If you can believe it, the Indianapolis Colts still haven’t addressed their left tackle predicament, which was created when longtime starter Anthony Castonzo announced his retirement just a few days after the team’s first-round playoff loss back in January.
In other words, general manager Chris Ballard has had more than three months to get this issue nipped in the bud, and he — much to the dismay of fans — has bypassed the opportunity to sign a handful of quality replacements in free agency.
With the market almost bereft of elite talent at this stage of the offseason, it’s looking increasingly likely that the Colts will take to the 2021 NFL Draft to resolve this concern.
A hot topic of conversation has been whether Ballard and Co. should take to the first or second round to find their new left tackle. Well, the latest pre-draft buzz suggests Indy is considering selecting guard prospect Quinn Meinerz in the second round.
What would this do to solve the left tackle conundrum, you ask?
According to the rumor, Indianapolis would move star guard Quenton Nelson out wide.
I'm told Colts definitely looking at OTs in second round, but one possibility is drafting Quinn Meinerz and moving Nelson out to tackle. (This comes from source on another team.) Eichenberg, Cosmi, couple others among players who interviewed.
— Will Carroll (@injuryexpert) April 20, 2021
Fans won’t like the latest draft rumor regarding the Colts’ offensive line plans.
While we fully understand that moving Nelson to left tackle is a simple in-house fix, it always seemed that would be a last resort. That isn’t to say he wouldn’t be serviceable at LT, but wouldn’t you rather him stay at a position he’s thoroughly dominated?
The offensive tackle class this year is absolutely stacked and some starting-caliber talents could be available for the Colts in the second round at No. 47 overall. Assuming they draft an edge rusher or wide receiver in the first, wouldn’t drafting a tackle in the second just make sense?
Colts Could Still Move Quenton Nelson to LT; Quinn Meinerz Reportedly a Possibility at LG in NFL Draft https://t.co/FOHx1G8Hn4 pic.twitter.com/aTogD5EaUz
— Stampede Blue (@StampedeBlue) April 21, 2021
Meinerz unfortunately had his senior campaign cut short due to COVID-19, but that wasn’t enough to impact his draft stock. As a junior at Division II program Wisconsin-Whitewater, he started 15 games and earned AP First-Team All-America honors.
At 6-foot-3 and 320 pounds — to go with 33-inch (!) arms — Meinerz has the versatility to play both the center and guard positions. While that might be a plus for most teams who are considering drafting him, those are two positions the Colts are already set at.
Again, we’re not totally against moving Nelson to left tackle. We’d just much rather that happen if the Colts were backed into a corner. With a plethora of marquee talents projected to fall until the middle of the second round, drafting a tackle over Meinerz (or any guard, for that matter) just feels like the wiser move.
Colts reportedly meeting with intriguing OL prospect could hint at draft plans
The Indianapolis Colts reportedly meeting with one of the top offensive line prospects in this year's class could hint at their draft plans.