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Following the initial wave of NFL free agency, who did the Indianapolis Colts pick in the first round of a recent 2025 NFL mock draft?
Of course, what happens in free agency can have a major impact on how a team approaches the draft, and that's very true in this instance for the Colts. No longer is addressing the secondary a must in the first round, but selecting an offensive lineman has become a much more realistic pick, which is what Nate Tice of Yahoo! Sports had the Colts doing.
Tice and Charles McDonald each alternated selections in their most recent joint mock draft. When it came to pick No. 14, even with both of the top tight ends still on the board, Tice went with Alabama interior offensive lineman Tyler Booker.
"The Colts could build one of the league’s better lines, with one of the strongest guard pairings, by adding Booker to their offense," wrote Tice.
Booker played just over 2,000 snaps during his three college seasons, spending most of his time at left guard. During that span, he allowed only two total sacks and never more than 15 pressures in a season.
In 2024 specifically, Booker was PFF's ninth-highest rated pass-blocker among all guards. For what it's worth, he often graded out better in pass protection than as a run-blocker.
It's worth noting with Booker, however, that he didn't test all that well at the NFL combine, posting a Relative Athletic Score of 4.03 out of 10. In this regard, taking Booker would go against the grain for GM Chris Ballard.
With Will Fries in Minnesota, there are some unknowns along the offensive line. Presumably, Matt Goncalves will move from tackle to right guard, and if that's the case, the Colts likely already have their starting five on the roster.
But with that said, finding a swing tackle and adding interior depth should still be on their radar, not to mention that creating competition for Goncalves may not be a bad thing. Any chance of Anthony Richardson making a jump this season is going to start with having a good offensive line in front of him.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts 2025 NFL draft: Indianapolis picks OL Tyler Booker in mock draft
Continue reading...
Of course, what happens in free agency can have a major impact on how a team approaches the draft, and that's very true in this instance for the Colts. No longer is addressing the secondary a must in the first round, but selecting an offensive lineman has become a much more realistic pick, which is what Nate Tice of Yahoo! Sports had the Colts doing.
Tice and Charles McDonald each alternated selections in their most recent joint mock draft. When it came to pick No. 14, even with both of the top tight ends still on the board, Tice went with Alabama interior offensive lineman Tyler Booker.
"The Colts could build one of the league’s better lines, with one of the strongest guard pairings, by adding Booker to their offense," wrote Tice.
Booker played just over 2,000 snaps during his three college seasons, spending most of his time at left guard. During that span, he allowed only two total sacks and never more than 15 pressures in a season.
In 2024 specifically, Booker was PFF's ninth-highest rated pass-blocker among all guards. For what it's worth, he often graded out better in pass protection than as a run-blocker.
It's worth noting with Booker, however, that he didn't test all that well at the NFL combine, posting a Relative Athletic Score of 4.03 out of 10. In this regard, taking Booker would go against the grain for GM Chris Ballard.
With Will Fries in Minnesota, there are some unknowns along the offensive line. Presumably, Matt Goncalves will move from tackle to right guard, and if that's the case, the Colts likely already have their starting five on the roster.
But with that said, finding a swing tackle and adding interior depth should still be on their radar, not to mention that creating competition for Goncalves may not be a bad thing. Any chance of Anthony Richardson making a jump this season is going to start with having a good offensive line in front of him.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts 2025 NFL draft: Indianapolis picks OL Tyler Booker in mock draft
Continue reading...
