April 19, 2025 • 28 mins
The Last Word, the Colts’ offseason radio show, is back this week as Jeffrey Gorman and Matt Taylor preview a very busy week next week for the Colts. With the start of the offseason workout program and the 2025 NFL Draft right around the corner, Jeffrey and Matt preview the top storylines to watch as players return to the facility and dive into the Colts’ most pressing and under-the-radar draft needs heading into draft week. Luke Easterling, NFL Draft analyst of Athlon Sports, joins the show to break down how he sees the first round unfolding and which prospects might be in play for the Colts in the middle of round 1.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
The NFL never sleeps. The roster is ever evolving, and
it's all about finding the edge. This is the last word.
The off season home of the Indianapolis Colts. Now here's
Jeffrey Gorman and Matt Taylor.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Every Friday evening here on ninety three five and one
oh seven five the Fan. We're coming to you from
the Indiana Union Construction Industry Radio Studio. I'm Jeffrey Gorman,
Matt Taylor, Voice of the Colts. How are you.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Mate, I'm great. Happy Friday, Happy early Easter. That's right,
Happy early Holidays. Everybody coming up on tonight's show, getting
you guys primed and ready. A busy next week for
the Colts started. The off season program starts on Tuesday,
and don't forget the NFL Draft on Thursday, or says
throwing a party down at Lucas Oil Stadium. By the way,
Colts dot com has more information, but may tebe before
(00:55):
we get on what is happening next week because it's
a big one. You talked about the how a day
coming up here. I'm sorry to let your fans know
about this, but.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
You know where I'm going.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Matt.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
You're not a fan of the Easter egg hunt, and
I I just can't put my finger on it. What
is the problem with having an Easter egg hunt for
the right participant?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
I think I spoke too soon. I gotta think more
like the kiddos.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Right, Hey, listen, let me let me help, let me
bail you out here. We're just talking the mics. We're
not and we're talking to Matt s well, you know the.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Eighth they're not the most enthralling.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
But then I said, if you're four, five or six,
maybe seven, you know.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
You take a walk in my shoes, pal, and you
do have The four year old is gonna be on
fire last weekend. He's got like four egg hunts coming
down the pike in the next couple of days.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Hey, slip a hondo in one of those. Take the
kids get interested. No doubt we're gonna also hear from
Luke Easterling coming up for the NFL Draft Insider. He's
from Athlon Sports, one of the best in the business.
But mayte, as I said earlier, that offseason program it's
ramping back up, starts on Tuesday. Chris Ballard's gonna hold
his press conference on Monday morning. When it comes to
(02:00):
on field work, Matt, what's the one thing that you
are saying, Hey, And I know we're all looking at
the quarterback, so it's kind of a loaded question. But
what's that one thing you're looking at over the next
weeks of what you want this team to become.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
That's a great question. I mean, obviously it starts with
a quarterback, but outside of that, it's on defense. How
intense is the install, how long does the install the
nuts and bolts of this new defense? What does it
look like now? Under lou An Arumo? You have kind
of a revamped secondary in the back end with Tarvarius
Ward and cam binam here. Now, how quickly can some
(02:32):
of those the guys the mainstays like Jalen Jones and
Kenny Moore the second how can they acclimate to the
new guys? And vice versa. Also too, it's how does
this offensive line within the battles? How does that begin
to take shape? Who begins team portions at center, who
begins team portions at right guard? How many players can
contend for those jobs? With the Colts losing like you said,
(02:54):
Ryan Kelly and Will Fries in free agency, So quarterbacks
obviously a front and center, but behind those are kind
of the big ones for me.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Colts had the number fourteenth overall pick in the first round, Mattie. Okay,
the roster ninety available spots during the offseason, it's sitting
at sixty nine right now. The biggest draft need is
my question to you, And I know it's a loaded
question because everybody wants that tight end off the board
if he's there. Everybody says that, but it's not that easy.
And we talk about best player available, matt you know
(03:23):
some of these guys slip through the cracks that are
top five, top six picks in there. I guess outside
of tight end is what I'm asking. What's your biggest
storyline in this Druw.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Well, you're right. I mean you look at all the
mock drafts standing back to February. I mean two out
of every three, three out of every four as the
Colts taking a tight end and you can understand why.
But I'm not downplaying tight end and that need. I
just wonder if that makes the most sense in the
first round. And hear me out on this, because, like
we said yesterday on the Daily Update, if you go
(03:52):
back to the end of last season, the Colts were
under five hundred. They were eight and nine that missed
the playoffs for the fourth straight year, and in the
words of Chris, hey, we're not close. We got a
lot of holes to fill. So I contend that if
the Colts just take the best player available and stick
to their board at fourteen and not worry about, Hey,
we got to take a tight end here, we gotta
(04:13):
do this, or we gotta do that. Don't worry about
what position this guy plays. Inevitably, you're gonna fill a
major area of need and you're gonna get exponentially better
by taking a hopefully a premium player in the first round.
So maybe it's tight in. Maybe it's the best available
offensive lineman or defensive lineman. Those are really big areas
of need for the Colts as well. So I just
(04:35):
think you draft best player available, stick to your board,
don't overthink it. Get a good football player. Let's roll
here in the spring. That's how I see it.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Love that mentality. I'm with you on that one. Bill
Polly and taught us a lot way back in the day.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
No, it'd be different. It'd be different. You're fourteen and
three and you're draft in twenty eighth, right, But I
think you're sitting right in the middle of the first
round and you're a long way away. As Chris said
at the end of the season too, you know, being
Buffalo or Kansas City or Baltimore. I follow me.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Right, best player available, Man, it's slippery slow for these gms.
Come on draft day on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. How
about this one. Let's play a little game here, how
the Colts attack the draft. Okay, Maddie, okay, the underrat
our areas of need. Gonna, I'm gonna give you positions.
You rank them an order of need for the Colts
the upcoming draft. All right, safety, quarterback, running back, and kicker.
(05:26):
All right, safety, quarterback, running back, kicker.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
What do you think he write these down? Yep? So
I have to choose from kicker. Yep, running back, quarterback,
and safety.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
People are asking why a kicker in there?
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Start there, Maddie, I'm gonna say kicker. Right, I'm gonna
say a kicker. I mean, it's one of the most
valuable players on the team.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Wait a minute, you need a kicker more so than
you need safety help, quarterback help and running back help
in the upcoming draft. That's what I'm talking about.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
I think so. I mean, if you're making a list
of your most important players to help you win a
football game, I think kicker has to break in the
top ten. We've seen kickers win football games and send
teams to the playoffs, So win playoff games. Having a
reliable guy over fifty is what it's all about. And
like we talked about last week, ultimately I love it.
I think that's what led to the dismissal of Matt
(06:12):
Gay last week. So why not draft a kicker on
Day three?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Love it?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
I'd rather draft one of the best kickers in the
draft than draft in.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
The fifth or sixth yeah, or even higher.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Well, I mean Jake Elliott was drafted on I think
either the fourth round or the fifth round, and he's
one of the most stable guys in the NFL. I'd
rather do that at this point in the draft than
draft the twelfth or thirteenth best running back. I mean,
I'm not downplaying the position, but you get what I'm saying,
Like you can find you can find other solutions to
that area later on in the draft or undrafted free agency.
