INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts have the 21st-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Take a look at which players the various experts believe will land in Indy in the March 8th edition of Mock Draft Monday.
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Selection: Azeez Ojulari, Edge, Georgia
Expert: Seth Galina, Pro Football Focus
Date of mock draft: Mar. 8 (link)
Analysis: "Ojulari is a player I am in love with because he plays hard on every snap, whether it's a run or pass."
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Selection: Gregory Rousseau, Edge, Miami
Expert: Jordan Reid, The Draft Network
Date of mock draft: Mar. 8 (link)
Analysis: "I expect edge rusher to be a big emphasis for the Colts this offseason. With a bunch of question marks at the position, the team remains in search of top talent for the foreseeable future. Rousseau is an ideal fit in Matt Eberflus' multiple front defense as there won't be a huge emphasis on him being "the guy" along the defensive front. Playing with two established players that will garner plenty of attention in DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart, Rousseau can continue to take advantage of one-on-one matchups as well as kick inside to pair with Buckner in subpackages. This situation is one of the more ideal scenarios for the former Hurricanes rusher as he continues the road to his development in search of becoming the sum of his parts."
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Selection: Tevin Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State
Expert: Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports
Date of mock draft: Mar. 8 (link)
Analysis: "Anthony Castonzo has announced his retirement and Jenkins, who plays with an edge, is athletic, has great feet, and moves well in space. He can also man the left or right tackle positions."
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Selection: Sam Cosmi, OT, Texas
Expert: Charlie Campbell, WalterFootball.com
Date of mock draft: Mar. 8 (link)
Analysis: "The Colts need a left tackle to replace the retired Anthony Castonzo.
Team sources like Cosmi and think he is a better prospect than Connor Williams was at Texas. They feel Cosmi is raw and needs development, but athletically, he is an interesting prospect. Cosmi (6-6, 295) still needs get stronger for the NFL. Team sources felt he should go back to school if he wanted to be a secure first-round pick in his draft class, and Cosmi wisely decided to return to Austin for 2020. Sources who saw Cosmi toward the start of the 2020 season said it looks like he added some good weight since the end of 2019. As a redshirt freshman, Cosmi earned a starting spot at right tackle for the Longhorns and had an impressive debut.
Throughout his time at Texas, Cosmi did a good job in pass protection, showing some length and athleticism on the edge. He could be a dependable left tackle in the NFL to protect the blind side."
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Selection: Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida (26th pick, via trade with Browns)
Expert: Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Date of mock draft: Mar. 5 (link)
Analysis: "T.Y. Hilton's time in Indianapolis appears to be over, and it's tough to pick a more obvious replacement than Toney."
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Selection: Jaelan Philips, Edge, Miami
Expert: Kevin Hanson, EDS Football
Analysis: "With the top three (four if you count Vera-Tucker) offensive tackles off the board, I still considered Oklahoma State's Teven Jenkins here. In a year with a deep tackle class, however, the Colts address Anthony Costanzo's retirement in the second round of this mock.
Justin Houston has 19.0 sacks in his two seasons in Indianapolis, but the 32-year-old edge rusher is set to become a free agent later this month. Phillips has taken an indirect path from five-star recruit -- No. 3 in 2017 ESPN 300 -- to potential first-round pick. Unretiring from football and transferring from UCLA, Phillips had eight sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss over 10 games in his only season with the Hurricanes. The scheme-diverse edge rusher has the strength and length to set the edge and the quickness and bend to disrupt the passing game."
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Selection: Tevin Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State
Expert: Trevor Sikkema, The Draft Network
Date of mock draft: Mar. 4 (link)
Analysis: "With Anthony Costanzo retiring, Indianapolis has a hole at left tackle to fill. In comes Jenkins. Jenkins is an aggressive offensive lineman from how he initiates contact on pass sets to his punch timing to how he finishes blocks. He'd be an Earth-mover next to Quenton Nelson."
