The Indianapolis Colts are excited about the new additions made to the roster via the 2022 NFL draft, and now the rankings have come out.
While we took a look at the experts who graded the draft class and then gave out grades ourselves on the picks, Dane Brugler of The Athletic dropped his draft class rankings Monday.
While Brugler stated before the rankings started that he likes “what most of these teams did. But somebody has to be 1, and somebody has to be 32.”
The Colts came in at No. 20 in his rankings. Here’s what he had to say:
Favorite pick: Bernhard Raimann, OT/G, Central Michigan
Raimann is a developmental 25-year old blocker, so it isn’t a mystery why he fell on draft day. But several teams made a mistake by letting him fall this far, something the Colts aren’t disappointed about. Raimann has only been playing on the offensive line for two seasons and is still learning, but his coordination and movements are impressive for a man his size. It also helps that he has top-notch character and coachability.
Day 3 pick who could surprise: Eric Johnson, DT, Missouri State
The Colts had four picks on Day 3, and all four were non-combine prospects. My highest-ranked non-combine player in the draft was Johnson, who made a name for himself at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and Senior Bowl. He can win with athleticism or power and will continue to get better with NFL coaching. Johnson is an ascending player.
Raimann is seemingly a steal for the Colts in just about every draft analysis. The fact that they could get their starting left tackle in the third round is huge even if he is an older prospect.
Johnson will certainly be a player to watch as the Colts may view him similarly to Grover Stewart in the sense of being a small-school athlete with high upside. Another Day 3 name to watch will be defensive tackle Curtis Brooks, who has the potential to be a versatile disruptor on the interior.
