2012 NFL Draft Positional Needs Indinapolis Colts

Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck. The entire NFL fan base has been buried with the over the top coverage of these two situations. I feel for Colts fans especially. People have forgotten that the Colts have a team outside of the Quarterback position, even if it is the most important position. The Colts are switching to a 34 defense from reports and that means there is a lot of work to do in the off-season as the Colts abandon the Tampa 2 system predicated on undersized defenders who can run and cover.

I’ll list my five biggest need for the Colts let me if you agree.

Nose Tackle

The quarterback is a given. Obviously they have Andrew Luck and/or Peyton Manning (most likely just Luck) so that is already taken care of. After that they have to decide if they have a nose tackle on their roster. The Colts have for the most part drafted small defensive tackles and defensive ends who can rush the passer and struggle against the run. This won’t fly in the transition to a 34 defense. They must get bigger up front. If they think one of their DL can play Nose tackle, that will take away from a 34 DE. The real need is to get much bigger up front or the defense will again be miserable.

Interior OL

Last year they spent two early round picks on offensive tackles with  good reason, but they still have problems and depth in the interior of the offensive line. Jeff Saturday is in the twilight of his career and the guards are nothing special. They will want to make sure they are talented up front at all positions to protect Luck moving into the future.

Cornerback

Again even though the Colts will play the defense that matches the personnel if they want to play any differently at all they have to address the cornerback position. This is another position that the team has used smaller, undersized cornerbacks who cover well and tackle all right. If they move to a more traditional 43 defense they will be out of place at cornerback. The Cornerbacks also weren’t that great even for the system they were running.

Wide Receiver

Reggie Wayne is a free agent. Pierre Garcon is inconsistent and the rest of the wide receivers were always made to look much, much better than they were. They are smart players who run routes well, but they are not dynamic by any means. Even if they retain Wayne they could use better weapons at wide receiver if Wayne leaves they don’t have a number one wide receiver on their roster.

Linebacker

I’m not a big fan of the linebackers (or the defensive system the Colts run in general if you couldn’t guess that by now) and think they could use an upgrade at linebacker. If they run a lot more 34 looks Freeney and Mathis could do well as outside linebackers, but I’d have questions about that. I’d also wonder how well Pat Angerer and the rest of the linebackers transition to the inside.

What do you think Colts fans? Did I get the needs right or do you perceive the needs of the team differently than I do?

I really think the Colts just need an infusion of young, talented playmakers across the board, but these are positions they might need them more than other positions.