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Selection: Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas
Expert: Dean Kindig, DraftTek
Date of mock draft: Mar. 3 (link)
Analysis: "Cosmi to the Colts. The Texas Longhorns haven't had an offensive lineman drafted in the first round in 19 years, since Mike Williams went fourth-overall to the Buffalo Bills in the 2002 NFL Draft. Cosmi was ranked as the best returning OT in the Big 12, despite being a bright candle in the dark cave on the Texas line. I remember Cosmi starting out as the 2nd-overall OT on DraftTek's first Positional Rankings Board.
Why take OT first?
DraftTek Analysts have weighed in that OT will be the position in highest demand this year, so get while the getting's good. While Cosmi neeeds to build play strength and move his feet vs speed rushers, he's garnered serious attention in NFL war rooms."
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Selection: Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss
Expert: Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports
Date of mock draft: Mar. 3 (link)
Analysis: "Moore is the type of YAC weapon Frank Reich will love in his quick-strike offense."
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Selection: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
Expert: Walter Cherepinsky, WalterFootball.com
Date of mock draft: Mar. 2 (link)
Analysis: "The Colts have an outstanding cornerback in Xavier Rhodes, but they could use more talent on the other side of the field.
Jaycee Horn is a fast, fluid athlete. Team sources have told Charlie Campbell that Horn is a better prospect than his teammate, Israel Mukuamu."
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Selection: Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU
Expert: Eric Eager and George Chahrouri, Pro Football Focus
Date of mock draft: Mar. 1 (link)
Analysis: "Moehrig is the best safety in the class and the type of solid playmaker that the Colts have built their team with during the Frank Reich/Chris Ballard era. With Malik Hooker a pending free agent, look for the Colts, a team that has used veterans very effectively to build their defense, to go young."
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Selection: Tevin Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State
Expert: Charley Casserly, NFL.com
Date of mock draft: Feb. 25 (link)
Analysis: "With Anthony Castonzo's retirement, Jenkins fills in as a Day 1 starter."
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Selection: Azeez Ojulari, Edge, Georgia
Expert: Anthony Treash, Pro Football Focus
Date of mock draft: Feb. 22 (link)
Analysis: "Indianapolis' edge unit ranked 25th in pass-rush grade a season ago and has their two most productive players at the position, Justin Houston and Denico Autry, hitting free agency. Regardless of their future with the team, Indy needs to bolster its lackluster pass-rushing on the edge.
Ojulari is a true speed rusher who can get away with his lack of standout strength and power with his athleticism. He broke out in a big way in 2020, raising his 71.4 pass-rushing grade to 91.7, second in the FBS. Ojulari also forced three strip-sack fumbles and generated a 24.3% pass-rush, ranking top five at his position in the FBS."
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Selection: Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
Expert: Nate Davis, USA TODAY
Date of mock draft: Feb. 22 (link)
Analysis: "Anthony Castonzo's retirement leaves a void at left tackle for an otherwise stalwart line. Barring a free agent signing or shuffling All-Pro LG Quenton Nelson outside, the path of least resistance might be drafting steady Darrisaw and leaving the other four starters in place."
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Selection: Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan
Expert: Luke Easterling, Draft Wire
Date of mock draft: Feb.22 (link)
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Selection: Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
Expert: Brad Gagnon, Bleacher Report
Date of mock draft: Feb. 22 (link)
Analysis: "With longtime starting left tackle Anthony Castonzo retired, Indy should look for the best offensive lineman available.
In this case, it can get good value from Virginia Tech's Christian Darrisaw, who was a two-year starter in the left tackle spot for the Hokies. At, 6'5", 314 pounds, he has the size and strength to contribute right away for a team in win-now mode.
The Colts might also need a receiver if T.Y. Hilton departs, a corner if Xavier Rhodes gets away and an edge-defender if they can't keep Denico Autry or Justin Houston. But the defense is in much better shape in general, and they've invested plenty of draft capital in receivers Parris Campbell and Michael Pittman Jr. the last couple of years.
If Darrisaw is there, they have to pull the trigger."
