The 2019 NFL Draft is coming up, which means that The Game Haus will be doing draft profiles for every team. Each NFL team will be looked at heading into this year’s draft including what their needs are and who they could be targeting. The Indianapolis Colts will be the 24th team evaluated.
Summary
With Andrew Luck back at quarterback, the Colts finished the regular season with a 10-6 record. They then beat the Texans in the Wild Card Round in the playoffs. It was a great start to Frank Reich’s head coaching career and the Colts should expect to make some noise again in 2019.
The Colts had a great offense that ranked fifth in the NFL in scoring at 27.1 points per game. The passing offense was sixth best in the league, as they aired it out for 278.8 yards per game. Luck had a great season with 4,539 passing yards. His leading receiver was T.Y. Hilton with 1,270 yards and also totaled six touchdowns. The rushing offense ranked 20th in the league with 107.4 rushing yards per game. Marlon Mack led the way in rushing yards with 908, but also had help from Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins. The offensive line was much improved and has a solid core going forward. Devin Funchess was added at wide receiver to give Luck another weapon.
The defense was a huge surprise, as they only allowed 21.5 points per game, which ranked them 10th in the league. The defensive line was not a unit of strength though, but Denico Autry and Margus Hunt played better than expected. Autry led the team in sacks with nine. Jabaal Sheard was a solid defensive end for the Colts. Darius Leonard was a diamond in the rough draft pick and turned out to be one of the best linebackers in the league with 163 total tackles. Anthony Walker was solid alongside him. Malik Hooker and Pierre Desir were solid in the secondary, but it can be improved. Justin Houston was signed to help out the pass rush and improve the defense as a whole.
2019 NFL Draft Picks
Indianapolis has nine picks in the 2019 NFL Draft.
First Round (one pick): No. 26
Second Round (two picks): No. 34, No. 59
Third Round (one picks): No. 89
Fourth Round (two picks): No. 129, No. 135
Fifth Round (one pick): No. 164
Sixth Round (one pick): No. 199
Seventh Round (one pick): No. 240
Team Needs
Wide Receiver- Funchess and Hilton are a decent combo, but they need a few more threats to make the offense more explosive.
Defensive End- Sheard can play every down, but Houston likely won’t be able to play every down in the 4-3 scheme.
Defensive Tackle- Hunt had a good season last year, but is still new to the tackle position and could revert back to playing poorly.
Linebacker- The Colts have a tackle-machine in Leonard, but need a linebacker who can cover more.
Cornerback- They have a few ok corners, but no lockdown options. Adding another couldn’t hurt.
Safety- Hooker is a great young player, but they need someone else at the position to go with him.
2019 NFL Draft Targets
First Round:
Pick No. 26: Dexter Lawrence, Defensive Tackle, Clemson
Lawrence is a freak athlete playing the defensive tackle position. He has great size and was able to dominate college competition. Clemson even used him on offense as a fullback. He would be an immediate upgrade on the defensive line for the Colts. Lawrence can take up blockers and get to the quarterback himself, which should help the entire defense improve.
Second Round:
Pick No. 34: Jonathan Abram, Safety, Mississippi State
Hooker is a great, young safety, but the Colts need someone besides him at the position. Abram is a physical safety who can play near the line of scrimmage. This will complement Hooker well, as he is more of a free safety with range.
Pick No. 59: Amani Oruwariye, Cornerback, Penn State
Oruwariye is a solid corner who can play man to man or zone. He has good length that can be disruptive early on in routes. The Colts can line him up across from Desir and hopefully give them better cornerback play this upcoming season.
Third Round:
Pick No. 89: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Wide Receiver, Stanford
With Arcega-Whiteside, the Colts can move T.Y. Hilton into the slot more, which will give him some more mismatches. Arcega-Whiteside is good at jump balls due to his size and leaping ability. He can also block better than most receivers in the class.
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