Bleacher Report Pairs Colts With Stud OL in Mock Draft

Following the retirement of veteran left tackle Anthony Castonzo in January, the Indianapolis Colts saw a legitimate hole open up in the trenches.

While General Manager Chris Ballard has plenty of options in free agency and in the 2021 NFL Draft, Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski paired the Colts with standout Virginia Tech left tackle Christian Darrisaw in the first round of his latest mock draft.

"Anthony Castonzo's retirement left a 6'7"-sized hole in one of the NFL's best offensive fronts.

"The Indianapolis Colts already addressed their biggest offseason need by agreeing to acquire quarterback Carson Wentz from the Philadelphia Eagles. General manager Chris Ballard must now work to protect Wentz's blind side while making sure the Colts' front five remains a standout group.

"Virginia Tech's Christian Darrisaw tends to be overlooked with Oregon's Penei Sewell and Northwestern's Rashawn Slater in the same class, but no Power Five offensive lineman performed better last season. Pro Football Focus graded the first-team All-ACC performer as college football's best run- and pass-blocker.

"Darrisaw excels because he plays with a great base, has the athleticism to consistently reach the second level and work in space and displays a bit of a nasty streak.

"If the Colts pair Darrisaw with Quenton Nelson on the left side of their offensive line, they could continue controlling the line of scrimmage and make life much easier on Wentz."

Putting Darrisaw next to Nelson and center Ryan Kelly for the next 8-10 years would be a nightmare for opposing defenses, and would allow Wentz to thrive behind arguably the best offensive line in the NFL.

Though I cannot see Darrisaw falling to No. 21 overall, it would be a ton of fun to see Ballard snap up a top 3 tackle in the draft class, should he not trade back.

Follow Josh on Twitter @B yJoshCarney.

Follow Horseshoe Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.