opposing quarterbacks. The Colts really don’t have anyone that can do that with any regularity, so a player that can would be a nice get for them.

Running back is a need for the Colts, too, but let’s be honest. . .there was one running back that was worth taking this high, and he’s been off the board for four picks now, so we won’t bother taking that one too seriously here.

Options

Tremaine Edmunds, LB, Virginia Tech - The youngest player available in the entire NFL Draft this year. . .he turns 20 the week after the Draft. . .Edmunds is head and shoulders above the rest of the linebacker class this year. He’s listed by most outlets as an inside linebacker, but he could play any of the linebacker spots in the Indianapolis 3-4 and be equally effective. He’s a three-down player and would give the Colts a nice piece to move around their front seven.

Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, Alabama - The secondary isn’t the most pressing need in Indianapolis, but as mentioned earlier in the piece, the Colts’ defense needs an infusion of talent everywhere. Fitzpatrick would be an immediate impact player in the Denver secondary, regardless of where the team decided to play him, and he could team with Malik Hooker to form a dynamic young safety duo for the Colts.

Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame - With his Notre Dame teammate, Quenton Nelson, already off the board, we’ll put McGlinchey in here as an option for the Colts, who desperately need help on the offensive front. McGlinchey might be the best offensive tackle in this year’s class. . .though if you asked five different pundits to rate this year’s offensive tackles, you might get five different names at the top of that list. . .and would certainly step in and fill the huge hole at right tackle for the Colts.

Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama - This still might be a little high for Ridley, but with the loss of Donte Moncrief, the Colts need to start looking for a complimentary piece to line up across from T.Y. Hilton. Ridley is the best wide receiver in this year’s draft, even though he isn’t the biggest receiver available. He could flourish early in a slot role if the Colts can find a way to get him there regularly.

Roquan Smith, LB, Georgia - The Colts need players everywhere on defense, and Smith has all the makings of a solid (if possibly undersized) inside linebacker. He may not have the versatility that Edmunds has due to his size, but Smith should still be able to step in on just about any defense in the NFL and make an immediate impact.

That’s what we’ve got for the Indianapolis Colts, folks. Tomorrow, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have their turn on the clock.