(06:46):
Why not draft the best kicker to push Spencer Strader,
who's only attempted five field goals, by the way in
the NFL, and you're not just gonna hand him the job.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
You're right, though, Colts are familiar with Spencer Strader obviously,
but there's always a second kicker in the upcoming camp. Man,
I'm with you. I'm syed if they take one of
these high, high ended collegiate kickers that are coming out
right there, people are gonna go, what is bell A doing? Hey,
he's getting better, is what he's doing. You got to
push each other, right when it comes to a kicking competition,
it always is the same when it comes into camp.
It's like, well, if you're one of the greats that
(07:14):
are gonna make it to the Hall of Fame one day,
you're probably not getting pushed. But there's always competitions in
the kicking game.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
And plus two, on Day three, you're drafting for traits,
you're drafting for intangibles and character. So I'm not downplaying,
you know, the third day of the draft, rounds four
through seven, specifically rounds five through seven, But the probability
of those positional players becoming mainstays for you is low.
(07:40):
Now the Colts, they have tons of examples to kind
of debunk that, and that's fair, like Will Fries and
Zaire Franklin and Anthony Walker, Jalen Carlies. But again I
would just say kicker is one of the most important
positions on your team to push you over the edge,
why not draft a guy.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
I'm with you on that one hundred percent. None against
Spencer Strader, but competition makes everybody better. Hey, don't forget
to check out the Colts Audio Network this week wherever
you download your podcast and check out the latest Colts
podcast featuring interviews with great guests regarding the upcoming draft
and the Colts biggest draft needs. And like I said earlier,
Ers is throwing a party downtown on Thursday. How about
(08:18):
this You fans will have access to the field, plus
autographs from the likes of how about Zaire Franklin, how
about Alec Pierce, how about Liatu Latu? How about Edgar
and James? All of them will be down there. It
is ten bucks to get in. Fans must be twenty
one or over. Tickets are available at Colts dot com
slash Draft. It is ten bucks to get in. Five
bucks if you're a Colts season ticket holder. When we
(08:41):
come back, We're gonna find out what the Colts should
do in the first round in the eyes of Lukey Sterling,
longtime NFL draft analysts from Athlon Sports. He's gonna tell
us which quarterback is most likely to line up under
center in Week one for the Colts, Anthony Richardson or
Daniel Jones. That and a whole lot more. Coming back
here on ninety three five and one oh seven five.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
The Welcome Back to the Last Word, the off season
Home of the Colts with Jeffrey Gorman and Matt Taylor
from the Indiana Union Construction Industry Radio studio.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Speaking of Matt Taylor, join him in Berlin. How about that?
Come hang road trip with mate Berlin, Germany. You can
do that, Colts fans.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I'm better in Europe anyways.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah you are.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Simple. You place a deposit to unlock early access to
the official Colts Germany ticket and travel packages. Visit on
location exp dot com slash Colts Germany for more information.
Luke Easterling, longtime NFL draft analyst now with Athlon Sports,
we sat down and talked with him. I asked him
the biggest difference the top two tight ends in the draft,
(09:44):
Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren. What makes them different?
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Yeah, I think honestly, for a lot of teams, those
guys could be one A or one B on their board.
I think it's really gonna be interesting to see which
one comes off the board first and why. I think
when you look at a guy like Tyler Warren, obviously
you're getting the guy that brings a little more, a
little more power, a little more toughness to the game.
I think he's a little bit better as a blocker.
I think you can you can line him up in
line closer to the line of scrimmage and probably get
(10:08):
a little more out of him in the run game,
and and that kind of helps you with your formations
and not given too many things away. I think as
a pass catcher, he's really really good. Again, big physical,
tough guy that can that can match up well. He's
too big for most dbs and too too athletic for
most linebackers. And I think when you compare him to Loveland,
Loveland doesn't quite have the same you know, sickness and
(10:31):
power and strength that he does. But I do think
he gives you a little bit more as a separator
in the passing game. I think he's a little more explosive,
can give you a little more you know, matchup potential,
just as a pass catcher a little a little bit
longer if a catch radius maybe, and just really savvy
after the kids, really smooth mover where he can kind
of run away from guys, and I think Warren's more
(10:53):
more interested in running through guys. So again, it's it's
really just a style issue. Different teams are going to
have him prioritize for different res. But both of those
guys you like top fifteen locks.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
To me, that's Luke easterling with us longtime NFL draft
analysts now with Athlon sports and going with with what
Jeffrey was saying. Luke, I mean, nearly seventy percent of
all the mock drafts that I've seen dating back to
February have had the Colts picking a tight end in
the first round. You can understand why. However, there's a
good chance that one of the top two tight ends
(11:24):
will be off the board before fourteen overall for the Colts.
So a lot of different ways you can go with that,
But I want to start with, is there a tight
end in this draft worth trading up for?
Speaker 4 (11:34):
You know, I don't know, just because I feel like
both of those guys, if either one of them is
there at fourteen, I think the Colts should be thrilled.
And I think that the issue would become if you
think they're both going to be gone, and I think
that would be a different conversation where, you know, I
think in my mock draft, I've had Tyler Warren go
in as early as five to the Jaguars, which obviously
they wouldn't be thrilled to see him in the division elsewhere,
(11:55):
but right, you know, if he goes that early and
you're looking at teams like the Jets at seven than
the Saints at nine, there's a couple of the teams
there that I mean, maybe even Chicago at ten. I
don't know. You know, like if both of those guys
would be gone, maybe you have that conversation. But honestly,
if that ends up happening, I love both of those
tight ends. But the rest of this tight end class
is really really good as well. I mean, you've got
(12:17):
guys that I think will be available on day two.
Elijah Royo from Miami. You got Mason Taylor from LSU,
Terrence Ferguson from Oregon, Harold Vann and Junior from Bowling Green.
I mean, there's so many guys in this tight end
class that I think if you do miss out on
those top two guys, it is disappointing. But there's gonna
be some great options there on day two and it
wouldn't be the end of the world.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Luke Easterling right there from Athlon Sports following on Twitter
x at Luke Easterling also at athlon Sports. He's got
a great four round projection, a mock draft up there
right now, so check that out. Matt and I always
talk about best player available, Luke. Obviously the fan base
and a lot of people are saying, hey, tight end,
tight end, tight end for the Colts, but the best
(12:57):
available player at that pick at fourteen, even if the
tight ends are on the board, could you see Chris
Ballard selecting someone that plays the edge or plays offensive tackle?
And what sort of temperature do you feel about the
players there at fourteen that can't miss if they're an
edge or an offensive tackle.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
Yeah, I don't really. I mean, especially if one of
those tight ends are on the board. I can't imagine
a player at those positions that I would take over
those guys. And part of it is part of it
is because the depth that those positions is also really
really good. I think the difference between the player that
the Colts would probably get at fourteen if they go
offensive line, if they go edge, even a couple other positions,
(13:36):
the difference between who they could get there and who
they could get on Day two, especially in the second round,
I really don't think there's a massive gap there. And again,
I've been doing four round mock drafts for over a
month now, so I'm routeatemly getting into those middle and
later rounds where I'm seeing the patterns, I'm seeing what's
available and how the board falls. And obviously the real
draft will be different to a degree because I'm pretending
(13:57):
to be thirty two different gms, and in real life
it'll be already two different boards competing against one another,
and there's always some surprises when that happens. But I'm
just confident that the depth, particularly at edge but also
along the offensive line, and just there's nobody that jumps
out to me that says, man, this this player is
so good and it's so much better than what you'll
get on Day two at these positions that if one
(14:19):
of those tight ends is there that it would be
that it would behove Chris Ballard to go in that
direction purely from a value standpoint. I think value and
need would match up at tight end if one of
those top two guys is there, Hey.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
No question here, just a statement, well done on the
four round mock draft. That's it. That's the point. I
don't want fifth, I don't want sixth, I don't want seventh.
