The Colts brought in a franchise record 11 draft picks this offseason. Which ones have shined during OTA’s and minicamp?
General manager Chris Ballard continued his rebuild of the Colts roster this offseason with a major youth movement in this year’s draft.
Rookies will play a large role in whether Frank Reich can turn this team around from their 4-12 record last season.
According to Andrew Walker’s report of his main takeaways from this year’s offseason program, seven of the Colts’ 11 draft picks saw significant time with the first-team in OTA’s and minicamp.
Guard Quenton Nelson, defensive lineman Tyquan Lewis, running backs Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins, wide receivers Daurice Fountain and Deon Cain, and linebacker Zaire Franklin all got in a good amount of work with the starters in their first NFL offseason program.
Some of those reps were the result of offseason injuries, but most of those players should be in line for important roles in 2018.
Nyheim Hines and Deon Cain created the most buzz among the members of the 2018 rookie class.
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The Colts are excited about all of the different ways they can use Hines in their new offense, and he even got plenty of work as a return man in the offseason program.
After the draft I predicted Cain would have the biggest impact of any of the Colts’ rookies next season, and he’s definitely opened up some eyes with his performance this offseason.
Cain will have an opportunity to earn a large role in a Colts receiving corps that doesn’t have a ton of proven talent.
Guard Braden Smith, defensive end Kemoko Turay, and linebackers Matthew Adams and Darius Leonard did not get much work in with the first team this offseason.
Leonard was battling an undisclosed injury throughout the offseason program, but he’ll be expected to compete for a starting job once he gets healthy. Turay was also dealing with an injury during OTA’s and minicamp.
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Smith, Turay, Adams and Leonard will all have an opportunity to make a positive impression on the coaching staff during training camp, which is about a month away.
This rookie class will form the core of this roster for years to come, and I’m excited to see how they perform against players with different colored jerseys in 2018.