Ben Ijalana

The Colts trade up for Ben Ijalana, T/G out of Villanova, giving up a fifth round pick to the Washington Redskins to draft this guy.  Listening to Mike Mayock, who works for NFL Network, not that four letter network, convinced me on the Ijalana pick.  Mayock said usually Polian stays with bigger schools and big ten guys in the draft.  By drafting Ijalana, from a smaller Div 1-AA, and not only drafting, but trading up for him, this proves that Polian(s) (Bill and Chris) thought Ijalana was an incredible talent who can help on the O-line this year.
If you think about some of the [new] names, and I saw this on a tweet, that are on the Colts roster, it is a crazy ambitious, and risky yet exciting and potential filled list:
"@18to88: No excuse now, huh RT @: Castonzo, McClendon, Saturday, Ijalana, Linkenbach. The colts RBs should average 4ypc at least."
This is crazy! Plus Mike Pollack and over achiever Kyle DeVan.  This team is set.  This puts my mind at ease with the running back position.  Addai has pretty much played 6th offensive tackle saving Peyton's blind side since stepping for on the field in Indy.  This takes that away with a much more solid O-line.  Finally addressing a problem since losing Tarik Glenn.  Brown's numbers, as a stretch runner, will go through the roof.

I'm not going to lie, I was pleading with my GMs to snag a DT or a Safety here.  Even as I started to write this blog I was not completely sold on Ijalana.  I think this will have an immediate impact at the point of attack offensively, not only with running the ball, but also in pass protection, which I mean, "Hellooooo" we are, by design, a passing team.

I love this pick.  Your thoughts? What do you think we will do in the third round?


Blog Archive