We're in a guessing game up to that point. I
love that you guys stick with the fourth round loop.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Man.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
I do get a couple of questions every year, like, hey,
when's the seventh rounder coming? And man, I've been doing
this a long time. There's been a lot of trial
and error, and I did come to the realization three
or four years ago that, like, man, that's just that at.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Four is the sweet bless you, Yes, bless you.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
It's deep enough, it's great enough, it goes beyond most people.
You know, just do the first round right. Two gives
you a lot of you know, a lot of a
lot to chew on. But man, once you get to five, six,
and seven, Uh, it's it's the return on the investment
in terms of the time, no doubt, and do it well,
which I refuse to do anything if I can't do
it to a high level. Four is definitely the sweet spot.
(15:18):
I'm gonna I'm gonna stay there.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
Yeah, less is more, right there, Luke Easterling, whether it's
NFL draft analysts from Athlon sports all right outside of
the Colts s Luke, what's gonna happen with the Titans
at one?
Speaker 5 (15:29):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (15:29):
What happens with the Giants at three? I mean, are
both teams going quarterback and the first and third picks respectively? Uh? Specifically?
Really curious, Luke about the Giants just because of the
Russell Wilson component now in free agency.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Yeah, well, I think they were really smart to go
in and bring in not just Russ but Jameis Winston
to really if they had to ride into Week one
with that quarterback room, I think now they can say, Okay,
it's it's it's it's we're able to put a winning
product on the field, a competitive product on the field
with these guys because they've produced and they have experience.
(16:03):
And so when when the Giants look at the board
and they say, hey, we're pretty sure cam Ward's going one,
as am I I'm pretty sure that's the way things
are going to go. Then you look at at two
and say, well, if it you know, if it's Travis
Hunter there, or if you know, if they really liked
cam Ward and if if he would have been the pick,
if they would have gotten their hands on that quarterback,
but they don't feel the same way about Shud or
(16:23):
Sanders or anybody else in that quarterback class, then you
have to be comfortable with Okay, you know, do we
stay at three and are we are we happy with
Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter if he falls to us,
or if we can't get Ward, do we try to
trade out. I had a mock draft last week where
I had the Bears trading up to three to get Carter,
Because if you're the Giants, then you're saying, hey, the
(16:44):
one thing we may we maybe don't need as a
pass rusher, We've got came On Tibodau, We've got Brian Burns,
we need just about everything else outside of Malik Neighbors maybe,
and so moving down and getting some extra picks, getting
some better value and still maybe being able to get
a quarterback. You know, whether it's do or say one
of those those second tier guys Jaln Milro, Jackson, Dart, Tyler, Schuck.
(17:05):
You know, I think that could be the way they go,
but I do expect it to be cambred at one
to the Titans. Feels like Travis Hunter is kind of
pulling away for the Browns at number two. But man,
the next quarterback off the board is going to be
a fantastic and a and a very intriguing discussion.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
All Right, Luke, which which player in this draft are
you championing the most? Right? Get up and stand on
the table. Somebody that you know can play make a
difference on Sundays, but just isn't getting the love in
the pre draft process.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
Yeah, there's so many guys that I launched the podcast
a couple of months ago called best Podcasts Available, And
one of one of my segments every week is stand
on the Table. That's literally what it's called, where I
pick a guy that I love and I just try
to pitch him. But the guy that since the beginning
of the process I feel like I've just been standing
on the mountain for is Jalen Royals. He's a wide
receiver at a Utah State. Uh and again he just
(17:56):
he does everything at such a high level. Six foot legit,
two hundred pounds, a four to four eight at the combine.
Even though he's still recovering from a foot injury that
cost him basically the second half of last season. But
he got hurt in October, he still almost had a
thousand yards. He put two hundred up on Boise State
the last four games before he got hurt. It was
like one twenty one fifty, one fifty, you know, two
(18:18):
hundred and So he can play outside on the boundary,
he can play inside in the slot. Again, he's a
he's a physically, you know, really really power packed frame.
So he's not small, he's not frail. He can win
on the outside. He can beat press coverage, he can
win contested catches, he can win after the catch. He's explosive,
great route runner. I mean, there's really no hole, there's
no glaring flaw in his game. And so when you
(18:40):
look at this receiver class, you know, anytime on Day two,
I'm gonna be really thrilled if I get him in
my building because I just think there's there everything that
you need a receiver to do. He can plug in
and do no matter what the scheme is whether you
need him outside or in the slot. I feel like
he's a guy that wherever he gets drafted, people are
going to look back and say, man, how did he
last that long?
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Check this man out, looky easterlinge you can write him.
You can write this man if you want to. Luke
Don Easterling at athlon sports dot com. Go to athlon
sports dot com find out the latest with the upcoming draft,
and obviously at Luke Easterling on Twitter x as well.
Great job on getting us ready for the draft year
in and year out. Let's go a little present day football.
(19:19):
There's a quarterback competition in Indianapolis, Luke, and if you
could check your notes of these two quarterbacks coming out
of college, what you liked about Anthony Richardson, what you
liked about Daniel Jones, and ultimately, who do you think
will win this competition? And what does this Colts offense
look like?
Speaker 4 (19:35):
Yeah, it's gonna be really interesting. I think Daniel Jones
as a prospect I wasn't as high on just because
I think the consistency in college wasn't there. And I
think his biggest you know, plus was coming out of
David Culletcliff's offense, and you were thinking that pro you know,
more pro ready coming out of that offense, and he
just hasn't been able to figure it out in his
NFL career so far. You think that, you know, there's
(19:56):
there's some art talent there, there's obviously the athleticism to
make plays as runner, but just needs to improve, you know,
decision making accuracy. You could argue that he hasn't really
had much of a supporting cast to figure that out either,
So that that kind of the other side of that coin.
And with Anthony Richardson, a lot of those same things apply,
but I feel like the ceiling is so much higher
(20:17):
for Anthony in terms of the physical tools obviously the
arm straight the athleticism. I mean, you can make an
argument that he's the greatest athlete we've ever had at
the quarterback position if you go back to what he
did as a combine. And he's a guy who barely
had double digit starts under his belt since high school
before he came to the NFL. And so, you know,
I think he's a guy that just, you know, does
(20:37):
he benefit from a situation like we saw with Bryce
Young last year, where you know, the Panthers kind of
took him out of the spotlight for a few weeks,
let him catch his breath, you know, made sure that
they could stabilize his confidence for a little while. And
then they put him back in and he was a
completely different quarterback. And so maybe maybe Daniel Jones comes
in and because he's got more starting experience, maybe he's
your week one guy coming out of training camp, and
(20:59):
you can you can put Richardson in a situation where
the pressure is alleviated, at least in the short term
for a little bit. He can get more practice reps
without worrying about having to go out and have the
world on his shoulders every Sunday, and maybe eventually he
gets to the point where you can hand it back
to him again. The tools and the ceiling and obviously
the young man, I think I think a lot of
him as a person. I think anybody in that locker
(21:21):
room would attest to that that he's he's he's a
guy who is going to work hard and he's gonna
do the same the little things well, and I think
once he gets acclimated again, you know, conditioning, I know
is an issue late in games last year, and once
he learns to take care of his body on the
run too, you know, I mean he's you know, that's
something that I think smaller mobile quarterbacks know they need
to get down. Guys like him, I think are used
(21:42):
to just being able to physically dominate to a point
where now that you're at the highest level, you realize, hey,
I maybe six five, two hundred and forty plus pounds,
but I still need to get out of bounds too,
you know, I still need to get down to These
guys are are a different level even from the SEC
And so I think all those things, I still have
belief and I still have a ton of hope that
Anthony Richardson can hit that high ceiling. Uh and Daniel
(22:03):
Jones again just comes in to help stabilize the floor
of that position and maybe give him a little time
and breathing room to do hopefully what we saw from
Bryce Young last year and see a big lead down
the stretch here.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Great stuff as usual, Luke Easterling, It's easy go to
athlon sports dot com, follow this man on Twitter x
at Luke Easterling or at athlon Sports. Appreciate you taking
the time and talking to us and sharing your notes
with us.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Hey, my pleasure. Guys enjoined the rest of the process
and good luck this season.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
He's a busy man. Plus, he puts his email out
there for anybody that doesn't agree or disagrees with our
I'm gonna start doing that.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
You don't have No, you don't. I'm gonna start.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Doing that because every Friday I'll just read them live
on the air, like attacking me and my family.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
What show did that? Was that Jimmy Kimmel that did
the the mean tweets and the celebrities.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Oh that we should do that, mate, stake off.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Jeffrey Garman is what.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Hey big Banks again? Oh kidd boy, I'll get raked
over the Colls. Hey the Coltchsif team up with Anthel,
Blue Cross and Blue Shield, they're going to recognize school teachers, administrators,
nurses and staff members who go above and beyond. You know,
a classroom quarterback. Nominate them today at colts dot com
slash classroom Quarterbacks. In this high school girls flag football
all over the state of Indiana. This thing is Roland.
(23:17):
The Colts commitment to the growth of high school girls
flag football. It's continuing. They're showing it every day. This
team's goal is to launch one hundred high school girls
flag football teams by the fall of twenty twenty five,
and the Colts are providing up to ten grand in
resources for the first hundred schools that join. We need
your help, though, get your local high school and communities involved.
Visit Colts dot com slash Girls Flag to learn more.
(23:40):
Will we come back, mate, and I are going to
give you the Forum Credit Union question of the Week
regarding Travis Hunter's burning desire to play both ways in
the NFL offense and defense? Can he do it? And
if he can't, would he quit? Like he says? I
don't want so. Hey, we got a two way player
in the studio as well. His name is Casey Value.
Showcase Coming Back The Last Word nine seven five The Fan.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
We now return to the off season home of the
Colts Belt Last Word with Jeffrey Gorman and Matt Taylor
from the Indiana Union Construction Industry Radio Studio.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
And James Brown. You guys see these shoulders ever moving
like this?
Speaker 4 (24:18):
No?
Speaker 3 (24:18):
I see you guys over there? Ye biting that bottom lift.
Speaker 4 (24:23):
Man.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Thank you, mister Brown. Welcome back to the Last Word.
We have brought to you by our friends at Meyer,
the official supercenter of your Indianapolis Colts, proud sponsor of
hundreds of local sports teams across the Midwest. Time now
for James Brown's Forum Credit Union question of the Week.
What song did James open up with when he opened
his fifty No, I don't have any James Brown trivia
(24:47):
hear from Forum Credit Union, But we do have a
two way player. We're going to talk about Travis Hunter
coming up in the NFL Draft. Yes, sir, he wants
to play both ways in the NFL. Guys, Forum Credit
Union Question of the week, Who is the last player
to play both ways on a full time basis? Because
we could say Troy Brown, we could say, we could
say Deon Sanders. I mean, these guys played both ways.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Two sports, but not both ways.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Are you sure they never lined him up on the
outside as a wide receiver.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
Well, the answer the question is full time, right, That's
what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
I mean, there's been guys that have done both, but
I'm talking about full time.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
So I go back to the thirties, you have to go.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
I'm the fifties. I mean we're close. I mean, you
guys would know the name.
Speaker 5 (25:26):
But I'm thinking there's a handful of Like when you
look back at statistics, there's a lot of guys that
played quarterback and punted.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
It's got to be offense and defensive defense.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
I couldn't take center and linebacker for the Eagles in
the fifties. The great Chuck bed Nerrick. Wow, great NFL name,
Chuck Bednarik got an award.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
That you know out in college football, one of the
best players.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Let's stay there though. Travis Hunter said, I'm not gonna play.
I'm not gonna show up if you guys aren't playing
me both ways. You buying this?
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Yeah, no, I'm not buying that.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
I mean serious.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Yeah. I played both ways in high school at times,
and you know I still wanted to play once they
told me in college, Hey, you got to pick one. Listen.
I know he's incredibly special, he's he's electric, but he's
not special in the sense that someone could potentially come
up to him and tell him that he has to
play either offense or defense. Because every single player in
the NFL has had that conversation, you know, told to
(26:19):
them where does he play? Where do you got him?
I would play him at wide receiver.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Okay, showcase. I would go corner, you will. I would
go corner because I think the money's there, right, the
money's there.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
I think the receivers get paid paid. I didn't watch
every Colorado games, but the games that I did watch,
he was he was special on offense. That's what my
thought is.
Speaker 5 (26:39):
You play him at corner, you have a couple gadget
plays for him on offense and have him as your returner,
and it kind of I don't know if he can
play full time at.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Receiver and corner, because you got to have.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
A little bit says he can, But I mean this,
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
We'll see.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
This league's different. This is in a Colorado anymore. This league.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Travis Hunter played eighty six percent of Colorado's overall snaps
last year, by far, the highest in all of college football. Right,
that's not a surprise. But the highest rates or highest
percentage in the NFL last year by any player was
Dane Jackson of the Carolina Panthers cornerback. He played forty
(27:15):
eight percent of his team's total snap so literally half
of what Travis Hunter is attempting.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Okay, we're gonna find out if this kid's special, that's
for sure. Hey, appreciate you guys dropping by listening into
the last word. We do it every Friday and nights
to form. Credit Union can interact with other fans if
you want to go online, post a topic and participate
in various discussion regarding your cult forum. Credit Union helping
members live their financial dreams. Boys, got a hint for you.
You got youngins at home. It's Easter weekend. You got
(27:44):
egg hunts coming. Don't hard boil the.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Eggs already over, don't Why yeah the wife did it.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
No, don't hard boil them. You got a mess there
and it's in the hair. It's throwing them at dad.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
We have glitter in the kitchen everywhere.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
No got to heart boil them.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Huh yeah, yeah, all right, part of the tradition.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
One of you bums better throw a hondo.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
In one of those for your kids.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
For Casey Valier, Matt Taylor, I'm Jeffrey Gorman.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
This is the last word TAPO on this dollar.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Have a great weekend coming up next to ESPN R
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Stand Man, Damn
The NFL never sleeps. The roster is ever evolving, and
it's all about finding the edge. This is the last word.
