Indianapolis Colts should make Alijah Vera-Tucker a priority
Throughout the 2020-21 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts were viewed as one of the most complete rosters in football. The Colts checked off all the boxes and their strengths were in the trenches. Indianapolis had one of the best offensive lines in the entire league and also one of the league’s premier defenses last season.
All of the talent on the Colts’ roster got them to 11-5 and just short of the AFC South title. But they did manage to make the playoffs by securing the third wild card spot in the AFC.
The offseason hasn’t even begun yet and the Colts have two major voids at the two most important positions on their offense. Left tackle Anthony Costanzo and quarterback Philip Rivers retired after the Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills. Replacing a former Pro Bowl left tackle and quarterback with players of equal talent will be difficult. But if the Colts want to keep their Super Bowl window open they will have to find answers at quarterback and left tackle this offseason.
Some of the left tackle prospects that the Colts can be looking at with their first-round pick are Christian Darrisaw, Samuel Cosmi, and Alex Leatherwood. But the best option for the Colts with the 21st overall pick could be Alijah Vera-Tucker.
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Alijah Vera-Tucker Prospect Bio
Alijah Vera-Tucker is a redshirt junior offensive lineman from USC. He didn’t become a starter until his redshirt sophomore season. During that season he started at left guard and played extremely well. Vera-Tucker had a 78.8 PFF grade and only allowed one sack that season. That performance earned Vera-Tucker a second-team All-Pac-12 selection.
This past season Vera-Tucker returned to USC and played left tackle for the Trojans. He showed that he is not only an interior offensive lineman but he is versatile enough to play at tackle or guard. In 2020-21 Vera-Tucker had an 81.1 PFF grade and was first-team All-Pac-12. Vera-Tucker also won the Morris Trophy this past season which goes to the best offensive lineman in the Pac-12.
Why Alijah Vera-Tucker would be a great fit for the Colts
Alijah Vera-Tucker is viewed as the third or fourth-best offensive lineman in this draft year’s class depending on who you ask. This puts him right around the range where the Indianapolis Colts will be selecting.
The Indianapolis Colts should move Vera-Tucker to the top of their draft board if they don’t trade for or sign a veteran left tackle. This is because his versatility brings a few different options to the table. Vera-Tucker’s versatility gives the Colts a few different options on how they could arrange their offensive line.
Here are the options:
A.) The rumor circulating the Indianapolis Colts is that All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson could move to left tackle. Nelson is the best offensive lineman in football and played a series at left tackle during the regular season against the Raiders. This would create a void at left guard that Vera-Tucker could fill nicely. Most scouts believe that Alijah Vera-Tucker will be better in the NFL as a guard anyways.
B.) After playing left tackle last season, the Colts could feel Alijah Vera-Tucker is ready to play left tackle. Slotting Vera-Tucker at left tackle will keep the rest of the offensive line the same and just fill the void at left tackle. There may be growing pains to having Vera-Tucker begin his career at left tackle. But within his first few seasons with the Colts Vera-Tucker could be a franchise left tackle they need.
C.) The worst-case scenario is that both Quenton Nelson and Alijah Vera-Tucker struggle at left tackle. Then the Colts may have to look into adding a veteran left tackle for the 2021-22 season. If that is the case Vera-Tucker will likely become the team’s swing tackle and back up interior lineman for his rookie season. But then the following season he could replace starting right guard Mark Glowinski who is a free agent after next season.
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Alijah Vera-Tucker’s versatility gives the Indianapolis Colts a couple of options on how to fix their left tackle problem. If Vera-Tucker is available at pick 21 during the 2021 NFL Draft, he should be at the top of the Colts list of prospects. Even if he starts to slip down the board they may want to trade up in front of teams like the Washington Football Team at No. 19 or Chicago Bears at No. 20. They are both teams who also could be interested in drafting a Vera-Tucker in the first round of this year’s draft.