INDIANAPOLIS – We’re four weeks away from the NFL draft, and Mel Kiper Jr. has some advice for Chris Ballard.
Take it or leave it.
Address the Indianapolis Colts’ defense first, then give Anthony Richardson another weapon on offense. Unless, that is, Brock Bowers still is on the board when Ballard is on the clock with the No. 15 overall pick.
By anyone’s estimation, two positions that require attention are cornerback and wide receiver. Or is it wide receiver and cornerback?
Kiper prefers the former, in large part because of the depth of this year’s receiver crop.
“I debated both, I really did,’’ the long-time ESPN draft analyst said during a Zoom call with the media last week.
As Kiper rearranged his latest mock draft, he considered slotting Texas wideout Xavier Worthy to the Colts at No. 15. Worthy set an NFL Combine record earlier this month with a 40 time of 4.21.
“All that speed,’’ he noted, “definitely thought wide receiver.’’
Kiper’s decision was partially swayed by the Colts’ recent work at the position.
“They took (Josh) Downs and Downs had a heckuva rookie year,’’ he said of the Colts’ 2023 third-round pick whose 68 receptions were a team rookie record. “And (Michael) Pittman’s back.’’
The Colts also selected Alec Pierce in round 2 of the 2022 draft.
“I just looked at corner,’’ Kiper said. “It’s such a need are for teams. You’ve gotta have ‘em.’’
Kiper opted to align the Colts with Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell, his top-ranked cornerback.
“You’re not always going to get home getting after the quarterback,’’ he reasoned. “When you don’t get home and don’t get that pass rush, you’ve gotta cover on the back end and when they catch it, you’ve gotta tackle.
“I just think the cornerback value in this league right now, for me, was overriding the wide receiver with a Xavier Worthy.’’
If Ballard targets the offense early, Kiper believes Worthy and LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. should draw strong consideration.
And then there’s a wild card: Brock Bowers. The two-time Mackey Award-winning tight end out of Georgia is a consensus top-10 prospect. Kiper ranks him No. 6 overall.
He believes it would be hard for Ballard to pass on “a game-changer.’’
“That affects everything because he’s not defined as a tight end,’’ Kiper said. “He’s a weapon that you can move around. And for Anthony Richardson, he would love Brock Bowers there.
“Bowers is there . . . you’ve gotta take him.’’
One of the reasons Kiper went with cornerback over wideout for the Colts is the depth of the receivers. He has six ranked among his top 17 players, and projects eight being selected in round 1.
He’s confident the Colts can find a quality wideout in round 2 after snatching up a blue-chip corner in round 1, and would have a difficult time reversing that order.
One factor increasing the likelihood of Ballard having several intriguing options at No. 15 – unless he chooses to trade a few spots to acquire addition picks – is the expected run on quarterbacks.
Virtually everyone posting a mock draft expects the Chicago Bears to use the No. 1 overall pick on USC’s Caleb Williams followed by, in some order, LSU’s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina’s Drake Maye. ESPN’s Matt Miller projects quarterbacks going 1-2-3-4: Williams to the Bears, Daniels to Washington, Maye to Minnesota following a trade with New England and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy to Denver following a trade with Arizona.
As many as five quarterbacks could be taken ahead of the Colts at No. 15, with Oregon’s Bo Nix and perhaps Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. joining the QB-rush.
That would obviously push other top prospects down the board, to the Colts.
Offseason schedule
The NFL released the offseason workout schedules.
The Colts open their offseason work April 15 at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Organized Team Activities (OTAs) are May 21-23 and May 29-31, followed by the June 4-6 mandatory minicamp. The Colts also will hold a rookie minicamp after the draft.
Guidelines of the collective bargaining agreement divide offseason work into three phases:
*Phase One: two weeks limited to meetings, strength and conditioning and rehab.
*Phase Two: three weeks during which on-field work includes individual work and drills, but no offense vs. defense sessions. Everything is done at a walkthrough pace.
*Phase Three: four weeks and a total of 10 days of OTAs. No contact is allowed, but 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills are permitted.
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.