INDIANAPOLIS -- Could it have possibly been a better set up for rookie Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard?
It must have been like when all of those kids entered Willy Wonka’s room of candy, with wide-eyes and in complete disbelief.
Three quarterbacks go in the first twelve picks (Mitch Trubisky to Chicago at No. 2, Patrick Mahomes II to Kansas City at No. 10 and DeShaun Watson to Houston at No. 12).
“Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination…”
Two, no, three, THREE wide receivers in the first nine! (Corey Davis to Tennessee at No. 5, Mike Williams to San Diego at No. 7 and John Ross to Cincinnati at No. 9).
MOCK DRAFT | 2017 NFL Draft First Round Mock Draft
“…take a look and you’ll see into your imagination. We’ll begin with a spin traveling in a world of my creation, what we’ll see will defy explanation.”
It’s pick No. 14 and only three of the top defenders are gone? Now we just have to wait on the Philadelphia Eagles who take Derek Barnett.
“If you want to view paradise, simply look around a view it. Anything you want to do it, want to change the world there’s nothing to it.”
And with that, Roger Goodell got to the bottom of the staircase, in his spiffy purple sports coat and apricot top hat, pivoted on his heels, looked Ballard in the face and told him, “Take your pick, kiddo.”
Ballard couldn't have been able to contain himself. Look over here, it’s Jonathan Allen -- the biggest game wrecker in the SEC.
Wait, wait, wait, look over there. It’s Reuben Foster. While he got kicked out of the NFL Combine, he still projects as a future Pro Bowl middle linebacker. But look over here, it’s the pass rushers! There’s Taco Charlton, Charles Harris and Takkarist McKinley. There was so much to pick from.
But wait a second. What do we have here?
Is that Malik Hooker? No, can’t be. He’s not supposed to be here. In most mock drafts he was gone before the top ten ended.
PREVIOUS | Colts select S Hooker in 1st round of NFL Draft
Do we need him?
That’s the question after all. The Colts have two safeties: Clayton Geathers and Darius Butler. Geathers is one the best safeties in the NFL against the run. And the converted cornerback, Darius Butler, made a career out of playing the slot.
Aside from them, the Colts have nothing but question marks. T.J. Green was, according to ProFootball Focus, technically the worst safety in the NFL last year.
He also might have been the youngest player in football last year, which might explain him looking overwhelmed. Then there’s Matthias Farley, and that’s about it.
Before the draft, depth was a huge issue at safety, a concern that has now be alleviated.
There were two other concerns. Hooker has an injured past, but so do a third of the other first-rounders. He also struggles with tackling, a novel skill for a defensive player. If there’s a concern about him, that should be No. 1.
Indy can compensate for that deficiency by just not playing him in the box, ever. Let Geathers do that, he’s good at it after all. But even if you played him at deep safety, you’d still like to trust him to, you know, tackle. It’s either tackling DeAndre Hopkins or watching him high-step into the endzone.
But there are plenty of positives too. There are few players in this draft who can read a quarterback’s eyes and anticipate better than Hooker can. Few have better range than he does. And he has tremendous hands.
With all due respect to Mike Adams, Hooker could be Indy’s best safety since Antoine Bethea left town.
If you are forced to play Geathers in the box and let Hooker roam centerfield, you’re not going to find a better fit. Both Geathers (24 years old) and Hooker (21 years old) complement each other, which is a great thing if you want to set up a safety tandem for 6-10 years.
How about that set up for Ballard’s first-ever draft pick?
All those options, it seemed like it would be impossible for Ballard to make a bad pick. On paper he did well.
Only time can confirm it.
