In this series, we’ll look at 3 draft prospects who would be great fits for the Colts in any round.
We’re back for another season of the “3 prospects to watch for” series. This season, every position will be evaluated as the Colts can justify using a high draft pick on pretty much any spot on the team. Here are the three candidates for this week’s FINAL series:
Armand Membou — Offensive Tackle — Missouri
The first thing that stands out to you is his incredible athleticism and size (over 330 pounds). From there, what I like about Membou are his quick feet, which are perfectly suited for a zone based system. After that, if he gets his hands on you, you’re moving where he moves you. He doesn’t necessarily have the best hand placement, but his sheer power moves people. A good offensive line coach who can clean up his placement will only make Membou an even more dominant offensive tackle. What I also like about Membou is the way he reacts to the defensive ends. A lot of offensive tackles play like robots and if they’re constantly quick on kick slides they can beat with inside moves and vice versa for outside moves; Membou reads the ends well and can stop his momentum and kill an inside move if needed or he can jump out of his stance quickly and beat a quick edge to the corner. Membou is one of the rare players with great athleticism, strength, good enough technique and a sharp mind that should make him an instant impact player. If he falls to the Colts at 13, they should look strongly into him.
The Colts are likely in the market for a right tackle with Braden Smith’s time with the Colts likely coming to an end at the conclusion of next season. While I believe Membou will be best served in the NFL as a right tackle, he possesses the traits to play inside for the short-term, especially if the Colts intend to keep Braden Smith at right tackle.
Carson Schwesinger — Linebacker — UCLA
Schwesinger is one of the most underrated prospects in this entire class and gets a first round grade from me. His feel for the game is fantastic and his blitzing skills are remarkable. He finds ways of sneaking through the cracks and not only getting through the line, but getting through without losing any speed or momentum. His ability to read and hit the right angles will make him a quality starter in the NFL; his other traits (blitzing, instincts) should make him a Pro Bowl level player. He will be a good MIKE linebacker for any team and while his coverage skills are average at best, he likely won’t hurt teams in this regard. I wish he had a bit more experience under his belt, so I question how quickly he can adjust to the NFL game, but when he does, he should be a dominant linebacker.
If Schwesinger is there with their 2nd round pick, the pick should be sent to the league at the speed of light. He’s good enough to merit a trade up to the late 1st round or early 2nd round, and hopefully with a fire under Ballard, he could be more aggressive and make moves like that this year.
Quinn Ewers — Quarterback — Texas
The Colts are clearly enamoured with Ewers, visiting with him several times this draft season. Ewers has been a starter for the better part of 3 seasons, so he is not short on experience. He is well built for a quarterback and has good athleticism. Another quality trait he possesses is that he was 27-9 as a starter at Texas. So he’s experienced, wins, well built and athletic, which are very positive signs right off the bat.
Ewers plays his best football in rhythm, which means that he likes quick hitters and his first reads being open. When that happens, the ball is delivered on time and on the money. When his first read is taken away, he gets happy feet and looks to run or force something, but not usually in an egregious way. However, his interception rate nearly doubling from 2023 to 2024 is some cause for concern as usually college quarterbacks’ interception rate decrease as they get older and especially when the team is strong and the offensive system is the same as the previous year.
Ewers’ balls tend to float at times and die towards the end. I don’t think he has a weak arm necessarily, but I don’t find he steps into his throws well enough, which is a weight transfer issue. His mechanics remind me of Johnny Manziel’s (stands tall, weight transfer issues, similar throwing motion), which isn’t necessarily a great thing.
While he’s demonstrated the ability to make big throws under pressure, he can also get happy feet which disrupts the flow and timing of a lot of plays. Luckily for Ewers, he possesses the backyard football ability to scramble and make great plays outside the pocket, which has become a big part of the NFL, so he will be adequate in this area.
Ewers should be available on Day 3 and if he’s not then the Colts aren’t missing out on much. Ewers isn’t anything special and will likely be a reliable backup for his career. The arm talent, mechanics and reading/progression skills just aren’t up to par for the NFL and I simply don’t see a player who can progress into a legitimate NFL starter.
Links to previous weeks:
