Off Topic » Ryan Grant Jersey Stitched

With the 2018 season wrapped up Kenny Moore Jersey Stitched , it is time to take another look back at an incredible draft class. We did this exercise at the midpoint of the season, which you can find here. It is important to note that one season is not enough to adequately judge a draft. Some players take time to develop, while others never really take a step forward. It will take a couple years before we truly know how good this class is, but for now, we’ll look back through the lens of the 2018 season. 1st round, 6th overall: Quenton Nelson, G, Notre DamePhoto by Tim Warner/Getty ImagesDuring a time like the draft, everyone is full of hope and possibility. The term “generational talent” gets bandied about far too easily, and players are set up against colossal standards that most simply cannot live up to during their rookie seasons, if ever. Then there is Quenton Nelson. Nelson did some incredible things as a rookie. In his first year in the league, he was named Rookie of the Month for October, the first time the award was ever given to a guard. He was a key part of the offensive line’s turnaround which saw it yield the fewest sacks in football. Additionally, he was named to the Pro Bowl as well as being named a First-Team All-Pro. That is exactly the kind of impact you want your first round pick to have, and it is a huge win for the Colts that they were able to trade back to get more picks and still acquire such an incredible talent. Grade: A2nd round, 36th overall: Darius Leonard, LB, South Carolina StatePhoto by Patrick Smith/Getty ImagesSpeaking of First-Team All-Pros, how about the rookie year Darius Leonard had? No matter how good you thought Darius Leonard could be, no one thought he would be this good this quickly. 163 tackles, 7 sacks, 8 passes defensed, 2 interceptions and 4 forced fumbles. That is not a rookie stat line. It is an unreasonable wish list for a defensive coordinator to have for one player. Yet that is exactly what Darius Leonard delivered this season. Despite coming out of South Carolina State, Leonard came on the scene and let everyone know how good he was early and often. Week after week he made big plays and proved himself to be both a leader on the defense and a playmaker when it mattered. It is a little bit terrifying to think how great this guy could be after a couple years to get used to the NFL and get comfortable in a defensive scheme. For Chris Ballard’s part, drafting two players who would be named First-Team All-Pros in their rookie season just about makes the draft a win regardless of how the rest of the class looks. Fortunately, though, we’re not done yet.Grade: A2nd round, 37th overall: Braden Smith, G, AuburnPhoto by Otto Greule Jr/Getty ImagesIf anyone has a right to be a bit rankled about all the glowing treatment of the two guys above, it is Braden Smith. All he did this season was switch from right guard to right tackle, and become one of the best right tackles in football as a rookie. While Nelson has deservedly gotten a ton of credit, Braden Smith has gone largely overlooked in terms of the accomplishments he has achieved this season. In Week 5 Youth Eric Ebron Jersey , Smith was named the starter at right tackle and played out the season there. From Week 6 to Week 11, the Colts did not allow a single sack of Andrew Luck, and Smith was tasked with dealing with guys like Calais Campbell and Jurrell Casey. While on the whole Smith’s season wasn’t as spectacular as Quenton Nelson’s, his ability to switch to a new position and establish himself not just as a starter, but as a top-quality starter, was truly impressive, and will be a big help for this Colts offensive line going forward.Grade: A2nd round, 52nd overall: Kemoko Turay, DE, RutgersPhoto by Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesKemoko Turay is at a major disadvantage in the grades, because he follows a really impressive trio of picks. Unfortunately, he did not perform as well as those three guys. Despite having an incredibly quick first step and the ability to get pressure on the quarterback, Turay finished the season with just 4 sacks and saw his playing time dwindle significantly on the back stretch of the season. This was in part, likely because he did not offer great run defense, and I remember seeing him get blown up by receivers and tight ends multiple times in plays. It also is likely based on statements made by DC Matt Eberflus, that Turay’s practice effort was limiting his playing time. Those are of course, not what you want to hear, but it is also something he can improve on next season. Turay undoubtedly has some serious gifts, and if he refocuses and hits 2019 hard, he could be a dangerous pass rusher. Grade: C+2nd round, 64th overall: Tyquan Lewis, DE, Ohio StatePhoto by Michael Hickey/Getty ImagesPart of what damaged Turay’s playing time was the return from IR of Tyquan Lewis. Lewis proved, upon his return, to be a more versatile playmaker, recording 2 sacks in his 8 games and providing solid production against the run as well. Unfortunately, Lewis gets dinged in his grade because we just didn’t get to see enough of him. Missing the first half of the