Lookie-lous

Here’s a brief rundown of the players ColtPlay has learned the Colts have shown interest in:

Mark Sanchez QB Southern California (6021/227/4.92c)
Bill Polian is doing this just to drive me crazy. Actually, even Peyton Manning will one day need a replacement, and the Colts would be wise to track one down soon. The comparisons of Sanchez to Matt Cassell are astute — he appears to have the tools to transcend his lack of experience. And where would he be better off learning than at the foot of the master? But there’s talk of him being not just a top-10 pick, but maybe the top pick overall. Maybe Polian is just putting me on after all.

Rashad Jennings RB Liberty (6010/234/4.58c4.52pd)
Oh boy, I’d like this a lot. With Dominic Rhodes unlikely to be re-signed, and Mike Hart probably sidelined until midseason, the Colts desperately need a back to go with starter Joseph Addai. They could do a whole lot worse than Jennings. He’s a top character guy, a battering ram as a runner, is a smooth and effective receiver and is a willing and talented blocker. Not only would he be a strong No. 2 back, he would also help out on that short-yardage problem that seems to have been around since Roosevelt Potts tore his ACL. He’s a second round pick, third id things get strange.

Derrick Williams WR Penn State (5114/194/4.65c)
Williams would be an intriguing pick. In college, he was feared as a receiver and return man because he could score pretty well any time he touched the ball. He had some problems with drops and was seen more as a Devin Hester-type than the second coming of Steve Smith. But then he ran like a linebacker at the Combine. It makes one wonder whether he’s a guy who can destroy opposing teams without speed, or if he was a college star who just doesn’t have the stuff to make it in the pros. My bet is that he succeeds despite his lack of timed speed. And he also has all of those intelligent, solid-citizen credentials the Colts love. Before the Combine everyone had Williams as a second rounder, but now opinions vary and I have seen some mockers exiling him to as far down as the fifth round. We’ll have a much clearer idea if he runs better on his pro day.

JaRon Harris WR South Dakota State (6003/192/4.47e)
Yeah, yeah, yeah he played at South Dakota State. So did Adam Vinateri. I realize that’s not actually pertinent, but it had to be said. But Harris actually does have potential NFL value. He’s plenty fast, strong and a gifted receiver. In his senior season he caught 70-966-11, ran for 2-98-1 and returned kicks 13-302-0; that followed up a junior season in which he caught 40-664-7 and ran 2-5-1. He looked like a man among boys out there, very much like how Pierre Garcon looked last year at Mount Union. Most media sources are saying Harris is unlikely to be drafted, but that could easily change after his pro day.

Phil Loadholt T (6076/332/5.49c5.45pd)
Immensely strong tackle prospect who will never have the feet to play on the left side, but could be a destroyer even a Pro Bowler on the right side. A good kid with a ton of upside and an ability to get to the second level quickly, Loadholt will be a great pro if he gets good coaching and understands that he needs to be more than just strong to be successful. I think it’ll take a second rounder to get him.

Connor Barwin DE Cincinnati (6035/256/4.59c)
You’re gonna hear countless comparisons to Mike Vrabel because this kid can play tight end and projects to a 3-4 OLB who can put his hand down on passing downs. But if he were to become a Colt, he’d almost certainly spend all his time at end. He’s a touch raw but everything else the Colts like at the position, not just as a player but also as a person. He’d be a great addition, but since he is expected to be drafted in the second round, he could be an expensive luxury on a team already spending a ton on its ends.

Cody Brown DE Connecticut (6021/244/4.76c) 5th/124
A similar product to Barwin, Brown is not quite as athletic, but was a huge producer in college. An end most pro teams are projecting as an OLB, I think Brown would be better off staying on the line. While he’s plenty athletic, Brown has little experience in coverage and has not looked comfortable there. He’s solid guy with a special-teamer’s mentality and an NFL starter’s ability. Brown’s probably a fourth or fifth rounder at this point.

Ron Brace DT Boston College (6030/330/5.48c)
Every year at draft time, Colts fans beg and plead for a giant DT who can hold onto two blockers while the rest of the front seven work their magic. Brace fits that description. While he will only occasionally step past the line of scrimmage and is only vaguely aware of when the ball is at any time, he will tie up blockers, crush the pocket and punish any back unwary enough to tread on his turf. Whether the Colts are serious about him depends on how different Larry Coyer looks at their defense, because the old regime never would have given him the time of day. Brace — although a bit too busty for my taste — figures to be a second rounder at this point.

Mitch King DT Iowa (6014/280/4.83c)
What’s to know about this guy? On tape he looks like Steve Emtman and John Randle’s love child, and at the Combine he looks like the guy who should be carrying the players’ stuff. So is he a college overachiever or a guy who transcends his triangle numbers? Looks like it will atke a third rounder to find out.

Nick Santiago DT Syracuse (6026/279/5.03pd)
Best player on Syracuse’s defense? That’s like being the best iceberg spotter on the Titanic. But this former offensive lineman showed good explosion and hustle. He’s unlikely to be drafted, and he fits the Colts’ blueprint — don’t be surprised to see him join the team as an eighth rounder.

Zach Follett OLB California (6017/236/4.69c)
Hmm, smart tough linebacker who had 23 TFL and 10.5 sacks as a senior in a top program. And a solid citizen, you say? Motor never stops? Has his degree? Tackles like coaches tell you to? Sign us up. A lack of big-time athleticism and a nagging injury probably drags Follett down to the third round, but if he’s healthy he starts from Day 1.

Jason Williams OLB Western Illinois (6010/241/4.49pd)
Raw as sushi but blessed with all the tools, Williams is particularly good in coverage — something the Colts prize a great deal in linebackers. The kid is a project no doubt, but he seems the type who needs just one season on special before he starts. The experts have him anywhere from the fourth round to undrafted, so expect to hear his name near the start of the second day.

Alphonso Smith CB Wake Forest (5090/193/4.47c)
Here we go again, the Colts are interested in a corner ho would be all-everything if only he were two inches taller. Smith looks very much like an eventual NFL starter and will probably be chosen in the second round.

Michael Hamlin SS Clemson (6020/214/4.57c)
This kid is an awesome athlete and big hitter with NFL star ability but he never really seemed to step it up the where he could be in college. Look for him to be chosen late in the second or early in the third.

Chip Vaughn SS Wake Forest (6013/221/4.42c) 3rd/91
A big hitter who’s much better against the run and the short zones than he is in deep zones, there’s a chance that Vaughn could be an NFL linebacker in the right system. One of the best pure tacklers I have seen in many drafts — and isn’t that what defense is all about? He’s a second or third rounder depending on how things shake out.

David Bruton FS Notre Dame (6020/219/4.40c) 4th/133
Yadda, yadda, yadda, great player, great guy. Bruton is a great talent and a great prospect, but he plays an Otogwe-style centerfielder safety and I don’t know how that fits in with the Colts. Maybe this Coyer fellow has had more of an impression on Polian than I thought. At any rate you’re looking at a third rounder for Bruton and with Bob Sanders, Antoine Bethea and Melvin Bullitt already on board, I gotta wonder if that’s too big a price.

What we’ve learned:

• The Colts are looking at a lot of potential second rounders. That makes me think they know what they want in the first round already.

• They are looking at a lot of players that don’t fit the traditional Colts mode — at least physically — so changes may be coming