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Selection: Alijah Vera-Tucker, OT, USC
Expert: Danny Kelly, The Ringer
Date of mock draft: Feb. 18 (link)
Analysis: "Everything the Colts do on offense starts with their top-tier offensive line, but Anthony Castonzo's retirement leaves the team with a hole at left tackle. Vera-Tucker may lack prototypical length but makes up for it with quick feet and easy movement skills. He'd be a nice plug-and-play option for Indy at the position."
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Selection: Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern
Expert: Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com
Date of mock draft: Feb. 16 (link)
Analysis: "Free agency could create a void at the position for Indy, and teams are very high on Newsome, a height-weight-speed corner."
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Selection: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
Expert: Austin Gayle, Pro Football Focus
Date of mock draft: Feb. 15 (link)
Analysis: "Moore is largely a projection at the next level considering how few snaps we saw him fully healthy at Purdue, but his record-breaking 2018 season and jaw-dropping speed, strength and athleticism combination is enough to feel confident in him as a first-round pick."
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Selection: Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida (#26, projected trade with Cleveland Browns)
Expert: Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Date of mock draft: Feb. 8 (link)
Analysis: "If T.Y. Hilton hits the open market, Toney's quickness off the line of scrimmage and elusiveness with the ball in his hands will make him a solid replacement."
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Selection: Joseph Ossai, EDGE, Texas
Expert: Nick Klopsis, Newsday
Date of mock draft: Feb. 8 (link)
Analysis: "Joseph Ossai is great at getting to the quarterback from a stand-up linebacker position, and what he lacks in polish he makes up for in athleticism and relentlessness."
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Selection: Gregory Rousseau, Edge, Miami (FL)
Expert: Michael Renner, Pro Football Focus
Date of mock draft: Feb. 8 (link)
Analysis: "On the defensive side of the ball, the Colts have coveted length every year of the Chris Ballard era. There may not be a longer edge defender in the draft class than Rousseau. We haven't seen him put it all together on the edge, though, and that may drop him down the draft board."
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Selection: Jayson Oweh, Edge, Penn State
Expert: Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
Date of mock draft: Feb. 4 (link)
Analysis: "The Colts could go with a cornerback here, but they covet elite length and explosiveness off the edge. Oweh might be too tempting to pass on despite his need for pass-rush polish."
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Selection: Samuel Cosmi, OT, Texas
Expert: Joe Marino, The Draft Network
Date of mock draft: Feb. 4 (link)
Analysis: "With the retirement of Anthony Castonzo comes the creation of a hole at left tackle for the Colts, who otherwise have an outstanding offensive line. Cosmi is a long and athletic blocker that has good range and all the traits needed to be the new blindside protector in Indianapolis."
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Selection: Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech
Expert: Bucky Brooks, NFL.com
Date of mock draft: Feb. 1 (link)
Analysis: "The recent retirement of Anthony Castonzo prompts GM Chris Ballard to fill the left tackle spot with a nimble, big-bodied edge blocker."
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Selection: Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida
Expert: Ben Linsey, Pro Football Focus
Date of mock draft: Feb. 1 (link)
Analysis: "He isn't a finished product at wide receiver after serving primarily as a gadget player earlier in his Florida career, but he has all the traits that lead you to believe that he can develop into a polished route-runner. However, you're drafting Toney for how freakishly elusive he is in the open field, which is highlighted by his 32 broken tackles on 80 catches since 2019. He would give the Colts' receiving corps some extra juice in an offseason where 31-year-old T.Y. Hilton is scheduled to hit free agency."
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Selection: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina
Expert: Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY
Date of mock draft: Jan. 5 (link)
Analysis: "Unless Indianapolis opts to move on from Philip Rivers in favor of a long-term option at quarterback, the Colts can instead bolster their already formidable defense with the pesky Horn."
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Selection: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
Expert: James Dator, SBNation.com
Date of mock draft: Jan. 4 (link)
Analysis: "Rondale Moore definitely doesn't have ideal size, but the Colts are used to working around that with T.Y. Hilton. This pick hinges entirely on whether Indianapolis brings back their top receiver, but even if they do, I think Moore is a solid pick."
Ahead of the 2021 NFL draft, get a look at NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah's top draft 50 prospects.
