ESPN’s Mel Kiper Re-Grades Colts 2016 NFL Draft, and It’s a Downgrade
According to ESPN NFL Draft Guru Mel Kiper Jr., the Indianapolis Colts received a downgrade in his re-grade of the 2016 NFL Draft (via ESPN Insider).
In an Indianapolis draft class that featured center Ryan Kelly (1st), safety T.J. Green (2nd), offensive tackle Le’Raven Clark (3rd), defensive lineman Hassan Ridgeway (4th), inside linebacker Antonio Morrison (4th), offensive guard Joe Haeg (5th), outside linebacker Trevor Bates (7th), and center Austin Blythe (7th), Kiper felt compelled to give the Colts a ‘B-‘ instead of their previously assigned ‘B’:
"Nov 6, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) high fives center Ryan Kelly (78) during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY SportsIndianapolis ColtsPost-draft grade: BI gave this draft a good grade at the time because I thought the Colts finally made it all about Andrew Luck. The line did get better in 2016, but the problem was that it did better as a run-blocking unit but still often struggled with protection. Ryan Kelly, I thought, was a solid pick and should stick there for a long time. Joe Haeg saw 14 starts, getting time at both guard and tackle. Le’Raven Clark also got some starts. So the Colts did get some O-line help out of this draft, but hopefully the line can still get better.If there’s a downside, it’s that they also drafted a trio of defensive players, and while that amounted to a combined 13 starts, it was for a defensive unit that was often a mess. T.J. Green could step up this year but struggled as a rookie (not a shock), and Sean Davis was taken one spot later by Pittsburgh and played pretty well. Antonio Morrison should be a starter in 2017, and Hassan Ridgeway will be in the mix. In short, the Colts got some players out of this rookie class, but it didn’t boost the overall product enough to get you excited yet.New grade: B-"
There’s no question that the selection of Ryan Kelly was ‘rock solid’ and if it wasn’t a home run, it was a stand-up triple. The rookie center started all 16 games for the Colts and finally solidified what was once a turnstile of a position for the team.
However, rookie safety T.J. Green struggled and remains a project at the position despite his impressive speed.
There’s hope that another fellow project, Le’Raven Clark, can develop into a starting caliber right tackle for the Colts and to his credit, he did show some positive flashes late in the season–having previously spent a large amount of the season as a healthy scratch.
Meanwhile, both Hassan Ridgeway and Joe Haeg look like young building blocks along both the defensive and offensive line respectively. It wouldn’t be surprising if either one enters 2017 starting for the Colts.
Nevertheless, 4th round pick Antonio Morrison struggled at first before starting to look a little more comfortable as the season progressed. It’s still unclear whether he is purely a situational run-stopping inside linebacker or can be an every down player for the Colts–having struggled in coverage and in space this past season.
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Otherwise, Trevor Bates is no longer on the Colts roster, while Austin Blythe has the makings of a career backup by all indications.
From that perspective, it’s not hard to see why Kiper downgraded the Colts, as Kelly really represents the only ‘sure thing’ of this group.
The rest of the group contains two emerging young players such as Haeg and Ridgeway, as well as some major questions marks like Green, Clark, and Morrison–all of whom were taken fairly early on and experienced their fair share of growing pains respectively.