Colts Land EDGE, CB in ESPN Analyst's Two-Round Mock Draft
Now that we're officially into April, it marks the official month of the 2021 NFL Draft, which is April 29-May 1 in Cleveland.
Knowing that, this month will be chalk full of mock drafts as we draw closer and closer to the jewel of the offseason for the NFL. On Thursday, ESPN Senior Writer Todd McShay released his fourth mock draft of the year, this time expanding it into two rounds.
In his latest mock, McShay had the Indianapolis Colts grabbing two names I have not seen them paired with so far this year.
Aside from a number of trades in the top 10 that McShay projects, things remained relatively quiet until No. 21 overall, where McShay has the Colts grabbing Michigan EDGE Kwity Paye to plug the pass rushing hole the Colts currently have along the defensive line.
"The Colts lost Denico Autry to the division-rival Titans, and Justin Houston remains unsigned. That means DeForest Buckner is the only player with at least five sacks in 2020 set to return for 2021. Indy's defensive strength is a big part of its identity, and Paye has explosive speed off the edge. The production hasn't caught up to the ability just yet, but his ceiling is very high. Alternatively, the Colts could target a defensive back or maybe reach a little bit for a receiver."
A Guinnea refugee who immigrate to the United States with his mother and brother when he was six months old, Paye is a physical freak along the defensive line with long, powerful arms and legs.
Though he doesn't have much of a pass rush arsenal or plan, he has shown year-over-year improvements and Michigan, and his best football is ahead of him. He's the type of guy you'd like to see sitting behind a veteran for his first year or so to continue development against the run and pass.
Following the selection of Paye at No. 21 overall, McShay has the Colts going defense again at No. 54 overall, grabbing Syracuse cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu.
"The Colts crave some cornerback depth behind Xavier Rhodes, Kenny Moore II and Rock Ya-Sin, and Melifonwu has the skills to develop into a really strong press corner."
Though Melifonwu has the skills to be a dominant press corner, he was very rarely asked to play press man in college. However, he excelled at off-man and zone coverage, and is quite physical at the catch point.
He has great size and length and would be an outstanding grab at 54 for the Colts, should he last that long.
Do you have thoughts on the two selections for the Colts in Todd McShay's latest mock draft? Drop a line in the comments section below letting us know!
