NFL draft: What can the Colts expect from an 18th pick? – Indianapolis Star
What kind of impact should the Indianapolis Colts expect from the 18th pick in the April 28 NFL draft?
Hall of Famer? Over the past 50 years, the only player enshrined in Canton, Ohio, after being chosen 18th is receiver Art Monk, who came out of the 1980 draft.
Ten-year contributor? Over the past 20 years of No. 18 picks, Detroit left tackle Jeff Backus played 12 years and New Orleans defensive end Will Smith played 10.
Washout? Seven players picked 18th over the past two decades were under contract with their drafting team for either three or four years.
For players drafted between five and 20 years ago, the average tenure with his drafting team is 6.3 years.
Whose production would you most like to see from a Colt drafted in the first round this year?
2015: Marcus Peters, Chiefs, CB from Washington
He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year with an NFL-leading eight interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl. Cornerback is a position of need for the Colts, but it’d be foolish to expect this kind of immediate impact.
2014: Calvin Pryor, Jets, S from Louisville
A disappointing rookie season was followed by the kind of impact – literally and figuratively – expected when he was selected out of Louisville. He finished his second season with 50 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble in 13 games. He fractured the ribs of Dolphins receiver Rishard Matthews, gestured to the crowd and was called classless by Miami quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
2013: Eric Reid, 49ers, S from LSU
He has started 47 games over three seasons and has seven career interceptions, but he had none in 2015.
2012: Melvin Ingram, Chargers, LB from South Carolina
He is a rush linebacker who started just two games as a rookie and missed 19 games between his second and third seasons with knee and hip injuries. But Ingram started all 16 games last season and had 10.5 sacks, the first Charger to reach double figures since 2011.
2011: Corey Liuget, Chargers, DL from Illinois
He’s still in the team’s plans though his production has been middling: 21 career sacks, 155 tackles. He peaked at seven sacks in his second season but slumped to three (his lowest total since his rookie season) and 28 tackles last year, battling a foot injury suffered in Week 8.
2010: Maurkice Pouncey, Steelers, C from Florida
He reached the Pro Bowl in four of his first five seasons. Injuries limited him to one game in 2013 and a broken fibula suffered in the third preseason game wiped out last season.
2009: Robert Ayers, Broncos, LB/DE from Tennessee
He spent his first five years in Denver, but was a consistent starter in just two of those seasons. He has been with the New York Giants the past two years and enjoyed his best season in 2015, registering a career-high nine sacks in 12 games. Ayers signed a three-year deal with Tampa Bay this offseason.
2008: Joe Flacco, Ravens, QB from Delaware
Is he elite? Is he a game manager? No matter how you categorize him, Flacco has been the Ravens’ starter for eight years (122 games). He has 162 touchdowns, 102 interceptions, 28,322 yards and a Super Bowl MVP honor. He missed the final six games of last season due to a torn ACL but is expected to be ready for training camp.
2007: Leon Hall, Bengals, CB from Michigan
Hall was consistent starter for the Bengals for eight years before taking a lesser role last season and is currently a free agent. He has 26 career interceptions, three returned for TDs.
2006: Bobby Carpenter, Cowboys, LB from Ohio State
He rarely started in four years in Dallas, bounced to Detroit, Miami and New England and has been out of the league since 2012. His 10 career starts are the fewest by an 18th pick since Steve Schindler in 1977.
2005: Erasmus Jones, Vikings, DE from Wisconsin
While Carpenter never lived up to his draft status, he carved out a seven-year career. Jones started nine games and had four sacks in his rookie season but suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second game of his second season and appeared in just 13 more games.
2004: Will Smith, Saints, DE from Ohio State
He played 10 seasons in New Orleans, with 67.5 sacks and a Pro Bowl appearance, winning a national championship at Ohio State and a Super Bowl with the Saints. He was shot and killed in an apparent road rage incident April 9.
2003: Calvin Pace, Cardinals, DE from Wake Forest
He played for five years in Arizona but had greater success in eight years with the New York Jets (46 sacks compared to 14 in Arizona). He would like to play next season at 36 according to published reports but remains a free agent.
2002: T.J. Duckett, Falcons, RB from Michigan State
He was often the relief running back in Atlanta – where he scored 31 rushing TDs in four seasons – providing the bruising contrast to Warrick Dunn’s speed. Duckett topped 500 rushing yards his first three seasons but never topped 400 after that. He finished his career with three other teams over the next three years, ending his career with 44 rushing TDs.
2001: Jeff Backus, Lions, LT from Michigan
He set a franchise record with 187 consecutive starts, which followed 49 consecutive starts at Michigan, making him a weekend fall fixture in the state for 15 years. In 12 NFL seasons, he started all 191 games he appeared in.
2000: Chad Pennington, Jets, QB from Marshall
He spent eight oft-injured years with the Jets but led them to a 41-0 win over the Colts in the 2002 playoffs. He spent his last three years in Miami, one as a starter. He had 102 career TDs and 64 INTs. He relied on accuracy (leading the NFL twice in completion percentage) and was effective until injuries ultimately sapped all his arm strength.
1999: Matt Stinchcomb, Raiders, OT from Georgia
He missed his rookie season due to a shoulder injury, then re-injured his shoulder and tore an MCL after starting nine games his second year. He was a starter for the Raiders team that lost the Super Bowl, then followed coach Jon Gruden to Tampa Bay and started all 16 games before a back injury sent him into retirement.
1998: Robert Edwards, Patriots, RB from Georgia
He gained 1,115 rushing yards as a rookie, then horrifically tore up his knee defending a pass in a beach flag football event at the Pro Bowl, nearly losing the limb. He was never the same but, remarkably, returned to play 12 games for Miami in 2002, rushing for 107 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
1997: Kenny Holmes, Titans, DE from Miami
He spent four years with the Titans, starting for the 1999 team that reached the Super Bowl, followed by three seasons with the Giants. He had 38.5 career sacks. Holmes is currently the defensive line coach at the University of Idaho.
1996: Eddie Kennison, Rams, WR from LSU
A promising rookie season – 54 catches, 924 yards, nine touchdowns – was followed by mediocrity as he bounced from St. Louis to New Orleans to Chicago to Denver to Kansas City. He settled down with the Chiefs, however, topping 1,000 yards for the first time at the age of 31, then again at 32.
NFL Draft: Round 1, April 28; rounds 2-3, April 29; rounds 4-7, April 30
