2015 NFL Mock Draft: With The Twenty-Ninth Pick, The Indianapolis Colts Select...

The inimitable OneManBlitz steps to the podium and into the shoes of our Hoosier rivals as he delivers the first round (mock) draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts.

With the 29th pick in the 2015 BRB Mock Draft, the Indianapolis Colts select T.J. Clemmings (OT--University of Pittsburgh).

The Colts have needs at Defensive Tackle, Free Safety, and Offensive Line. Anyone who watched the Colts last year can tell you that their current Safety situation is a bit thin. The Colts struggled to stop the run game, especially versus the Patriots, and the pass protection for Andrew Luck was inconsistent. It was a bit of a musical chairs situation along the OL throughout the 2014 season.

Three choices here--DT, FS, OL--and after a quick scan of available Free Safety choices that I didn't like at #29, I debated between the run stuffing Nose Tackle Eddie Goldman out of Florida State or Offensive Tackle T.J. Clemmings from the University of Pittsburgh. I dug through multiple "Colts Draft Needs" articles until landing upon an article at the Indianapolis Daily Star in which the author had performed the hard work for me. His research of 15 Colts mock drafts found that the overwhelming choice in six of those 15 mock drafts, at pick #29, was an Offensive Tackle. A distant 2nd place was RB in two mock drafts and S in two mock drafts.

The article goes on to detail a few OL prospects, and so I went ahead and chose Clemmings due to the IndyStar.com write up, as well as Clemmings' draft profile at NFL.com that compares him to Duane Brown. Apparently, there is a greater desire to keep Andrew Luck clean in the pocket than there is upon stopping the run with a stronger defensive line. I would have chosen Goldman and put him at NT, but the cry of the Colts fans' hearts seems to be for more protection for Luck.

Obviously, it stands to reason that Andrus Peat and La'El Collins are higher ranked OL prospects than Clemmings, but in the BRB Mock Draft neither Peat nor Collins were available to me. I think the Colts could plausibly draft an OT at #29 unless they just weren't happy with the available players there. Looking at the OTs that came off the board in this BRB Mock Draft, I admit this is a risky selection, even though the majority of 15 various Colts Mock Drafts has been to keep Andrew Luck protected in the passing game. I personally would have chosen NT Eddie Goldman, but I feel like the truer pick for the Colts would be a perceived upgrade on the OL (read: Let's try something on OL again, like the Texans do with pass rushers).

If Clemmings ends up making steady progress once he receives NFL caliber coaching and learns the ways of more talented OL players, along with getting in sync with his QB, I think the pick has a chance at being a successful pick. The screen game with Frank Gore, since Clemmings is suited for a high quality screen game, is of particular interest when facing defenses with aggressive pass rushes.

I think this pick breaks hard, one way or the other. If it flops, it'll be a really bad pick and the Colts will still lack a run stuffing presence while also watching more inconsistent play on the OL in 2015. With the way the Colts are a QB-centric team, I suppose OL would be the safest or most prudent selection at #29 with so many other talented players at other positions already off the board.

Kudos to OMB for making what he thought was the most realistic choice for the Colts here instead of what he personally would have done. How would you have played it?

Green Bay and FeedEmToTheWolves8099 are now on the clock.  Or they would be, if he hadn't already submitted his pick.  Check back at 10 a.m. tomorrow to see who's heading to the Frozen Tundra.

Recapping the first round of the 2015 BRB Mock Draft so far...

TIMING FOR SUBMITTING REMAINING PICKS: