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April 24, 2010

Colts pleased with their 2010 draft

By Tom James Tribune-Star Correspondent

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts added three more defensive players — including Indiana University cornerback/return specialist Ray Fisher — over the final four rounds of the National Football League draft Saturday.

In an effort to help bolster an inconsistent running attack, the Colts also selected a mammoth offensive guard and a blocking tight end who could also line up as an H-Back if needed.

In all, the Colts drafted eight players over three days. Indianapolis is also expected to add approximately 10-12 undrafted free agents over the next couple of days.

Among those selected, in addition to IU’s Fisher, were Tennessee offensive guard Jacques McClendon, Okahoma tight end Brody Eldridge, Cincinnati defensive end Ricardo Mathews, and Clemson outside linebacker Kavell Conner.

“We’re real happy with the draft. Everybody’s happy [after the draft] obviously. And we think we’ve got a really good class of collegiate free agents coming in. We’ll announce those later in the week. But, all-in-all, very happy with the way things went,” team president Bill Polian said Saturday evening.

“Our scouting staff did a great job. We did a phenomenal job getting the collegiate free agents lined up. This is the earliest we’ve had them done probably in 10 years. And, as you know, we always do well in that area. We think we’ve got some [free agents] that have a chance to come in and make the team and be good players.”

Coach Jim Caldwell likes the group of draft picks.

“We certainly are pleased with the young men that we have coming into our franchise. Without question, we think we’ve strengthened our team. Added some skills and some athleticism. But then also some depth at a number of different areas. It’s been a great three days,” Caldwell said.

Reviewing the Indianapolis Colts’ 2010 draft:

• Best pick — Defensive end Jerry Hughes: The Colts’ first-round draft pick gives the defense something that they haven’t had — a third speed rusher off the edge who can rotate with starting defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.

• Keep an eye on — Cornerback/kick returner Ray Fisher: Indianapolis has been looking for a a genuine kickoff and punt return specialist for the past couple of seasons. Fisher has a chance to take over both jobs while also getting work on defense and as a gunner on special teams.

Thursday’s pick:

• Round 1 (31st overall) — Jerry Hughes, DE, 6-1, 255, Texas Christian. Expected to make an immediate contribution as the Colts’ third edge pass rusher behind starters Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Will see playing time both at hand-on-the-ground defensive end and as a standup defensive end as well as on special teams.

Friday’s picks:

• Round 2 (63rd overall) — Pat Angerer, LB, 6-1, 235, Iowa. A middle linebacker who is considered to be a clone of Colts’ starter Gary Brackett. Tough, hard-nosed linebacker who possesses good sideline-to-sideline range. Will get work on special teams to start out.

• Round 3 (94th overall) — Kevin Thomas, CB, 6-0, 192, Southern California. Has been favorably compared to Colts second-year CB Jacob Lacey by team president Bill Polian. Could be used as a nickel corner as well as on special teams.

Saturday’s picks:

Round 4/129 — Jacques McClendon, OG, 6-2, 308, Tennessee. Strong run-blocking offensive lineman. Set the University of Tennessee school record by bench-pressing 645 pounds as a junior in 2008. Could end up playing either offensive guard spot. Has been selected to the Southeastern Conference all-academic team for the past three seasons. Will graduate with a master’s degree in communications this spring.

Polian says: “He’s a converted defensive lineman, so he’s got a tough physical disposition. Very smart, Can run. Had a nice year [in 2009]. Played very well against [national champion] Alabama. Held his own against [defensive tackle Brian] Price of UCLA. We feel like he’s in the mold of the same kind of players that we’ve drafted in fourth round before that have come in here and performed well on the offensive line. We’re happy to have him.”

Round 5/162 — Brody Eldridge, TE, 6-5, 261, Oklahoma. Former Sooner who could provide help as a “point-of-attack” blocker. Doesn’t have a lot of experience as a pass receiver but excels with his skills to run and pass block.

Polian says: “A two-year team captain. He is the blocking tight [for the Sooners]. Jermaine Gresham was the receiving tight end. [Eldridge] played quite a bit this year when Gresham was hurt. He also played some [offensive] guard. And he’s an outstanding, tenacious blocker. He’s physical, tough and can move you. He runs a 4.73 [40-yard dash], which isn’t bad by tight end standards. He doesn’t have a lot of experience in the passing part of the game. But that’s not what we were overly interested in at that point. We were looking for someone who could improve the blocking at the point of attack in short yardage and goal line along with our basic double tight end packages. We were quite satisfied that he can do that. We’re anxious to have him.”

Round 7/238 — Ricardo Mathews, DE, 6-1, 289, Cincinnati. Can play both defensive end and defensive tackle. Should be able to rotate inside-out as part of the Colts’ defensive line rotation. Could also see playing time on special teams.

Polian says: “He’s a power defensive end who can also move inside and rush in the four front. He’s a real physical, hard-nosed and tough football player. We liked everything about him in that role. We think that with some of the things that we’re going to do on defense this year, we have a specialized role for him. So we felt really good about [selecting him].”

Round 7/240 — Kavell Conner, LB, 6-1, 242, Clemson. Undersized outside linebacker who figures to be used first on special teams. Should be able to provide additional depth at weak side linebacker, where he started 27 games in college.

Polian sez: “Very smart, very tuned-in. A fly around, run and hit guy. Just typical of the type of linebackers that we’ve had here. Very similar to Clint Session.”

Round 7/246 — Ray Fisher, CB, 5-10, 211, Indiana. The first IU player drafted by the Colts since 1976 (placekicker Frank Stavroff in the 12th round). Is expected to be used as a kickoff and punt returner. Can also be used as a gunner on coverage units. Was originally recruited to Indiana as a wide receiver.

Polian sez: “He’s well known to everyone. He’s a kick and punt returner, as well as a very good corner. And played obviously at a high level of competition and had a lot of success in the return game. We felt like he was a dual-purpose guy and a guy that could very likely make our team and contribute in a lot of ways, [such] as a gunner on special teams and things of that nature in addition to the return game.”

Rookie camp set — The Colts will have a three-day mini-camp for the team’s rookies beginning on Friday at the West 56th Street complex in Indianapolis. All workouts will be closed to be public.

Indianapolis’ eight draft picks and undrafted free agents will go through the same drills and meetings that the veterans normally do during the spring organized team activity practices.

“We’ll get the young guys in this coming weekend. Actually, they’ll start to arrive on Thursday. We’ll have our rookie mini-camp on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We’ll try to get them acclimated and headed in the right direction,” Caldwell said.

“It gives us a chance to really get the information [to the rookies] that they need to get a good start. It’s them alone. They’re not necessarily having to compete at this particular point in time with veterans for time with the coaches in terms of the teaching. It gives them some real needed attention in terms of the details that are involved. We can go slower with them than we ordinarily would with a group of veterans when they’re in. Our coaches get a chance to really work with them and immerse them in our culture here and get them off to a good start. It’s more of an informational session for them than anything else.”

Indiana, MVC players selected — Among the players with Indiana connection drafted on Saturday were Iowa linebacker A.J. Edds (Greenwood High School) by Miami in the fourth round as well as a pair of Notre Dame offensive linemen, offensive tackle Sam Young (6th round, Dallas) and center Eric Olsen (6th round, Denver).

In addition to Fisher being taken by the Colts Saturday and offensive tackle Rodger Saffold going to the St. Louis Rams on Friday, IU defensive end Jammie Kirlew was selected in the seventh round (232nd pick overall) by the Broncos.

Illinois tight end Michael Hoomanawanui, meanwhile, was a fifth-round pick by the St. Louis Rams.

Missouri Valley Conference selections included Missouri State tight end Clay Harbor (4th round, Philadelphia), Southern Illinois running back Deji Karim (6th round, Jacksonville) and South Dakota State defensive end Danny Batten (6th round, Buffalo).

Eastern Illinois offensive guard Otis Hudson went to Cincinnati in the fifth round.

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Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Winner: Northview pitcher T.J. Decker rejoices as his team records the last out in their semi-final win. The Knights defeated Terre Haute North in the first game Monday at Plainfield.

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SPT052612NvBB decker.jpg

Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis Winner: Northview pitcher T.J. Decker rejoices as his team records the last out in their semi-final win. The Knights defeated Terre Haute North in the first game Monday at Plainfield.

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