Indianapolis Colts: 7-Round 2019 mock draft two weeks out
Round 2, Pick 34: Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware
The Colts drafted Malik Hooker a couple of years ago to be their deep safety, and he’s one of the best in the NFL at that job. However, they need a dynamic playmaker next to him to play that in the box role. Nasir Adderley can do that, but he can also play coverage against the elite pass-catching tight ends that the NFL has. He was viewed as a possible first-round pick earlier in the pre-draft process. He could still do that, but he wasn’t in this mock draft.
Adderley played at a smaller school, but that hasn’t stopped him from being considered one of the top safeties in this class. He does a great job of reading plays and playing downhill, and, after watching how well that pairing of safeties worked for the Chicago Bears last year, it makes all the more sense to grab Adderley early in the second round.
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Round 2, Pick 59: Julian Love, CB, Notre Dame
Julian Love only had five interceptions during his time at Notre Dame. However, he more than made up for that with his ability to get in between the ball and the man that he’s guarding. He totaled 36 pass breakups over the last two seasons, and he’s a nuisance for whoever he has the task of stopping on a weekly basis. Love’s major reason for fitting with the Colts is the fact that he creates competition at a spot where players have to be getting better all times.
The Colts have an uninspiring group of raw talent at the cornerback position, but they all played well last season. Can they maintain that performance this year or get better? There’s no way to know. Adding Love to the mix would help protect them in case of regression this year and into the future at that spot.
Round 3, Pick 89: Blake Cashman, LB, Minnesota
Is linebacker this team’s biggest need? No. Am I going to disregard that when a guy like Blake Cashman falls all the way to 89th overall in the draft? Absolutely. Cashman was a four-year player in college, which included starting for three seasons. He pairs up with Leonard in the middle to give them two great athletes at the linebacker spot that can play sideline to sideline.
Cashman plays well when he’s moving downhill as he turned in 15 tackles for loss during his final college season. He does have to work on his tackling somewhat, but the Maniac will be able to help with that issue. One of his major strengths is in coverage. He moves really well in space, and he can cover running backs out of the backfield while second-round pick Adderley is running with tight ends.