Mel Kiper Jr. Has Colts Selecting Powerful Prospects in ‘Three-Round Grade A’ Mock Draft
According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., the Indianapolis Colts could come away with both potentially a star running back and defensive lineman, as well as offensive line help in this year’s NFL Draft per his ‘Three-Round Grade A Mock Draft‘.
Specifically, Kiper projects the Colts to select LSU running back Leonard Fournette, Michigan State defensive end Malik McDowell, and Texas A&M offensive guard Jermaine Eluemunor among available prospects:
"Indianapolis ColtsOct 22, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) catches a pass as Mississippi Rebels linebacker Detric Bing-Dukes (43) defends during the first quarter of a game at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY SportsRound 1 (15): Leonard Fournette, RB, LSURound 2 (46): Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan StateRound 3 (80): Jermaine Eluemunor, OG, Texas A&MFournette might not drop to 15, but he certainly could. Few teams in the top half of the first round need backs, and others might see a better, different fit with Christian McCaffrey. Yes, the Colts finally had a 1,000-yard rusher last season, but Frank Gore still averaged 3.9 yards per carry, and he turns 34 soon. Why not pair Fournette with Andrew Luck (who was Indy’s second-leading rusher, by the way)? Fournette is an elite talent. McDowell is a polarizing prospect with mouth-watering athleticism and size (6-foot-6, 295 pounds) but a questionable motor and work ethic. He’s worth betting on in the middle of the second round and could be a big-time steal if he becomes more consistent. The London-born Eluemunor is a project who played guard and tackle for the Aggies. I think he’ll stay inside in the NFL."
Regarding Fournette, he’s coming off a junior season in which he rushed for 843 total rushing yards on 129 carries (6.5 ypc avg) and 8 rushing touchdowns in 7 games–having been limited with ankle injuries. Regardless, Fournette still earned Second-Team All-SEC honors this past year.
It’s worth noting that Fournette is just one year removed from a monstrous sophomore season, as the former Tigers standout rushed for 1,953 rushing yards on 300 carries (6.5 ypc avg) and a whopping 22 rushing touchdowns in 12 games. As a result, he was awarded First-Team All-American and SEC honors in 2015 respectively.
In LSU school history, Fournette finished his highly decorated collegiate career with 3,830 rushing yards (4th all-time), 155.7 all purpose yards per game (2nd all-time), 40 rushing touchdowns (4th all-time), and his 1,953 rushing yards in 2015 were the most ever by a Tigers running back in a single-season.
Fournette is highly regarded as one of the best running back prospects to enter the NFL Draft in recent memory.
Meanwhile, McDowell is fresh off of a junior season in which he recorded 34 tackles, 7.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 30 QB pressures on 206 pass-rush snaps in 9 games, as he earned First-Team All-Big Ten and 2nd-Team All-American Honors (SI.com, CBS Sports).
No one has questioned the 295 pound defensive end’s potential, athleticism, and ability to make special plays at times, but critics point to his inconsistent motor and production along the defensive line.
Otherwise, Eluemunor earned 2nd-team All-Conference honors for the Aggies, as the 6’4″, 332 pound senior started in 12 of 13 games (3 at right guard, 9 at right tackle). The former rugby player from England got a bit of a late start in football, but has shown promise as a developmental offensive line given his immense size and strength along the offensive line.
What’s noticeably absent from these selections is the lack of an edge rusher or cornerback, which are by far the Colts biggest needs.
That being said, McDowell seems like a potential home run pick in the 2nd round and his talent may be too tantalizing to pass up in Round 2–although a developmental offensive guard in Round 3 doesn’t seem to make as much sense with promising Joe Haeg already in the fold.
The most debatable pick would probably be Fournette with the 15th overall pick, who has the chance to be a great running back in the Adrian Peterson or Ezekiel Elliott mold of a workhorse–but could be a bit of a luxury in what’s regarded as a deep running back class overall.
Yes, the Colts could clearly use a long-term answer to veteran starter, Frank Gore, who turns 34 years old in May, but at the same time, the Colts have a ton of holes defensively.
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It arguably may be more prudent for the Colts to fill a defensive need and look to draft a successor to Gore in the remaining early-mid rounds of this year’s NFL Draft given this class’s depth.
However, Fournette has the potential to be a between-the-tackles nightmare for opposing defenses and could significantly free up the Colts passing attack for Andrew Luck, so the debate definitely works both ways.