Colts 2018 Draft Analysis: Jordan Wilkins

The Colts continued their theme of drafting skill players late, taking running back Jordan Wilkins out of Ole Miss in the fifth round.

The Colts made a surprising pick with their 169th overall pick. They took their second running back of the draft, taking Jordan Wilkins. They had already taken Nyheim Hines in the fourth round. Wilkins is a different kind of back than Hines however.

While Hines is more of a speed guy, Wilkins does more power running. Wilkins rushed for over 1000 yards and 9 touchdowns his senior season. He is also bigger than Hines, standing 6 foot 1 and 217 pounds. That allows him to run in between the tackles more.

Chris Ballard was clearly trying to increase the depth at that position behind Marlon Mack. Wilkins can be used in more short yardage situations, while Hines can be used in 3rd and long situations. The only other backs the Colts have on the roster are Christine Michael and Josh Ferguson, neither of whom have shown much in their careers.

Wilkins has a certain skill set that can be used, but the question is whether he was worth a fifth round pick. He doesn’t quite have the skill right now to impact the game in more than one way. Someone like that could have been taken in the seventh round.

The Colts are definitely going to make it more of a priority to run the ball next season, so they are trying to get as many playmakers who can help with that as possible. Wilkins can help that in some capacity, but he will definitely need to improve.

Next: Colts Sign Free Agent Offensive Tackle Austin Howard

Only time will tell if it was worth taking two running backs in the same draft. Both Wilkins and Hines have time to improve and make an impact with the team.