Among the many decisions the Indianapolis Colts have to make this offseason will include what to do at the quarterback position. There’s one particular draft prospect in Jordan Love that could pay huge dividends.
The chances of the Colts of having a shot at prospects like Tua Tagovailoa and even Justin Herbert are decreasing by the day. But Love could certainly be there at No. 13 in the first round and if the Colts decide to go that route, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network believes it could be a massive upside play.
“They’re in a great spot. I’m curious what they’ll do with the quarterback position first and foremost,” Jeremiah said in his pre-combine press conference. “If they decide to stick with Jacoby Brissett and want to go towards the draft, at that time in time, gosh, Jordan Love, I don’t know that he’s ready to play right away, but that’s a huge upside pick. And you give him a chance to develop that could have a huge pay-off.”
For the majority of the offseason, Love and the Colts seem like a near-perfect fit. He needs some development, which means he shouldn’t start right away. The Colts have options they can play ahead of him and having Frank Reich as a mentor would do wonders for Love.
One of the biggest concerns with Love is his consistency. This is especially true with his production from 2018 to 2019. In the former season, Love was sensational for Utah State. He completed 64.0% of his passes for 32 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also had a 9.4 adjusted yards per attempt and a 158.3 passer rating.
But the 2019 season wasn’t as kind for Love. He regressed greatly to the tune of completing 61.9% of his passes for 3,402 yards, 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. His adjusted yards per attempt took a massive hit all the way down to 6.4 and his passer rating dropped to 129.1.
There is context to be had. Love saw a change in offense while losing nearly all of his skill players from the season before. It’s fair to say an upgrade in all of those areas would be beneficial for Love’s development and potentially see him return as the 2018 prospect rather than the 2019 one.
But this only matters if the Colts feel strongly enough to take him at No. 13. It’s unlikely he falls to the Colts at No. 34 and even if he approaches that, they might need to trade back into the first round to secure his pick.
The upside with Love is worth the risk at No. 13, especially given how big of a need the quarterback position is for Indy.
The risk is high, but the payoff could give the Colts their quarterback for the future.
