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May 1, 2007

MIKE BEAS: Enjoying Colts' surprise draft

Not to mock your mock NFL draft, but there’s no way you had the Indianapolis Colts taking Ohio State wideout Anthony Gonzalez with the 32nd selection. You’re fibbing through your choppers if you said you did.

In hindsight, though, it makes perfect sense.

Picture Brandon Stokley. Now picture Brandon Stokley an inch taller, eight years younger and blessed with 4.4 speed. That’s Gonzalez, who turns 23 on Sept. 18, or two days after Indy visits AFC South nemesis Tennessee.

Lost in the blinding confetti snowstorm following Super Bowl XLI is the fact that Indianapolis became top dog despite having played the majority of the season minus a bona fide slot receiver in Stokley, a favorite of quarterback Peyton Manning.

Due to an injured Achilles Heel, Stokley played in only four games in 2006, good for eight receptions. Compare that to his 41 grabs in 2005 and the 68 receptions he hauled in in ’04, and one gets the idea of how big a role Stokley once played in keeping opposing defenses backpedaling.

Manning, who demoralizes teams with his mind as much as he does his right arm, utilizes the slot receiver better than any quarterback in football.

This means the 6-foot, 195-pound Gonzalez, a marvelous talent who had the misfortune of being overshadowed by Ted Ginn Jr. and Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith on the OSU offense, is about to get his number called with great frequency on the professional level.

Don’t look now, but the NFL’s most-feared offense just got better. Remember, Tony Ugoh, the 6-6, 305-pound offensive tackle out of Arkansas the Colts moved up to nab with the 42nd pick, is no bag of marshmallows.

Anything but. An All-Southeastern Conference choice, Ugoh is talented to the point where he should be expected to anchor Indianapolis’ offensive line long after the likes of Tarik Glenn and Jeff Saturday remove their shoulder pads for the final time.

Much as I like the Gonzalez-Ugoh combination, the Colts, in my opinion, sparkled brightest in the latter stages of Round 3.

Cal product Daymeion Hughes has spent the past couple of seasons attempting to break up and pick off passes thrown by quarterbacks such as Matt Leinart (USC), Trent Edwards (Stanford) and Matt Moore (Oregon State). He’s a cornerback with loads of big-game, bright-lights experience, which is exactly what Indy’s depleted secondary needs.

The 98th pick overall, Ohio State defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock, should really be named something more fitting. Like, say, Quinn Pit Bull.

Blue-collar as they come, Pitcock in time will battle Booger McFarland for the starting job. Maybe not this season, but possibly in 2008.

This draft wasn’t all cake and party balloons for Colts fans. After all, the team’s glaring lack of linebacking talent wasn’t addressed until Pitt’s Clint Session was taken by Indy late in the fourth round. This is a player who may not even make the ’07 roster. Same goes for the Colts’ final choice, seventh-rounder Keyunta Dawson, a linebacker out of Texas Tech.

It’s a problem the Colts must address and address soon.

Overall, I would grade Indianapolis President Bill Polian and his assortment of scouts a solid “B” in regard to this year’s draft class, and that’s pretty good.

Remember, when it comes to Polian, no one ever grades on a curve.



Sports Editor Mike Beas can be reached at mike.beas@heraldbulletin.com.











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