season and then being out in both playoff games was a tough break, but until we’ve seen more of him, it is tough to grade him very effectively. Hopefully Lewis enters the 2019 season healthy and takes a step forward, because the Colts need a reliable pass rusher.Grade: B-4th round, 104th overall: Nyheim Hines, RB, NC StatePhoto by Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesMarlon Mack’s breakout year might have obscured another really impressive performance. Nyheim Hines had a really solid year and proved to be a valuable contributor for the offense. He is an aggressive runner despite his size Eric Ebron Jersey Stitched , and his route running and catching are better than some of the receivers on the roster. He certainly found heavy usage in the passing game as a rookie, pulling in 63 receptions, which was good for third on the team behind T.Y. Hilton and Eric Ebron. Look for the Colts to use Hines more and more creatively going forward as he gets more comfortable in their offense.Grade: B+5th round, 159th overall: Reece Fountain, WR, Northern IowaThomas J. Russo-USA TODAY SportsIf making the roster counts for anything, that’s about all Fountain gets in terms of credit for this season. Always noted as a project who had the physical ability but needed time to develop, Fountain spent most of 2018 on the practice squad before being raised to the active roster late in the season. Despite a talent-poor receiver group, Fountain couldn’t establish himself, and his lone target of note was a dropped touchdown in the end zone during garbage time against the Chiefs when the game was already out of hand. It is hard to see Fountain being more than a practice squad guy next season, with the Colts likely to invest heavily into the receiver position. Even here though, missing on an athletic freak in the mid rounds isn’t a bad move. Sometimes you get lucky and get an incredible talent.Grade: D-5th round, 169th overall: Jordan Wilkins, RB, Ole MissPhoto by Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesJordan Wilkins had an interesting season. He did not see a ton of heavy usage, but when he got the ball, he averaged 5.6 yards per carry. One of the most impressive things about Wilkins is that he almost never takes negative yards and managed to consistently make something out of nothing when getting the ball. He doesn’t offer the same upside that someone like Mack does, because he simply doesn’t have the explosiveness to get big chunk plays, but when he got good blocking, he still had the ability to make things happen. He was a solid addition as a rotational back.Grade: B-6th round, 185th overall: Deon Cain, WR, ClemsonIf we graded based on training camp, Cain looked like a future star. Unfortunately, that just isn’t enough to tell us much. Cain’s torn ACL stopped his season before it started and robbed us of the chance to see whether he was as good as he was looking when the games started. All we can do now is hope his playmaking and flash is back and legitimate when he hits the field next year.Grade: N/A7th round, 221st and 235th overall: Matthew Adams, LB, Houston and Zaire Franklin, LB, SyracuseDouglas DeFelice-USA TODAY SportsThe Colts drafted two linebackers in the 7th round, and got almost exactly what you want from your 7th round picks, valuable special teams contributions and players who can play rotational or backup roles. Early in the season, it was Franklin who seemed to have the edge on playing time Youth Ryan Grant Jersey , but by the end, it was Matthew Adams who had established himself as the starting SAM backer, although that position is one that is used relatively infrequently in this Colts defense. Adams proved to be a hard hitter and was on the receiving end of some truly awful calls which negated great plays on his part. He really came on as the season progressed, and made himself a valuable part of the defense when called upon. Franklin saw his role relegated largely to special teams, but came in as a rotational player at times. You can’t be too difficult on these guys, because as 7th rounders, the odds are stacked against them that they see a second contract. However, if they continue to be valuable special teamers and progress, they could buck that trend. Grade: BOverall DraftHitting bit in the draft is tough. If a team is able to add 3 solid starters in one draft, it is viewed as a big success. The Colts added 2 First-Team All- Pros. With the exception of Reece Fountain and Deon Cain, every player drafted has played a role on this team and gotten meaningful snaps. The reality is that this class has been a complete home run, and if no one else breaks out from it, it will still be one of the best drafts in franchise history. The exciting thing is that there is every possibility that we haven’t seen the best from several of these players, and we could have some of them turning it up a level next season. When you add possible development in to this class, and the potential of a player like Deon Cain or Tyquan Lewis, guys who were limited by injury, this could truly be an incredible draft class for Chris Ballard.Overall Grade: A INDIANAPOLIS — Andrew Luck spent three offseasons fighting his way back from injuries. Now he can reap the reward.After returning to the field, making it back to the playoffs, regaining his Pro Bowl form and collecting The Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award, a healthy Luck now intends to take a rare and well-deserved break from football.