Bruce Paine gave me a homework assignment, so I am taking a break from my vacation story to do this. During this past NFL draft, I was at Hot-Tub and Bruce's crib. I like to watch the draft with these guys, because they get fired up about the picks as much as I do and it is either incredibly heartbreaking or very rewarding when your team (ours is the Colts) picks "your guy".
When the Colts selected Anthony Gonzalez in the first round, I was shocked to say the least. I was so certain that since Paul Posluszny had somehow slipped to us, we would snatch him up and he would be our guy for the next 5 years. That did not happen. I was literally speechless, except for a few F Bombs coming out of my mouth.
We all decided to go play a game of Corn-hole out in the front yard and just turn on the Satellite Radio so we could listen to the start of the 2nd round. The Colts did not have a pick in that round because they had traded it to Tampa for Booger McFarland, who is now injured for this up-coming season. When we heard that they made a trade to get into the 2nd round, I was for sure they were going to take David Harris. He would be perfect in our defense. But no, we traded next years first round pick so we could draft Tony Ugoh (OL), out of Arkansas. At this point, my corn-hole game went from mediocre to horrendous and the pain medication that Bruce Paine gave me was wearing off (I was waiting on hernia surgery). Combine those two with the crappy first two rounds of drafting by the Colts and this was becoming one of the worst draft days I could remember.
So, here is what I would have done if I was in charge of the draft strategery (SNL word) this past April. I am just going to go with our original selections and not do the 2nd rounder that we traded up for, because I would not have traded away our future 1st rounder.
First Round, 32nd pick: Paul Posluszny - LB - Penn State - I don't think I need to explain myself on this one since he is going to be stud in the league.
Third Round, 95th pick: Marcus Thomas - DT - Florida - His work ethic was a concern, but the talent that this kid has is unquestionable. He fits an immediate need and quickly gives us two defensive starters from the first day's draft picks.
Third Round, 98th pick (compensatory pick): Daymeion Hughes - CB - California - I thought this kid could have been a 1st round pick at the beginning of his senior year. The Colts did pick him with their 95th pick, which did make me happy, but getting him here is just as good.
Fourth Round, 131st pick: Aundrae Allison - WR - East Carolina - This kid fits our system and he would have been a great slot receiver for the first couple of years. I could see him flourishing in our offense as a number two when Harrison steps down.
Fourth Round, 136th pick (compensatory pick): Brandon Siler - LB - Florida - I don't care that this kid did not get picked until the 7th round. He is way better than that. The thing that helped him slip was concerns on his work ethic. I'm sorry, but if you are one of the top linebackers in college football at one of the top universities, then I guess I'm missing something. I'll take my chance on the steal of the draft right here.
Fifth Round, 169th pick: Kasey Studdard - OG - Texas - Here is a kid that started for three seasons (38 games) for a top notch school, while winning a national championship. He has blocked for Vince Young and Colt McCoy, both with different play styles. The knock on him: he's overaggressive!
Fifth Round, 173rd pick (compensatory pick): Dough Datish - OC - Ohio State - Again, here is a guy that played at a high level on a championship team. He played all the offensive line positions as a starter. I'll take another winner on my team please and thank you.
Seventh Round, 242nd pick: Running Back - At this point in the draft, Kenneth Darby, Tyrone Moss, and Selvin Young were available. I probably would have gone with Selvin Young because he is a bit more physical than the other two and he can really pound the ball between the tackles.
With this draft, I have added depth the offensive line, grabbed two possible defensive starters and one on offense, added depth to my defensive backs, and grabbed a decent backup running back. It didn't happen that way, so I just have to put my faith into the hands of Bill Polian for one more year.
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Comments
Oh, wow, tough one...give me the first 4 weeks of the season to determine our needs.
Your new assignment will be to determine what player the colts will spend the 32nd pick of next years second round on. good post.