The off season home of the Indianapolis Colts. Now here's
Jeffrey Gorman and Matt Taylor.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Every Friday evening here on ninety three five and one
oh seven five the Fan. We're coming to you from
the Indiana Union Construction Industry Radio Studio. I'm Jeffrey Gorman,
Matt Taylor, Voice of the Colts. How are you.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
Mate, I'm great. Happy Friday, Happy early Easter. That's right,
Happy early Holidays. Everybody coming up on tonight's show, getting
you guys primed and ready. A busy next week for
the Colts started. The off season program starts on Tuesday,
and don't forget the NFL Draft on Thursday, or says
throwing a party down at Lucas Oil Stadium. By the way,
Colts dot com has more information, but may tebe before
(00:55):
we get on what is happening next week because it's
a big one. You talked about the how a day
coming up here. I'm sorry to let your fans know
about this, but.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
You know where I'm going.
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Matt.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
You're not a fan of the Easter egg hunt, and
I I just can't put my finger on it. What
is the problem with having an Easter egg hunt for
the right participant?
Speaker 3 (01:13):
I think I spoke too soon. I gotta think more
like the kiddos.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
Right, Hey, listen, let me let me help, let me
bail you out here. We're just talking the mics. We're
not and we're talking to Matt s well, you know the.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
Eighth they're not the most enthralling.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
But then I said, if you're four, five or six,
maybe seven, you know.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
You take a walk in my shoes, pal, and you
do have The four year old is gonna be on
fire last weekend. He's got like four egg hunts coming
down the pike in the next couple of days.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Hey, slip a hondo in one of those. Take the
kids get interested. No doubt we're gonna also hear from
Luke Easterling coming up for the NFL Draft Insider. He's
from Athlon Sports, one of the best in the business.
But mayte, as I said earlier, that offseason program it's
ramping back up, starts on Tuesday. Chris Ballard's gonna hold
his press conference on Monday morning. When it comes to
(02:00):
on field work, Matt, what's the one thing that you
are saying, Hey, And I know we're all looking at
the quarterback, so it's kind of a loaded question. But
what's that one thing you're looking at over the next
weeks of what you want this team to become.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
That's a great question. I mean, obviously it starts with
a quarterback, but outside of that, it's on defense. How
intense is the install, how long does the install the
nuts and bolts of this new defense? What does it
look like now? Under lou An Arumo? You have kind
of a revamped secondary in the back end with Tarvarius
Ward and cam binam here. Now, how quickly can some
(02:32):
of those the guys the mainstays like Jalen Jones and
Kenny Moore the second how can they acclimate to the
new guys? And vice versa. Also too, it's how does
this offensive line within the battles? How does that begin
to take shape? Who begins team portions at center, who
begins team portions at right guard? How many players can
contend for those jobs? With the Colts losing like you said,
(02:54):
Ryan Kelly and Will Fries in free agency, So quarterbacks
obviously a front and center, but behind those are kind
of the big ones for me.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
Colts had the number fourteenth overall pick in the first round, Mattie. Okay,
the roster ninety available spots during the offseason, it's sitting
at sixty nine right now. The biggest draft need is
my question to you, And I know it's a loaded
question because everybody wants that tight end off the board
if he's there. Everybody says that, but it's not that easy.
And we talk about best player available, matt you know
(03:23):
some of these guys slip through the cracks that are
top five, top six picks in there. I guess outside
of tight end is what I'm asking. What's your biggest
storyline in this Druw.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
Well, you're right. I mean you look at all the
mock drafts standing back to February. I mean two out
of every three, three out of every four as the
Colts taking a tight end and you can understand why.
But I'm not downplaying tight end and that need. I
just wonder if that makes the most sense in the
first round. And hear me out on this, because, like
we said yesterday on the Daily Update, if you go
(03:52):
back to the end of last season, the Colts were
under five hundred. They were eight and nine that missed
the playoffs for the fourth straight year, and in the
words of Chris, hey, we're not close. We got a
lot of holes to fill. So I contend that if
the Colts just take the best player available and stick
to their board at fourteen and not worry about, Hey,
we got to take a tight end here, we gotta
(04:13):
do this, or we gotta do that. Don't worry about
what position this guy plays. Inevitably, you're gonna fill a
major area of need and you're gonna get exponentially better
by taking a hopefully a premium player in the first round.
So maybe it's tight in. Maybe it's the best available
offensive lineman or defensive lineman. Those are really big areas
of need for the Colts as well. So I just
(04:35):
think you draft best player available, stick to your board,
don't overthink it. Get a good football player. Let's roll
here in the spring. That's how I see it.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
Love that mentality. I'm with you on that one. Bill
Polly and taught us a lot way back in the day.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
No, it'd be different. It'd be different. You're fourteen and
three and you're draft in twenty eighth, right, But I
think you're sitting right in the middle of the first
round and you're a long way away. As Chris said
at the end of the season too, you know, being
Buffalo or Kansas City or Baltimore. I follow me.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Right, best player available, Man, it's slippery slow for these gms.
Come on draft day on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. How
about this one. Let's play a little game here, how
the Colts attack the draft. Okay, Maddie, okay, the underrat
our areas of need. Gonna, I'm gonna give you positions.
You rank them an order of need for the Colts
the upcoming draft. All right, safety, quarterback, running back, and kicker.
(05:26):
All right, safety, quarterback, running back, kicker.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
What do you think he write these down? Yep? So
I have to choose from kicker. Yep, running back, quarterback,
and safety.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
People are asking why a kicker in there?
Speaker 3 (05:36):
Start there, Maddie, I'm gonna say kicker. Right, I'm gonna
say a kicker. I mean, it's one of the most
valuable players on the team.
Speaker 2 (05:43):
Wait a minute, you need a kicker more so than
you need safety help, quarterback help and running back help
in the upcoming draft. That's what I'm talking about.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
I think so. I mean, if you're making a list
of your most important players to help you win a
football game, I think kicker has to break in the
top ten. We've seen kickers win football games and send
teams to the playoffs, So win playoff games. Having a
reliable guy over fifty is what it's all about. And
like we talked about last week, ultimately I love it.
I think that's what led to the dismissal of Matt
(06:12):
Gay last week. So why not draft a kicker on
Day three?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Love it?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
I'd rather draft one of the best kickers in the
draft than draft in.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
The fifth or sixth yeah, or even higher.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
Well, I mean Jake Elliott was drafted on I think
either the fourth round or the fifth round, and he's
one of the most stable guys in the NFL. I'd
rather do that at this point in the draft than
draft the twelfth or thirteenth best running back. I mean,
I'm not downplaying the position, but you get what I'm saying,
Like you can find you can find other solutions to
that area later on in the draft or undrafted free agency.
(06:46):
Why not draft the best kicker to push Spencer Strader,
who's only attempted five field goals, by the way in
the NFL, and you're not just gonna hand him the job.
Speaker 2 (06:53):
You're right, though, Colts are familiar with Spencer Strader obviously,
but there's always a second kicker in the upcoming camp. Man,
I'm with you. I'm syed if they take one of
these high, high ended collegiate kickers that are coming out
right there, people are gonna go, what is bell A doing? Hey,
he's getting better, is what he's doing. You got to
push each other, right when it comes to a kicking competition,
it always is the same when it comes into camp.
It's like, well, if you're one of the greats that
(07:14):
are gonna make it to the Hall of Fame one day,
you're probably not getting pushed. But there's always competitions in
the kicking game.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
And plus two, on Day three, you're drafting for traits,
you're drafting for intangibles and character. So I'm not downplaying,
you know, the third day of the draft, rounds four
through seven, specifically rounds five through seven, But the probability
of those positional players becoming mainstays for you is low.
(07:40):
Now the Colts, they have tons of examples to kind
of debunk that, and that's fair, like Will Fries and
Zaire Franklin and Anthony Walker, Jalen Carlies. But again I
would just say kicker is one of the most important
positions on your team to push you over the edge,
why not draft a guy.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
I'm with you on that one hundred percent. None against
Spencer Strader, but competition makes everybody better. Hey, don't forget
to check out the Colts Audio Network this week wherever
you download your podcast and check out the latest Colts
podcast featuring interviews with great guests regarding the upcoming draft
and the Colts biggest draft needs. And like I said earlier,
Ers is throwing a party downtown on Thursday. How about
(08:18):
this You fans will have access to the field, plus
autographs from the likes of how about Zaire Franklin, how
about Alec Pierce, how about Liatu Latu? How about Edgar
and James? All of them will be down there. It
is ten bucks to get in. Fans must be twenty
one or over. Tickets are available at Colts dot com
slash Draft. It is ten bucks to get in. Five
bucks if you're a Colts season ticket holder. When we
(08:41):
come back, We're gonna find out what the Colts should
do in the first round in the eyes of Lukey Sterling,
longtime NFL draft analysts from Athlon Sports. He's gonna tell
us which quarterback is most likely to line up under
center in Week one for the Colts, Anthony Richardson or
Daniel Jones. That and a whole lot more. Coming back
here on ninety three five and one oh seven five.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
The Welcome Back to the Last Word, the off season
Home of the Colts with Jeffrey Gorman and Matt Taylor
from the Indiana Union Construction Industry Radio studio.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Speaking of Matt Taylor, join him in Berlin. How about that?
Come hang road trip with mate Berlin, Germany. You can
do that, Colts fans.
Speaker 3 (09:21):
I'm better in Europe anyways.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
Yeah you are.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Simple. You place a deposit to unlock early access to
the official Colts Germany ticket and travel packages. Visit on
location exp dot com slash Colts Germany for more information.
Luke Easterling, longtime NFL draft analyst now with Athlon Sports,
we sat down and talked with him. I asked him
the biggest difference the top two tight ends in the draft,
(09:44):
Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren. What makes them different?
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Yeah, I think honestly, for a lot of teams, those
guys could be one A or one B on their board.
I think it's really gonna be interesting to see which
one comes off the board first and why. I think
when you look at a guy like Tyler Warren, obviously
you're getting the guy that brings a little more, a
little more power, a little more toughness to the game.
I think he's a little bit better as a blocker.
I think you can you can line him up in
line closer to the line of scrimmage and probably get
(10:08):
a little more out of him in the run game,
and and that kind of helps you with your formations
and not given too many things away. I think as
a pass catcher, he's really really good. Again, big physical,
tough guy that can that can match up well. He's
too big for most dbs and too too athletic for
most linebackers. And I think when you compare him to Loveland,
Loveland doesn't quite have the same you know, sickness and
(10:31):
power and strength that he does. But I do think
he gives you a little bit more as a separator
in the passing game. I think he's a little more explosive,
can give you a little more you know, matchup potential,
just as a pass catcher a little a little bit
longer if a catch radius maybe, and just really savvy
after the kids, really smooth mover where he can kind
of run away from guys, and I think Warren's more
(10:53):
more interested in running through guys. So again, it's it's
really just a style issue. Different teams are going to
have him prioritize for different res. But both of those
guys you like top fifteen locks.
Speaker 3 (11:03):
To me, that's Luke easterling with us longtime NFL draft
analysts now with Athlon sports and going with with what
Jeffrey was saying. Luke, I mean, nearly seventy percent of
all the mock drafts that I've seen dating back to
February have had the Colts picking a tight end in
the first round. You can understand why. However, there's a
good chance that one of the top two tight ends
(11:24):
will be off the board before fourteen overall for the Colts.
So a lot of different ways you can go with that,
But I want to start with, is there a tight
end in this draft worth trading up for?
Speaker 4 (11:34):
You know, I don't know, just because I feel like
both of those guys, if either one of them is
there at fourteen, I think the Colts should be thrilled.
And I think that the issue would become if you
think they're both going to be gone, and I think
that would be a different conversation where, you know, I
think in my mock draft, I've had Tyler Warren go
in as early as five to the Jaguars, which obviously
they wouldn't be thrilled to see him in the division elsewhere,
(11:55):
but right, you know, if he goes that early and
you're looking at teams like the Jets at seven than
the Saints at nine, there's a couple of the teams
there that I mean, maybe even Chicago at ten. I
don't know. You know, like if both of those guys
would be gone, maybe you have that conversation. But honestly,
if that ends up happening, I love both of those
tight ends. But the rest of this tight end class
is really really good as well. I mean, you've got
(12:17):
guys that I think will be available on day two.
Elijah Royo from Miami. You got Mason Taylor from LSU,
Terrence Ferguson from Oregon, Harold Vann and Junior from Bowling Green.
I mean, there's so many guys in this tight end
class that I think if you do miss out on
those top two guys, it is disappointing. But there's gonna
be some great options there on day two and it
wouldn't be the end of the world.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
Luke Easterling right there from Athlon Sports following on Twitter
x at Luke Easterling also at athlon Sports. He's got
a great four round projection, a mock draft up there
right now, so check that out. Matt and I always
talk about best player available, Luke. Obviously the fan base
and a lot of people are saying, hey, tight end,
tight end, tight end for the Colts, but the best
(12:57):
available player at that pick at fourteen, even if the
tight ends are on the board, could you see Chris
Ballard selecting someone that plays the edge or plays offensive tackle?
And what sort of temperature do you feel about the
players there at fourteen that can't miss if they're an
edge or an offensive tackle.
Speaker 4 (13:14):
Yeah, I don't really. I mean, especially if one of
those tight ends are on the board. I can't imagine
a player at those positions that I would take over
those guys. And part of it is part of it
is because the depth that those positions is also really
really good. I think the difference between the player that
the Colts would probably get at fourteen if they go
offensive line, if they go edge, even a couple other positions,
(13:36):
the difference between who they could get there and who
they could get on Day two, especially in the second round,
I really don't think there's a massive gap there. And again,
I've been doing four round mock drafts for over a
month now, so I'm routeatemly getting into those middle and
later rounds where I'm seeing the patterns, I'm seeing what's
available and how the board falls. And obviously the real
draft will be different to a degree because I'm pretending
(13:57):
to be thirty two different gms, and in real life
it'll be already two different boards competing against one another,
and there's always some surprises when that happens. But I'm
just confident that the depth, particularly at edge but also
along the offensive line, and just there's nobody that jumps
out to me that says, man, this this player is
so good and it's so much better than what you'll
get on Day two at these positions that if one
(14:19):
of those tight ends is there that it would be
that it would behove Chris Ballard to go in that
direction purely from a value standpoint. I think value and
need would match up at tight end if one of
those top two guys is there, Hey.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
No question here, just a statement, well done on the
four round mock draft. That's it. That's the point. I
don't want fifth, I don't want sixth, I don't want seventh.
We're in a guessing game up to that point. I
love that you guys stick with the fourth round loop.
Speaker 4 (14:43):
I appreciate it.
Speaker 1 (14:43):
Man.
Speaker 4 (14:44):
I do get a couple of questions every year, like, hey,
when's the seventh rounder coming? And man, I've been doing
this a long time. There's been a lot of trial
and error, and I did come to the realization three
or four years ago that, like, man, that's just that at.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Four is the sweet bless you, Yes, bless you.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
It's deep enough, it's great enough, it goes beyond most people.
You know, just do the first round right. Two gives
you a lot of you know, a lot of a
lot to chew on. But man, once you get to five, six,
and seven, Uh, it's it's the return on the investment
in terms of the time, no doubt, and do it well,
which I refuse to do anything if I can't do
it to a high level. Four is definitely the sweet spot.
(15:18):
I'm gonna I'm gonna stay there.
Speaker 3 (15:20):
Yeah, less is more, right there, Luke Easterling, whether it's
NFL draft analysts from Athlon sports all right outside of
the Colts s Luke, what's gonna happen with the Titans
at one?
Speaker 5 (15:29):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (15:29):
What happens with the Giants at three? I mean, are
both teams going quarterback and the first and third picks respectively? Uh? Specifically?
Really curious, Luke about the Giants just because of the
Russell Wilson component now in free agency.
Speaker 4 (15:42):
Yeah, well, I think they were really smart to go
in and bring in not just Russ but Jameis Winston
to really if they had to ride into Week one
with that quarterback room, I think now they can say, Okay,
it's it's it's it's we're able to put a winning
product on the field, a competitive product on the field
with these guys because they've produced and they have experience.
(16:03):
And so when when the Giants look at the board
and they say, hey, we're pretty sure cam Ward's going one,
as am I I'm pretty sure that's the way things
are going to go. Then you look at at two
and say, well, if it you know, if it's Travis
Hunter there, or if you know, if they really liked
cam Ward and if if he would have been the pick,
if they would have gotten their hands on that quarterback,
but they don't feel the same way about Shud or
(16:23):
Sanders or anybody else in that quarterback class, then you
have to be comfortable with Okay, you know, do we
stay at three and are we are we happy with
Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter if he falls to us,
or if we can't get Ward, do we try to
trade out. I had a mock draft last week where
I had the Bears trading up to three to get Carter,
Because if you're the Giants, then you're saying, hey, the
(16:44):
one thing we may we maybe don't need as a
pass rusher, We've got came On Tibodau, We've got Brian Burns,
we need just about everything else outside of Malik Neighbors maybe,
and so moving down and getting some extra picks, getting
some better value and still maybe being able to get
a quarterback. You know, whether it's do or say one
of those those second tier guys Jaln Milro, Jackson, Dart, Tyler, Schuck.
(17:05):
You know, I think that could be the way they go,
but I do expect it to be cambred at one
to the Titans. Feels like Travis Hunter is kind of
pulling away for the Browns at number two. But man,
the next quarterback off the board is going to be
a fantastic and a and a very intriguing discussion.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
All Right, Luke, which which player in this draft are
you championing the most? Right? Get up and stand on
the table. Somebody that you know can play make a
difference on Sundays, but just isn't getting the love in
the pre draft process.
Speaker 4 (17:34):
Yeah, there's so many guys that I launched the podcast
a couple of months ago called best Podcasts Available, And
one of one of my segments every week is stand
on the Table. That's literally what it's called, where I
pick a guy that I love and I just try
to pitch him. But the guy that since the beginning
of the process I feel like I've just been standing
on the mountain for is Jalen Royals. He's a wide
receiver at a Utah State. Uh and again he just
(17:56):
he does everything at such a high level. Six foot legit,
two hundred pounds, a four to four eight at the combine.
Even though he's still recovering from a foot injury that
cost him basically the second half of last season. But
he got hurt in October, he still almost had a
thousand yards. He put two hundred up on Boise State
the last four games before he got hurt. It was
like one twenty one fifty, one fifty, you know, two
(18:18):
hundred and So he can play outside on the boundary,
he can play inside in the slot. Again, he's a
he's a physically, you know, really really power packed frame.
So he's not small, he's not frail. He can win
on the outside. He can beat press coverage, he can
win contested catches, he can win after the catch. He's explosive,
great route runner. I mean, there's really no hole, there's
no glaring flaw in his game. And so when you
(18:40):
look at this receiver class, you know, anytime on Day two,
I'm gonna be really thrilled if I get him in
my building because I just think there's there everything that
you need a receiver to do. He can plug in
and do no matter what the scheme is whether you
need him outside or in the slot. I feel like
he's a guy that wherever he gets drafted, people are
going to look back and say, man, how did he
last that long?
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Check this man out, looky easterlinge you can write him.
You can write this man if you want to. Luke
Don Easterling at athlon sports dot com. Go to athlon
sports dot com find out the latest with the upcoming draft,
and obviously at Luke Easterling on Twitter x as well.
Great job on getting us ready for the draft year
in and year out. Let's go a little present day football.
(19:19):
There's a quarterback competition in Indianapolis, Luke, and if you
could check your notes of these two quarterbacks coming out
of college, what you liked about Anthony Richardson, what you
liked about Daniel Jones, and ultimately, who do you think
will win this competition? And what does this Colts offense
look like?
Speaker 4 (19:35):
Yeah, it's gonna be really interesting. I think Daniel Jones
as a prospect I wasn't as high on just because
I think the consistency in college wasn't there. And I
think his biggest you know, plus was coming out of
David Culletcliff's offense, and you were thinking that pro you know,
more pro ready coming out of that offense, and he
just hasn't been able to figure it out in his
NFL career so far. You think that, you know, there's
(19:56):
there's some art talent there, there's obviously the athleticism to
make plays as runner, but just needs to improve, you know,
decision making accuracy. You could argue that he hasn't really
had much of a supporting cast to figure that out either,
So that that kind of the other side of that coin.
And with Anthony Richardson, a lot of those same things apply,
but I feel like the ceiling is so much higher
(20:17):
for Anthony in terms of the physical tools obviously the
arm straight the athleticism. I mean, you can make an
argument that he's the greatest athlete we've ever had at
the quarterback position if you go back to what he
did as a combine. And he's a guy who barely
had double digit starts under his belt since high school
before he came to the NFL. And so, you know,
I think he's a guy that just, you know, does
(20:37):
he benefit from a situation like we saw with Bryce
Young last year, where you know, the Panthers kind of
took him out of the spotlight for a few weeks,
let him catch his breath, you know, made sure that
they could stabilize his confidence for a little while. And
then they put him back in and he was a
completely different quarterback. And so maybe maybe Daniel Jones comes
in and because he's got more starting experience, maybe he's
your week one guy coming out of training camp, and
(20:59):
you can you can put Richardson in a situation where
the pressure is alleviated, at least in the short term
for a little bit. He can get more practice reps
without worrying about having to go out and have the
world on his shoulders every Sunday, and maybe eventually he
gets to the point where you can hand it back
to him again. The tools and the ceiling and obviously
the young man, I think I think a lot of
him as a person. I think anybody in that locker
(21:21):
room would attest to that that he's he's he's a
guy who is going to work hard and he's gonna
do the same the little things well, and I think
once he gets acclimated again, you know, conditioning, I know
is an issue late in games last year, and once
he learns to take care of his body on the
run too, you know, I mean he's you know, that's
something that I think smaller mobile quarterbacks know they need
to get down. Guys like him, I think are used
(21:42):
to just being able to physically dominate to a point
where now that you're at the highest level, you realize, hey,
I maybe six five, two hundred and forty plus pounds,
but I still need to get out of bounds too,
you know, I still need to get down to These
guys are are a different level even from the SEC
And so I think all those things, I still have
belief and I still have a ton of hope that
Anthony Richardson can hit that high ceiling. Uh and Daniel
(22:03):
Jones again just comes in to help stabilize the floor
of that position and maybe give him a little time
and breathing room to do hopefully what we saw from
Bryce Young last year and see a big lead down
the stretch here.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
Great stuff as usual, Luke Easterling, It's easy go to
athlon sports dot com, follow this man on Twitter x
at Luke Easterling or at athlon Sports. Appreciate you taking
the time and talking to us and sharing your notes
with us.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
Hey, my pleasure. Guys enjoined the rest of the process
and good luck this season.
