Every Indianapolis Colts fan knows that general manager Chris Ballard loves his draft picks.
“The more picks you have, the more darts you have to throw at the board.” Every year but his first (2017), Ballard has made at least eight selections in his drafts with the Colts.
Usually the first question asked when a rookie is selected is “will he make an impact?” In most cases, some make big splashes like Darius Leonard and Quenton Nelson. Others take time like Rock Ya-Sin and Anthony Walker.
For the rookie impact meter it will be based off a scale of 1-10. 1-3 being fringe roster player/developmenal piece, 4-6 rotational player/core special teamer, 7-10 will be from starter to key player to superstar.
Let’s take a look at how much of an impact I think these rookies will make in their first season:
Michael Pittman Jr. | WR | Round 2, Pick 34
The first of nine selections by the Colts in 2020, Pittman is the son of former NFL running back Michael Pittman and while he is a wide receiver, he plays a lot like his dad did while he was in the NFL.
Pittman is a 6-foot-4 receiver from USC, and during his senior season he flashed his potential. USC dealt with a constant change at QB, but that didn’t impact Pittman negatively. His senior season he had 101 catches, 1,275 yards, and 11 touchdowns, a major spike from his three previous seasons.
As most Colts fans know, Philip Rivers loves his big-body wide receiver, ones with a big catch radius, and Pittman supplies that. With Pittman being a second-round pick, and with the lack of depth and talent at reciever, Frank Reich and company should be able to get Pittman on the field early and often as a rookie, and he should be instant impact right away.
Impact Rating: 7
Jonathan Taylor | RB | Round 2, Pick 41
Not often does Ballard trade up in the draft, but he did it again in the 2020 draft, moving up four spots to take running back Jonathan Taylor in the second round.
To say Taylor was productive in his three seasons at Wisconsin would be an understatement. He was top-10 in Heisman voting all three years in college—no other running back in history has done that. His last two seasons featured back-to-back 2,000 yards rushing, and his Junior season he had 26 touchdowns.
The biggest concern with Taylor is his fumbles, in 41 career college games, he had 18 fumbles, and 15 lost. A long-term concern for Taylor is the mileage, at Wisconsin, he had 926 total carries in three seasons, and it is well known running back shelf life isn’t long. But, this isn’t long-term impact, this is 2020 impact, and I wouldn’t be shocked if Taylor leads the Colts in rushing yards in 2020.
Impact Rating: 8
Julian Blackmon | S | Round 3, Pick 85
With their third-round selection the Colts took the versatile safety out of Utah in Blackmon. Right now Blackmon is recovering from an ACL injury he suffered last December in the Pac-12 conference title game.
A little background information on Blackmon, his freshman season he was listed as a safety but made the switch to corner for his sophomore and junior year before moving back to safety his senior year. His senior season he forced six turnovers (4 INTs, 2 FFs) and had over 40 tackles as a safety.
Blackmon won’t make a Week 1 impact because he will still be rehabbing from ACL surgery, but this could be a Khari Willis situation where he gets more and more snaps later in the year. The Colts like to use three safeties on the field a lot, so expect Blackmon, when fully healthy, to be on the field.
Impact Rating: 5
Jacob Eason | QB | Round 4, Pick 122
For what was somewhat of a surprise in the fourth round, the Colts took quarterback out of Washington, Jacob Eason. In between Days 2 and 3 of the draft Ballard, reiterated they weren’t going to force a quarterback selection, only taking one when it felt right.
Eason is what was the “prototypical quarterback” 6-foot-6, big arm, limited mobility, but he isn’t the “prototypical QB” of the 2020s, which is why I think not a lot of fans like this pick. There are the reports that Eason isn’t a hard worker, but if the Colts send their top guys (Brian Decker and Ed Dodds) to interview Eason, and take him over another quarterback with reported “good” work ethic like James Morgan, there could be some falseness to those reports.
