Pro Football Focus Hands Out Grade of Colts' Draft Class
Usually, it's best to wait until three seasons after a draft is completed to hand out overall grades. That's not the case in today's digital world, as everyone is quick to hand out grades one day after the final pick is made.
On Saturday night, Pro Football Focus rushed to the table to hand out grades for all 32 teams, grading a number of teams with A's, a few with B's, and some with C's.
Unfortunately for the Colts and General Manager Chris Ballard, Pro Football Focus gave the franchise a grade of C+ after selecting Kwity Paye, Dayo Odeyingbo, Kylen Granson, Shawn Davis, Sam Ehlinger, Michael Strachan, and Will Fries.
It's important to note that Ballard rarely views the draft as a one-year thing, instead drafting for years down the road to ensure there's depth, experience and scheme fit in place, trying to avoid glaring holes at all costs.
That's largely what happened in 2021 for the Colts.
Here's what Pro Football Focus had to say about the Colts' draft.
Day 1: Paye is one of the many physically gifted but unrefined edge rushers in this draft class. He has generational tools for the position and clocked a sub-6.5-second three-cone time, but his pass-rush plans are a bit reckless. He still managed to record a 77.8 pass-rush grade in 2019 before raising it to 87.1 on a smaller sample in 2020. With the right coaching, he can be a dominant NFL player.
Day 2: Another player who fits the Colts’ athletic profile for defenders to a tee. Odeyingbo is an extremely twitchy athlete and has prototypical size, but he comes without the grading profile and production to match those freakish traits. The Colts have chased those players in the past several drafts with mixed results. Odeyingbo recorded 25 total pressures in eight games the last time we saw him play.
Day 3: Ehlinger is a four-year starter who did a good job at limiting turnovers in college. That’s about where you stop getting excited about his prospects of panning out in the NFL. His pocket presence and arm both stand out as barriers to becoming a viable option at the next level. It’s still not a terrible bet for Indianapolis to make at this stage of the draft.
Draft Grade: C+
It's hard to truly disagree with anything PFF said about the Colts' draft.
Yes, Paye is raw and more developmental than anything, but his ceiling is incredibly high, and the selection at No. 21 overall was an easy one to make.
Odeyingbo was a bit of a surprise, but he projects as another Denico Autry type, which I'm all for.
Granson and Davis were good depth grabs, with Granson projecting to be a significant weapon for the Colts moving forward at tight end.
As for Ehlinger, Strachan, and Fries, there's quite a bit of projecting there, which typically happens with late picks. Fries has the best chance of making an impact, considering his offensive line versatility and overall experience.
Strachan has all the tools you want in a receiver and could really develop into a solid No. 2 or 3 in the NFL with the right coaching, but a lot of the focus will be on Ehlinger for the position he plays.
I figured the Colts would grab a QB on Day 3, and the selection of Ehlinger proved me right. He's not starter material right now, but he could develop into a strong backup under Reich and Press Taylor's guidance.
Have thoughts on Pro Football Focus' draft class grade for the Colts? Drop a line in the comment section below!
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