He’s back…
The 2020 NFL Draft is days away. Experts are assembling their final mock drafts and handing out last minute grades and analysis on the league’s future stars.
One of those experts is Colts insider Rick Venturi, who joined The Ride With JMV to give his full 2020 NFL Draft breakdown. When Rick Venturi speaks, we listen.
On Rivers and how the team can help him:
“He’s a comfort zone guy for [the Colts]. He’s gonna know the offense from Day 1…I think his abrasive leadership may be just what the doctor ordered. I think it’ll help. He’s real smart. He’s gonna make the right decisions. But you’re gonna have to protect him…We gotta clean up on our blitz pickup, which wasn’t very good. We were good individually, but blitz pickup wasn’t. And then you’ve gotta get receivers to separate.”
Should the Colts be interested in free agent TE Trey Burton?
“Burton caught 55 or 56 passes in ’18. He came over from Philadelphia. He played for Frank [Reich] on that Super Bowl team. He was a very, very good hybrid. He is an Ebron-type guy. He’s very much of an athlete. He’s not a stone tight end like a Doyle or an Alie-Cox. He is kind of what we need to get, and the tight end position is a bit of a dumpster fire this year in the draft…I think the difference [between] #1 and #10 is minimal.”
Tight ends that caught Venturi’s eye in the build-up to the draft: Hunter Bryant (Washington) and Brycen Hopkins (Purdue)
Now to Friday’s money question. What receivers are still in play at #34 overall?
Jalen Reagor (TCU): “He is a terrific playmaker. He’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he’s got a phenomenal vertical jump. Can play outside, inside, and return kicks.”
Denzel Mims (Baylor): “If it were my choice, and he was there at 34, I would take Denzel Mims out of Baylor and never look back. I would take that 4.38 (40-yard dash), 6’5”, big catch radius. He is gonna get on top of people. You’re gonna be worried about him from Day 1.”
“I know [the Colts] probably won’t [pick Mims] because they don’t treasure speed like I do – they bring Funchess in who runs a 4.6 – but the problem that we’ve had is we continue to bring those guys in there and then we wonder why we don’t separate.”
Some guys that “are really good players, but are right on the edge speed-wise”: Brandon Aiyuk (Arizona State), Laviska Shenault (Colorado), Michael Pittman (USC), and Tee Higgins (Clemson).
Quarterbacks that most intrigue Venturi? Jordan Love (Utah State), Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama), and Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma)
Developmental QB’s that are worth a late-round pick: James Morgan (FIU), Anthony Gordon (Washington State), and Josh Love (San Jose State)
What direction does Venturi think the Colts should go with their first three picks?
“I just believe, that in those top three picks, you’ve gotta come out of there with at least one receiver, and possibly two receivers. And then after that, I would probably be looking possibly at a corner…or offensive lineman.”
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