This will probably be the lowest-rated rookie impact rating because the Colts have Philip Rivers as the starter now, and Brissett as the backup if Rivers gets hurt, so Eason won’t see the field unless something crazy happens. Eason might not see the field in 2021, Ballard and company are high on Rivers if he plays well coming back in 2021. But only time will tell on that.
Impact Rating: 1
Danny Pinter | OL | Round 5, Pick 149
“Chirp, chirp” The local Indiana boy is staying in-state to continue his playing career. Would it be a real draft if the Colts didn’t take an offensive lineman? Probably not. In the fifth round, Indianapolis took Danny Pinter, offensive lineman out of Ball State.
An interesting backstory from Pinter, coming out of high school in South Bend, Notre Dame didn’t recruit him and he ended up going to Ball State as a tight end. After two seasons there, he was approached by the staff to move to right tackle and did for his final to collegiate seasons. He might give Quenton Nelson a run for his money, for “which offensive lineman scores first for the Colts.”
Early indications are that Indianapolis wants to move Pinter inside as the backup guard, but as of now, Pinter is only 6-foot-4 and 306 pounds which is slightly undersized for an interior offensive lineman. Luckily, Pinter won’t be forced into action right away, and he can add weight will play alongside Jake Eldrenkamp and Javon Patterson inside on the backup unit.
Impact rating: 5
Robert Windsor | DT | Round 6, Pick 193
Once the sixth-round came the Colts, were back on the clock. With a lot of needs filled Ballard and his scouts attacked the defensive line, more specifically inside, with the selection of Robert Windsor out of Penn State.
Windsor became a full-time starter for the Nittany Lions in his junior year, and played admirably in his two seasons as a starter. In his junior year he had 39 tackles, 11 for loss, 7.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and received honorable mention All-Big Ten honors from league coaches. Windsor had similar production his senior year and was on the All-Big Ten third-team.
It will be interesting where the Colts line Windsor up, he played 1-tech in college, but at 6-4 290, he’s very undersized in the A gap. Windsor has said he’s played up to 325, but likes to play at 290. Indianapolis could slide him to backup 3-tech behind Deforest Buckner if they like that idea, but as of now, it seems Windsor will be fighting for a spot in training camp.
Impact rating: 3
Isaiah Rodgers | CB | Round 6, Pick 211
In what was a very busy sixth-round for the Colts, the first of their three straight selections, Indianapolis took cornerback, and return ace out of UMass, Isaiah Rodgers.
At 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, Rodgers is not the prototypical corner that Ballard drafts. But, he provides a unique trait that not many corners possess, elite ball skills. In his senior season, Rodgers had four interceptions, 10 pass breakups, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery, and was All-American First-Team kick returner.
Rodgers will make the move to slot corner in sub-packages, but currently Kenny Moore has that starter spot locked down, and Rodgers will have to battle with newly signed T.J. Carrie for the backup spot. What gives Rodgers the advantage is he can be a returner, while Carrie doesn’t play much special teams.
Impact rating: 3
Dezmon Patmon | WR | Round 6, Pick 212
With their selection of three straight picks, Indianapolis doubled down on the receivers and selected Dezmon Patmon out of Washington State.
What makes Patmon an interesting prospect is he’s 6-foot-4 with long arms while running a 4.48 in the 40 at the combine back in February. There is a bit of a log jam at receiver with Daurice Fountain, Ashton Dulin, Marcus Johnson and Patmon battling for probably one or two spots on the roster. Expect Patmon to either make the backend of the roster or make the practice squad.
Impact rating: 2
Jordan Glasgow | LB | Round 6, Pick 213
The final selection of the day for Indianapolis, they took the safety/linebacker out of Michigan, Jordan Glasgow. A walk-on at Michigan, Glasgow became a starter for the Wolverines his final year at Michigan as a hybrid defender, but made his hay as a core special teamer.
He played on all four special teams unit at Michigan, led special teams in tackles, and blocked a field goal his senior year. As a Colt, Glasgow should make the team as the core special teams guy, like Matthew Slater of the Patriots, but don’t expect him to see the field on defense at all in 2020.
Impact rating: 5
