Supplemental Draft Notes: Beal, Bryant
The NFL’s supplemental draft will take place on Wednesday and the football world is buzzing about former Western Michigan cornerback Sam Beal. One scouting analysts for ESPN believes that he is worthy of a second-round grade in terms of talent.
“I think he’s going to be a starter within three years for whatever team drafts him,” ESPN.com’s Steve Muench said, “and a really good starter at that. You have someone with that frame and those skills, and that’s what teams look for.”
Beal offers good size for the cornerback position at 6’1″ and ran a 4.47-second 40-yard-dash during a recent workout. He is widely projected to go within the first three rounds, becoming the first player taken in the supplemental draft in years.
Here’s more on Beal and the other entrants in the supplemental draft:
- Mississippi State defensive back Brandon Bryant also has an opportunity to be drafted. Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com offers up a scouting report for the three-year starter, noting that he offers good size and serious athleticism. Although he is fluid and fast in coverage, Pauline dings him for his lack of physicality and sense of urgency. Pauline predicts that he’ll be taken in the sixth-round on Wednesday.
- When it comes to Beal, Pauline lauds the Western Michigan product for his outstanding closing speed and explosive nature. On the flipside, he feels that Beal does not demonstrate great recognition in zone coverage and notes that his instincts are suspect. Beal – who was said to be in the first-round range for the 2019 draft – should go in the second or third round in Pauline’s estimation.
- Nat Newell of the Indy Star wonders if the Colts could place a bid on Beal, Bryant, or Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander given their needs in the secondary. With size and the ability to excel in zone coverage, Alexander could be of particular interest to GM Chris Ballard.
- In addition to the aforementioned three players, Oregon State linebacker Bright Ugwoegbu and Grand Valley State running back Martayveus Carter are also eligible to be drafted. However, their odds of being selected are reportedly slim.
Andrew Luck Hosting Passing Summit?
- While this isn’t exactly full confirmation, signs point to Andrew Luck participating in a passing summit with some of his pass-catchers at his alma mater. Colts wide receiver Chester Rogers tweeted he’s off to Stanford, where Luck spends time training during the offseason. Mike Chappell of Fox 59 assumes Luck will be throwing Rogers and others as he continues the final stages of his exhaustive rehab program. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t qualify as particularly newsworthy. But considering Luck’s progress in June, every throw the passer makes will be relevant as he prepares to surmount what’s been a significant hurdle to return to the field.
Quenton Nelson Learning Quickly
- Number six overall pick Quenton Nelson appears to be adjusting to the NFL quickly, and the Colts are taking notice. “His impeccable technique and ability to quickly pick up schemes turned the heads of many of his teammates and the coaching staff while working with the first unit throughout offseason workouts” writes Mike Wells of ESPN.
This Date In Transactions History: Kerry Collins
Seven years ago today, many of us assumed that veteran NFL quarterback Kerry Collins was officially walking away from the game. That didn’t end up being the case.
The long-time quarterback really doesn’t need an introduction. After being selected with the fifth-overall pick by Carolina in the 1995 draft, the Penn State product’s professional career would end up stretching more than 15 seasons. Come 2011, the signal-caller was wrapping up a relatively successful tenure with the Titans.
Following stints with the Panthers, Saints, Giants, and Raiders, Collins had joined Tennessee on a one-year contract in 2006. With the Titans having recently used their third-overall pick on quarterback Vince Young, Collins ended up being shuffled in and out of the team’s starting lineup during his time with the team. This included a 2008 campaign that saw him make the Pro Bowl and lead the Titans to an AFC South title.
The Titans got off to an 0-6 start during the 2009 season, prompting Titans owner Bud Adams to request that Collins be replaced by Young. The 2006 first-rounder led his team to five straight wins, although the veteran regained his role the following season. Collins ended up appearing in 10 games (seven starts) in 2010, completing 57.6-percent of his passes for 1,823 yards, 14 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. On July 7th, 2011, Collins ended up announcing his retirement from the NFL, and the Titans reset their quarterback depth chart with Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker.
Collins’ retirement was short-lived, as the veteran inked a one-year, $4MM contract with the Colts in late August. Peyton Manning was recovering from offseason neck surgery (a procedure that would force him to miss the entire campaign), so Collins slid into the starting role for the start of the regular season. He ended up showing his age during his Indy stint, leading his team to an 0-3 record in his three starts. Collins completed only 49-percent of his passes for 481 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Collins landed on the Colts’ injured reserve after suffering a concussion in October, and he was released by the team the following March. Collins subsequently announced his second retirement, and this time he didn’t back out of the decision. The now-45-year-old ranks in the top-15 all-time in completions and passing yards.
Malik Hooker Not Lock For Week 1
In April, Malik Hooker‘s recovery timeline was not certain to allow for training camp participation. Now, the Colts might have to enter the season without their second-year safety. Hooker is not a lock to be ready to start the season, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star writes. The Ohio State alum is recovering from suffering a torn ACL and MCL, a sequence that ended his rookie campaign in late October. The Colts drafted Hooker in the 2017 first round despite injury concerns unrelated to the more severe maladies he sustained last season, and provided he can stay healthy, he’s certainly viewed as a long-term secondary cog in Indianapolis. The Colts are in slightly better shape at safety, though, than they were going into last season. Former UDFA Matthias Farley enjoyed a quality season after ascending to the starting lineup. T.J. Green and Clayton Geathers represent the top depth pieces. Green played 382 snaps last season, seeing more time after Hooker’s injury.
Colts' Pierre Desir Hoping To Build Off 2017 Season
Pierre Desir was having a breakout season for the Colts through nine games last year. The former fourth-rounder had already established a career-high in passes defended with seven, and he also compiled 32 tackles and one interception.
