Colts: Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft feels like a huge win for Indy

The NFL Draft is a little over two weeks away and nobody knows what the Indianapolis Colts are planning to do with their first and second-round picks.

When you consider that they’ve opted against addressing their left tackle and defensive end conundrums via free agency, fans will be hoping they choose to do so early on in the draft.

It remains to be seen who will be available when it’s the Colts’ turn to pick, but if a flurry of quarterbacks are taken in the first round, they should have their pick of the litter between some highly touted prospects at both positions.

Ironically enough, ESPN expert Mel Kiper Jr. has Indianapolis nabbing two players —  Miami edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and Texas offensive lineman Samuel Cosmi — who have legitimate star potential in his latest two-round mock draft.

Colts fans will love ESPN expert Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft.

Believe it or not, all of Kiper’s first-round offensive tackles were off the board by No. 21 overall, which is largely why he projected that the Colts will pounce on Phillips, who has soared up draft boards following his groundbreaking pro day.

Assuming the Colts are encouraged by Phillips’ medical report– he sustained multiple concussions at UCLA that forced him away from football for a year before he ultimately transferred to Miami before last season — nabbing him at No. 21 overall would be a steal.

After all, the numbers and measurements Phillips produced at his pro day were absolutely mesmerizing. To avoid running through all of them, let’s just say the former Hurricane scored a relative athletic score (RAS) of 9.9 out of a possible 10.0, which ranked 14 out of the 1,345 prospects who have been analyzed over the last three decades.

Being lined up along the same defensive line that boasts elite talents like DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart on the interior, and potentially Justin Houston on the edge if he’s re-signed as a free agent, Phillips could shine for the Colts as a rookie.

When it comes to Cosmi, being able to nab him at No. 54 overall would be a dream for Indy. The young offensive tackle started 35 games across his Texas career, 21 of which came at the left tackle position, indicating that he could have a long-term future there.

Going back to RAS, which general manager Chris Ballard takes incredibly seriously when mulling over which prospects to draft, Cosmi also generated a near-immaculate 9.9. To further convey his dominance for the Longhorns, he surrendered just four sacks over 1,162 pass blocking snaps.

Despite forgoing the final couple of games last campaign to focus on preparing for the draft, Cosmi also earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors and was the conference’s highest-graded tackle (89.4) in pass protection, according to Pro Football Focus.

Again, the Colts would have to get extremely lucky for both Phillips and Cosmi to fall to them, but it’s worth noting that Kiper is as well-informed as any draft analyst in the industry. If he has a hunch that these two studs will be available for Indy, you should probably believe him.

To put it simply, the Colts would come out as one of the draft’s biggest winners if they somehow managed to pull off Phillips and Cosmi over the first two rounds.

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