Colts first round pick fills need, doesn’t change team

The Indianapolis Colts decided to use their first pick in the draft to shore up the offensive line, but some were not impressed with the selection.

Last night the Colts went on the clock in an enviable position. No matter who they selected, that player was going to help the team. There were a number of intriguing defensive players available as well as some good offensive line talent on the board at 18.

The Colts went for the least sexy pick and took Alabama center Ryan Kelly. All the professionals agreed that this was a great pick for the Colts.

Colts fans couldn’t agree and either lauded the pick or decried it.

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There was no middle ground. Kelly was either the greatest player taken who will make sure

never gets hurt again or a low value selection who won’t make a dent in the win loss column.

At the very least, Kelly certainly improves the Colts offensive line. He isn’t a bad player, he addresses a clear need, and was called the “safest” pick in the draft by many analysts. Kelly will start from day one and Luck will hopefully (finally) have some consistency with the guy snapping him the ball.

There are multiple reasons why Kelly is a good pick, but there is a caveat with each of those reasons. We’ll go through each one, point by point.

• Luck need better protection. 
  • Luck has taken over 400 hits in his career. He’s always near the top of the league is hits taken and the Colts have to protect him better. There has been no consistency on the line from the center through the right tackle.
  • Luck has to protect himself better. The least sacked QBs are always the ones who get rid of the ball quickly. Luck has too much receiving talent (and personal talent) to not make a quicker read and release the ball faster and negate any opponents pass rush. Remember, the Colts beat the Broncos this season and it was largely because Luck was making quick reads that day.
• Luck needs better protection to stay healthy.
  • All those hits add up and take their toll. The less Luck gets hit, the less likely he is to be injured. Keeping him upright is the surest path to success for this team (this one is unequivocally true).
  • Luck injuries came on an interception return and a scramble. Luck needs to be more patient, learn to slide or dive, and not try to be a hero on every play. Frankly, improving the defense to a more consistent level would put Luck at ease more than slightly better protection.
• Kelly is a great pick and a surefire talent who will anchor the line for 10 years. 
  • Kelly is clearly the best center in the draft and he comes from Alabama which has a history of great linemen. Every analyst agrees that he’s a first round talent and said this was a no-brainer pick.
  • Kelly isn’t a game changer. One blocker isn’t going to make that much of a difference, especially on a line that was about average last season. The Colts have a distinct lack of talent on defense and could have gotten a very talented linebacker or edge rusher at 18 last night.
  • Additionally, GM Ryan Grigson has been terrible at drafting and evaluating offensive line talent. He’s drafted six linemen and hit on just one. Every free agent signing has been a bust. Do you trust this team’s evaluation process when it comes to offensive line?
• The Colts can’t win without good blocking for Luck. 
  • Yes, Luck needs to be kept upright in order to pass the ball. He can’t make plays without a somewhat clean pocket. The line has been an issue (more so in the running game, but also in pass protection) and it is past time
  • The Colts have also been eviscerated by talented quarterbacks for the past few years because they didn’t have anything resembling a pass rush (or coverage over the middle of the field). The Colts have been blown out time and again, not because Luck gets hit too much, but because they aren’t getting to the opposing QB enough. Go rewatch the last two games against the Steelers and tell us what the problem was (and that’s against a QB who holds the ball forever). The Colts can’t consistently make top tier QBs uncomfortable in the pocket and won’t hit that next level until they do. (Don’t bring up Peyton Manning here as proof positive either. Robert Mathis destroyed him in 2013, and then two of the final three times they faced Manning he wasn’t healthy.)

It is tough to evaluate this selection when the Colts still have five more picks left in the draft. There is a lot of intriguing talent that fell out of the first round last night (including a few players that might be worth trading up to get). There is a good chance the Colts find a few defensive playmakers tonight or tomorrow. We’ll wait till Sunday to judge all the picks that Grigson and the Colts have made this weekend.