“I think I’m going to be able to use my size and my length to my ability,” Desir told Jake Arthur of Colts.com. “It’s going to allow me to mess up the timing of the receivers, because the front seven — they are going to get some pressure. So that’s going to allow me to create opportunities to make some plays, so I think I fit well.
Details on Robert Turbin Suspension
- Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star suspects that the Colts have known about Robert Turbin‘s four game suspension for a while. He notes that the team has deflected from talking about him all offseason and that the Colts have kept him away from the media (Twitter link).
- Turbin’s suspension will cost him $235K according to Mike Chappell of Fox59. Chappell says “no one should understate the possible impact of Turbin’s absence” and writes that the Colts were counting on him to fill a big role with Frank Gore no longer with the team.
Robert Turbin Facing PED Suspension
Colts running back Robert Turbin is facing a four-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances. Turbin confirmed this news on his Twitter account.
Turbin is entering the second season of his two-year Indianapolis deal and is now part of a Colts running back contingent that doesn’t include three-year starter Frank Gore. Turbin, 28, will be shelved for at least a fourth of the Colts’ games after playing in just six last season.
Gore’s absence clears the way for Marlon Mack to have a much bigger role. However, Mike Wells of ESPN.com tweets Turbin operated as the team’s first-unit back this offseason, doing so despite his 2017 season ending early because of an arm injury. Mack underwent shoulder surgery this offseason, per Mike Chappell of Fox 59 (Twitter link). The former Seahawks back rushed for seven touchdowns in 2016 with the Colts but scored just one last year and saw just 23 carries.
The Colts made multiple additions to their backfield on Day 3 of this draft, so this suspension likely puts Turbin’s roster spot in jeopardy. Indianapolis selected Nyheim Hines out of North Carolina State in the fourth round and added Jordan Wilkins out of Ole Miss in the fifth. The Colts also house Turbin’s former Seahawks teammate, the now-well-traveled Christine Michael, and 2016 UDFA Josh Ferguson.
This Date In Transactions History: Andrew Luck
On this date two years ago, the Colts made Andrew Luck the highest-paid player in NFL history. Two years later, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether the deal will pay off. 
[RELATED: Latest On Andrew Luck]
The Colts inked Luck to a five-year extension worth a whopping $122MM, with $87MM in overall guarantees and $47MM fully guaranteed at signing. Without the deal, Luck would have been eligible for free agency following the ’16 season. From there, the Colts could have retained Luck for an additional two seasons via the franchise tag at estimated values of $25MM and $35MM, but it would have put them in a difficult position down the road. Instead, both sides used Luck’s expected franchise tags amounts as a framework for talks and hammered out a deal.
With the contract, Luck leapfrogged Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, and Philip Rivers in average annual value. The deal made sense, but it did not come without risk. Luck was coming off of an injury-riddled, seven-game season in which he completed just 55.3% of his passes and logged 15 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.
Luck’s shoulder was largely a non-issue in 2016 as he threw for 4,240 yards and 31 touchdowns with a career-high 63.5 completion percentage. After the season, he went under the knife to fix his shoulder, and that’s where things started to get messy. First, Luck was held out of training camp and the preseason. Then, he was ruled out for week after week in the regular season. Finally, in November, the Colts were forced to place Luck on season-ending IR.
Luck finally was able to throw a regulation-sized football earlier this month, but questions remain about how effective Luck can be going forward. When healthy, Luck is one of the league’s best QBs and he has three Pro Bowl nods to back that up. Still, no one knows if his shoulder can withstand the punishment of a full season. The Colts will be married to the former No. 1 overall pick for a while, regardless of how things turn out.
Already, Luck’s $12MM base salary for 2018 and $6MM of his 2019 salary have become fully guaranteed. If the Colts want to push the eject button in 2019, it’ll leave them with $12.8MM in dead money versus $14.725MM in cap savings. Their first chance to move on from Luck with an impactful effect on the cap will come in 2020, when they can save $22MM by cutting him with just $6.5MM in dead money remaining.
The Colts and Luck are hoping that it won’t come to that. If Luck gets back to his old form this year, the mega deal he signed in 2016 will once again look worthwhile, and maybe even team-friendly.
Latest On Andrew Luck’s Recovery
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck hasn’t experienced any pain in his shoulder following a recent throwing session, as he told Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. Luck, who missed the entirety of the 2017 season due to injury, has gradually ramped up his throwing, and has recently graduated from tossing high-school-sized balls to NFL regulation balls.
The story of Luck’s rehab, of course, is filled with stops and starts, and Colts management maintained at various points in 2017 that Luck was in no danger of missing the season. Therefore, it’s entirely reasonable to take Luck’s progress this time around with a grain of salt, although it does appear both Luck and the Colts are taking a cautious approach. Luck himself admitted that he attempted a 2017 return too quickly, which ultimately led to him being placed on injured reserve.
“I feel great. Right on the path I want to be,” said Luck, who said he will be conducting offseason practices with the Colts’ wideouts at some point, per Dave Calabro of WHTR. “I’ll be out here throwing at some kids today, hanging out, it’s been a long winding road, certainly some parts have been very, very frustrating. But I’m sort of done looking back and looking forward and I feel very, very optimistic.
“I’m convinced I’ll be ready for training camp, but I’m not going out throwing 150 balls a day. There will be a plan. I’ve talked with coach (Frank) Reich and our medical staff and training staff and I feel very, very confident about that plan. The goal obviously is to play each game as best I can.”
When healthy, Luck is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL: he posted more than 70 combined touchdowns in 2014 and 2016, and the 28-year-old is a three-time Pro Bowler. But Luck was limited to only seven total games in 2015 and 2017, and it’s fair to wonder whether his shoulder will hold up for a full season.