 |
| Facebook.com/Colts |
Founder
The Indianapolis Colts had one heck of a decade with the Peyton Manning era, making numerous playing appearances along with two trips to the Super Bowl.
Now they head into a new era: the Andrew Luck era. Drafting the Stanford quarterback No. 1 overall, the Colts have made it clear they're heading into a new direction.
Luck arrived in Indianapolis on Friday, attending the team's draft party and seeing who else they will draft for the second and third rounds.
"Great building,'' Luck told the Indianapolis Star of Lucas Oil Stadium. "I really like it. Hopefully, we'll see it full this season."
Luck will have a lot of pressure heading into his first season. However, it should be understandable. Indianapolis literally has NOBODY to help Luck at this moment when they drafted him.
For Luck, he looks to keep the winning tradition for the team.
"It's very special,'' he said. "A franchise with a great history of winning. It's great to be part of that now and to try to keep that level of consistent winning."
To keep things easier and comfortable entering the rookie's first season, Indianapolis went all-out on the offensive side of the ball for the second day of the draft.
With the 34th pick, they drafted tight end Coby Fleener, who played with Luck in college. It was a dream come true and a perfect scenario for Luck.
"I knew it was a possibility, but you never really know,'' Fleener said. "(Friday) when the Colts came up, I still wasn't sure until I got the call on my phone that had an Indiana area code.
"Then I had a big smile on my face.''
A Luck-Fleener combination can ultimately mimic the Manning-Dallas Clark combo of the last decade. Fleener did well in his last season with the Cardinal, getting 34 catches for 667 yards and ten touchdowns.
After that, the Colts continued rolling with the offense.
The next pick, they got yet another tight end in Dwayne Allen, who is from Syracuse. The 6-3, 255-pound Allen had 50 catches for 598 yards and eight touchdowns. With that, it earned him the John Mackey award.
"I haven't talked to the Colts since the combine,'' Allen told the Fay Observer. "But that's the way it is sometimes. It feels great. It's ironic that the John Mackey recipient is going to John Mackey's team. It's a perfect fit and I'm going to do my best to maximize my opportunity.''
To finish off the second day in the third round, Indianapolis drafted Florida International's T.Y. Hilton.The Colts were able to work a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, trading their 97th pick and 2013 fifth-rounder to get the 92nd overall for Hilton.
"I feel great about getting him,'' general manager Ryan Grigson said. "I'm ecstatic.''
Hilton has a lot of speed and did well as a returner in FIU. According to the Miami Herald, Hilton becomes the highest draft-pick from the university. The 5-10, 183-pounder finished with 72 catches for 1,038 yards along with seven touchdowns in his senior year with the Golden Panthers.
Indianapolis made some solid additions.
What I really liked was their interesting decision of going after two tight ends. With Jacob Tamme and Clark gone, the Colts were definitely in need of one.
Back in the Manning era, the Colts rolled with their tight ends with guys like Clark, Tamme, and Marcus Pollard. Now they begin the new era perfectly, looking to go under a two tight-end set with Fleener and Allen.
"A week ago, we were looking under every crack for a tight end,'' Grigson said. "It's nice to have two legit, NFL tight ends on our roster now.''
Overall, it was a great first two days for the draft. All these guys will fit well with current offense that features Reggie Wayne and Austin Collie.
Adding to that, their offensive line looks to be in shape now with Ben Ijalana returning from injury. Then, there's Anthony Castonzo. However, I think Indy should get some more lineman in the draft.
Looking into rounds 4-7, defense looks like the priority. I also think they should consider a running back, as Donald Brown and Delone Carter don't look completely certified yet to take the loads.
However, that's besides the point. We'll find out the rest of all of that for Saturday. All of this is just the beginning for the new era in Indy.
