After analyzing the draft needs of all 32 teams, PFT will review how well each team addressed those needs. Up next: The Indianapolis Colts.
What they needed: Guard, running back, cornerback, outside linebacker, wide receiver.
Who they got:
Round 1: Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State
Round 3: Hugh Thornton, OG, Illinois
Round 4: Khaled Holmes, C, Southern California
Round 5: Montori Hughes, DT, Tennessee-Martin
Round 6: John Boyett, SS, Oregon
Round 7: Kerwynn Williams, RB, Utah State
Round 7: Justice Cunningham, TE, South Carolina
Where they hit: Werner seems to fit in with the blue-collar style coach Chuck Pagano’s trying to instill there. He’s a worker, has plenty of upside and could turn into an above-average starter. And using their second-rounder to acquire cornerback Vontae Davis is probably better than anyone they’d have picked there in this draft. They added up some offensive line depth, which they needed.
Where they missed: Their draft was kind of like their offseason as a whole. They sure did a lot of things, but it’s hard to see immediate upgrades in too many spots. Other than Werner, it’s hard to see an immediate impact from any of their picks. They added some size up front, but not of the variety that’s going to make a huge difference this year, anyway.
Impact rookies: Boyett was a dynamic safety when he was well in college, but that wasn’t often. And didn’t they do the good-but-always-hurt safety thing already? Hughes has size and athletic ability, but there’s a reason he was a fifth-rounder after being dismissed from Tennessee.
Long-term prospects: The best they can hope for from this bunch is solid. And solid might be OK for now. Andrew Luck is going to keep them competitive for a generation, and it’s filling in the blanks from there. They were aggressive in free agency, filling in a lot of lines on the depth chart. That allowed them to draft a few projects and developmental guys. They spent a lot of money this offseason, but the areas where they’re markedly better are unclear.
