Indianapolis Colts: 3 first-rounders Chris Ballard must avoid

1. Jayson Oweh, DE, Penn State

Call me an empiricist or an old curmudgeon, but I personally need to see a defensive end record more sacks than I did this past season to consider him for the first round. Oweh is getting first-round hype despite putting up a goose egg in that department.

Oweh’s freakish pro day, in which he ran a sub-4.4 40-yard dash despite his weight as a defensive end, has teams lining up to take someone who could be one of the best athletes in the NFL the second he steps on the field. Unfortunately, there’s a cautionary tale that can scare teams away.

Jayson Oweh, like Kelvin Joseph, is too raw for the Colts.

Manny Lawson was picked in the first round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2006. While he has a very successful 10-year career, he never developed into a star, as the constant switching of roles and schemes hurt him.

Oweh, who does earn high marks for his run defense and explosion, needs to be handled VERY carefully by a team that has the depth at edge rusher to support him if he fails to adapt early on. Indianapolis doesn’t, and throwing this kid into the meat grinder that is the NFL before he’s ready could ruin him.

Again, the Colts are in win-now mode. They do not need developmental projects. They need a first-round home run. None of these guys are that.

Colts must avoid this prospect after shockingly poor Pro Day

Richard LeCounte's pro day numbers are almost disqualifying, on top of his other flaws as a prospect that should have given the Indianapolis Colts concerns.