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Indianapolis Colts NFL Draft Selections day 1 - day 3

INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts began the final day of the 2023 Draft by dipping into the trenches.

With the 106th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Colts took BYU offensive tackle Blake Freeland in Round Four.

Here are 3 takeaways on Freeland:

 

1. Swing Tackle 

Hey, we had Blake Freeland mocked to the Colts earlier this week. Why? Because Freeland is a versatile tackle with a big frame (6-7, 302 pounds). Freeland started 41 games at left tackle, with 26 starts at left tackle and 15 at right tackle. That’s very attractive to a team needing to bolster its tackle depth. Freeland was a captain at BYU and his athletic profile is something new OL coach Tony Sparano Jr. will try to develop a little more.

 

2. Growing Into Offensive Lineman

Freeland has some basketball and track and field background and was originally a quarterback and tight end in college before making the permanent switch to the offensive line. In a move reminiscent of Joe Reitz, Freeland put on over 100 pounds in his transition from under center to the trenches. Freeland, like JuJu Brents, was a Senior Bowl participant in 2023. Where Freeland needs to develop is in his strength in handling more power rushers, which is a similar question of current LT-Bernhard Raimann. Freeland didn’t allow a sack in his final season at BYU.

 

3. Another Need Checked

This is a position Chris Ballard has strayed away from in many of his previous drafts. But offensive tackle gets love for a second straight draft. This needed some attention when you look at the lack of depth behind Braden Smith and Bernhard Raimann. And this is of course banking on the continued/very much needed development of Raimann as the left tackle of the future.

 

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