“I’ll be honest, I probably won’t throw for a while,” he said before cleaning out his locker. “There will be tweaks, there will be changes to what I do (this offseason), but all of it is geared to one, make me as happy as possible, and two, set me up to improve as a quarterback and improve as a person.”How Luck will spend his downtime is unclear.Peyton Manning broke the monotony with hunting trips. Brett Favre worked on his ranch. Tom Brady won a Super Bowl after changing last year’s offseason routine to spend more time with his family and less on football. They all learned throwing more balls doesn’t necessarily make a better quarterback.Matt Hasselbeck, a three-time Pro Bowler who backed up Favre and Luck during his 17-year career, became a believer. So after hearing a story about Manning meeting a former U.S. president one offseason, Hasselbeck accepted an offer from assistant coach Clyde Christensen to spend time with a Navy admiral.“He talked to us in our quarterback meeting one day about protecting the football because we’d had some issues and he used this analogy of what they tell Top Gun pilots,” Hasselbeck said. “It was basically that you have this great plane you get to fly and it does not belong to you. It belongs to the government, it belongs to the people. Clyde said we should take the admiral up on spending some time with him. So I did that one offseason.“That’s an example of something that’s not necessarily X’s and O’s, but it’s a form of leadership training or just working on you and if you’re working on you Ryan Grant Jersey Stitched , you’re improving everything about you.”It was a message Hasselbeck relayed to Luck after joining the Colts in 2013. But it was a hard sell to a young workout warrior with the pressure and expectations of a No. 1 draft pick.While Luck enjoyed vacationing in Europe, where he spent part of his childhood reading books, following soccer and riding bikes, the desire to improve drove him to work out.In time, Hasselbeck’s message sank in.“When we were first teammates, I told him there are going to be some years that are fun and they’re easy and you’re healthy the whole year,” said Hasselbeck, who now works for ESPN. “There’s going to be other years when it’s miserable and you’re dealing with something the whole year and you’re in the training room all the time. You’re there early and you’re there late and you’re in pain and you’re on drugs.“That conversation came up when I was talking about how long I wanted to play. This year we were talking and Andrew said, ‘I remember you saying it and it didn’t make sense then.’ He said now it totally makes sense.”Luck’s good year came with 16 starts for the first time since 2014, producing career highs in completions, attempts and completion percentage. He finished second to Patrick Mahomes in touchdown passes, helped the Colts end a three-year playoff drought and found a better balance between life and football.Still, taking a break won’t be easy.“I don’t think he’s really going to get away,” longtime left tackle Anthony Castonzo said. “I think it’s so cool he’s not going to have to recover from an injury or have to get healthy first. He’ll probably try to get away, but he’s like me — after a short time you’ve got to find a gym or somewhere to work out because otherwise you feel like garbage.”The difference is the 20-month gap between regular-season games following surgery on a partially torn labrum and three successive injury-plagued offseasons have changed Luck’s perspective.He never missed a chance to explain how much fun he had last season and acknowledged things felt different after a season-ending loss to Kansas City.“In past seasons, there has been a massive emotional letdown — like now I can try to be a good boyfriend or now I can try to do this and that,” he said. “But it doesn’t seem that way this year. One of my challenges for myself was to maybe not silo everything in my life so much, but be able to exist as a happy human throughout a season, not just after the season. So I don’t have this, I guess, desire to run away and hide for a couple weeks.”Instead, he threw for a week leading up to the Pro Bowl and attended the NFL’s honors banquet last week.Luck hasn’t said if he will work out again at Stanford, his alma mater, but acknowledged he’ll continue to work with Tom House, the former Major League Baseball pitcher who has helped him in the past. But the Colts remain convinced the best prescription for Luck is rest.“He’s got to be fired up right now to have a normal offseason,” coach Frank Reich said. “To get away and I know he’s Andrew — he’s still going to do his deal and be disciplined — but just relax. My encouragement to him would be, ‘You better do that, you better take advantage of it.'”97<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:2018-19 NBA cheerleadersJoe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports | Joe Camporeale