Colts 2018 Draft Analysis: Zaire Franklin

The Colts ended their draft taking two linebackers in the seventh round, with the last of them being Zaire Franklin from Syracuse.

With their final pick in the draft, the Colts decided to take another linebacker. It was the second linebacker that they took in the seventh round. Zaire Franklin played his ball at Syracuse and was one of the best players on the defensive side of the ball for the Orange.

Franklin is a great tackler. He recorded over 80 tackles three times in four years, including 101 his junior season. He also was able to get his hands on two interceptions in his career, and forced five fumbles. Franklin did all of this in the ACC which is one of the best conferences in America.

Franklin may be the last pick for the Colts, but he actually has a chance to make the team. He has the defensive skills to be a backup linebacker, and has time to learn to be a better player.

The only concern with this pick is that the Colts decided to take two linebackers back-to-back in the last round. They could have used at least one of those picks on a position with less depth, such as cornerback or safety.

None of that is of concern to Franklin. He has the will and the drive to succeed at the NFL level. He could benefit from working hard on special teams as well to make sure he makes the team.

Chris Ballard has a plan in mind based on this draft class. A lot of it is based on becoming a tougher football team. His drafting shows that he is sticking to that plan.

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The Colts should be an interesting team to watch grow in the next few years. Once this class has a chance to learn and grow, they will be fun to go see.