Speaker 2 (22:29):
He's a busy man. Plus, he puts his email out
there for anybody that doesn't agree or disagrees with our
I'm gonna start doing that.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
You don't have No, you don't. I'm gonna start.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Doing that because every Friday I'll just read them live
on the air, like attacking me and my family.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
What show did that? Was that Jimmy Kimmel that did
the the mean tweets and the celebrities.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Oh that we should do that, mate, stake off.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
Jeffrey Garman is what.
Speaker 2 (22:54):
Hey big Banks again? Oh kidd boy, I'll get raked
over the Colls. Hey the Coltchsif team up with Anthel,
Blue Cross and Blue Shield, they're going to recognize school teachers, administrators,
nurses and staff members who go above and beyond. You know,
a classroom quarterback. Nominate them today at colts dot com
slash classroom Quarterbacks. In this high school girls flag football
all over the state of Indiana. This thing is Roland.
(23:17):
The Colts commitment to the growth of high school girls
flag football. It's continuing. They're showing it every day. This
team's goal is to launch one hundred high school girls
flag football teams by the fall of twenty twenty five,
and the Colts are providing up to ten grand in
resources for the first hundred schools that join. We need
your help, though, get your local high school and communities involved.
Visit Colts dot com slash Girls Flag to learn more.
(23:40):
Will we come back, mate, and I are going to
give you the Forum Credit Union question of the Week
regarding Travis Hunter's burning desire to play both ways in
the NFL offense and defense? Can he do it? And
if he can't, would he quit? Like he says? I
don't want so. Hey, we got a two way player
in the studio as well. His name is Casey Value.
Showcase Coming Back The Last Word nine seven five The Fan.
Speaker 1 (24:04):
We now return to the off season home of the
Colts Belt Last Word with Jeffrey Gorman and Matt Taylor
from the Indiana Union Construction Industry Radio Studio.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
And James Brown. You guys see these shoulders ever moving
like this?
Speaker 4 (24:18):
No?
Speaker 3 (24:18):
I see you guys over there? Ye biting that bottom lift.
Speaker 4 (24:23):
Man.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Thank you, mister Brown. Welcome back to the Last Word.
We have brought to you by our friends at Meyer,
the official supercenter of your Indianapolis Colts, proud sponsor of
hundreds of local sports teams across the Midwest. Time now
for James Brown's Forum Credit Union question of the Week.
What song did James open up with when he opened
his fifty No, I don't have any James Brown trivia
(24:47):
hear from Forum Credit Union, But we do have a
two way player. We're going to talk about Travis Hunter
coming up in the NFL Draft. Yes, sir, he wants
to play both ways in the NFL. Guys, Forum Credit
Union Question of the week, Who is the last player
to play both ways on a full time basis? Because
we could say Troy Brown, we could say, we could
say Deon Sanders. I mean, these guys played both ways.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
Two sports, but not both ways.
Speaker 2 (25:11):
Are you sure they never lined him up on the
outside as a wide receiver.
Speaker 3 (25:14):
Well, the answer the question is full time, right, That's
what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
I mean, there's been guys that have done both, but
I'm talking about full time.
Speaker 3 (25:20):
So I go back to the thirties, you have to go.
Speaker 2 (25:23):
I'm the fifties. I mean we're close. I mean, you
guys would know the name.
Speaker 5 (25:26):
But I'm thinking there's a handful of Like when you
look back at statistics, there's a lot of guys that
played quarterback and punted.
Speaker 3 (25:33):
It's got to be offense and defensive defense.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
I couldn't take center and linebacker for the Eagles in
the fifties. The great Chuck bed Nerrick. Wow, great NFL name,
Chuck Bednarik got an award.
Speaker 3 (25:45):
That you know out in college football, one of the
best players.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Let's stay there though. Travis Hunter said, I'm not gonna play.
I'm not gonna show up if you guys aren't playing
me both ways. You buying this?
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Yeah, no, I'm not buying that.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
I mean serious.
Speaker 3 (25:57):
Yeah. I played both ways in high school at times,
and you know I still wanted to play once they
told me in college, Hey, you got to pick one. Listen.
I know he's incredibly special, he's he's electric, but he's
not special in the sense that someone could potentially come
up to him and tell him that he has to
play either offense or defense. Because every single player in
the NFL has had that conversation, you know, told to
(26:19):
them where does he play? Where do you got him?
I would play him at wide receiver.
Speaker 2 (26:23):
Okay, showcase. I would go corner, you will. I would
go corner because I think the money's there, right, the
money's there.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
I think the receivers get paid paid. I didn't watch
every Colorado games, but the games that I did watch,
he was he was special on offense. That's what my
thought is.
Speaker 5 (26:39):
You play him at corner, you have a couple gadget
plays for him on offense and have him as your returner,
and it kind of I don't know if he can
play full time at.
Speaker 3 (26:46):
Receiver and corner, because you got to have.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
A little bit says he can, But I mean this,
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
We'll see.
Speaker 2 (26:51):
This league's different. This is in a Colorado anymore. This league.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Travis Hunter played eighty six percent of Colorado's overall snaps
last year, by far, the highest in all of college football. Right,
that's not a surprise. But the highest rates or highest
percentage in the NFL last year by any player was
Dane Jackson of the Carolina Panthers cornerback. He played forty
(27:15):
eight percent of his team's total snap so literally half
of what Travis Hunter is attempting.
Speaker 2 (27:22):
Okay, we're gonna find out if this kid's special, that's
for sure. Hey, appreciate you guys dropping by listening into
the last word. We do it every Friday and nights
to form. Credit Union can interact with other fans if
you want to go online, post a topic and participate
in various discussion regarding your cult forum. Credit Union helping
members live their financial dreams. Boys, got a hint for you.
You got youngins at home. It's Easter weekend. You got
(27:44):
egg hunts coming. Don't hard boil the.
Speaker 3 (27:46):
Eggs already over, don't Why yeah the wife did it.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
No, don't hard boil them. You got a mess there
and it's in the hair. It's throwing them at dad.
Speaker 3 (27:55):
We have glitter in the kitchen everywhere.
Speaker 2 (27:57):
No got to heart boil them.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Huh yeah, yeah, all right, part of the tradition.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
One of you bums better throw a hondo.
Speaker 3 (28:02):
In one of those for your kids.
Speaker 2 (28:03):
For Casey Valier, Matt Taylor, I'm Jeffrey Gorman.
Speaker 3 (28:06):
This is the last word TAPO on this dollar.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Have a great weekend coming up next to ESPN R
Speaker 3 (28:27):
Stand Man, Damn
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