INDIANAPOLIS – We are less than two weeks away from the 2016 NFL Draft.
The Colts will hold six picks when this year's draft gets underway on Thursday, April 28.
With the Mock Drafts ramping up this time of year, the pundits have the Colts filling a variety of needs.
Here's the latest compilation of Mock Drafts:
Analysis: It's hard for me to see a situation in which one of the top three offensive tackles is still available here, but Decker is a solid value at this slot and I don't think the Colts can go wrong with a "best offensive lineman available" strategy, potentially more than once.
Analysis: I wanted to get the Colts an offensive lineman with their first-round pick, but the value just wasn't there. So I went with the best player on the board (Joseph), who could be their next Bob Sanders. Joseph is one of the more violent and efficient tacklers we've studied recently at the safety position. Concerns about his 2015 knee injury aside, he's one of the fastest-rising prospects in this draft.
Analysis: Next in line as a tackle to guard conversion, Whitehair has posted back-to-back monster grades as Kansas State's left tackle, and he'll kick inside to bring a strong run blocking presence to the Colts' offensive line.
Analysis: Protecting Andrew Luck is the Colts' top priority after watching the team fail to make the playoffs without their leader under center.
Analysis: There really isn't a guard who has value with the No. 18 overall pick for the Colts, so they could look to fill that considerable hole in the second round. In the first, they would be smart to go with Floyd. He's a fleet of foot pass rusher who has versatility.
Analysis: They need to solidify the middle of their line. Andrew Luck took a beating, so why not take the best center in the draft?
Analysis: Another Buckeye off the board. Decker is 6-foot-7, 315 pounds and can move. Agile and strong, he's a left or right tackle and can likely play as soon as next season. Andrew Luck gets another big body to protect him.
Analysis: An upgrade in the interior is needed in addition to right tackle, and Ryan Kelly, whom I've been underrating, is expected to go much earlier than I initially believed.
MOCK DRAFT TOTALS
In each installment of the mock draft looks we will total up all the positions pundits have pegged for the Colts throughout the draft process.[
1ST Mock Draft Look (January 21) ](http://www.colts.com/news/article-1/2016-First-Mock-Draft-Look-Big-Ten-Heavy-Picks-For-The-Colts/d1588680-9a78-45fd-95c6-83635c029439)
Totals:
OT: 17
OLB: 4
OG: 4
DT: 3
RB: 3
ILB: 2
DE: 2
C-2
S-1
Bowen's Analysis: It's been a while since we've seen multiple interior options heading the Colts' way at pick No. 18. That's the case though in our fifth Mock Draft look. The usual names are there (Taylor Decker, Jack Conklin and Leonard Floyd), but we are starting to see Ryan Kelly's name pop up more and more frequently. Many draft analysts believe Kelly is more than worthy of a first-round pick, despite true centers not often going in the middle of Round One. The safety option of Karl Joseph is one of the highest spots we've seen the West Virginia safety. Joseph is coming off a torn ACL. As the draft gets closer and closer the six most popular names we've seen heading the Colts direction are as followed: OT-Taylor Decker, OT-Jack Conklin, OLB-Leonard Floyd, OLB-Noah Spence, C-Ryan Kelly and OG-Cody Whitehair. Those are all positions of need for the Colts.
P.S. I wanted to again include this awesome pie chart from SB Nation, compiling virtually every Mock Draft from around the NFL media world. This is a great resource for seeing which specific players are appearing most for the Colts (Taylor Decker is by far the most popular individual choice).
