Well he is fast, and it's only a one-year deal

A few days ago, I was pretty impressed with the Colts for not signing Darrius Heyward-Bey. Then they signed him.

Oh well, it's a one-year deal, so if he doesn't work out, that's cool.

The big thing he brings is speed. DHB has run the forty in the 4.25-4.30 range, and plays fast. He's also a bigger guy, who is hard to press and knock off his routes. And, although this was a big complaint early in his career, he's actually become a pretty decent route runner. He's also become a pretty effective blocker for a wideout.

Now the bad. His hands aren't as awful as people have claimed, but they're not good, either. Last season he dropped six of the 47 passes he got his hands on. Despite all his speed, he's not really elusive and does not have many moves to make yards after the catch. And, although he's a pretty strong guy, he doesn't always play tough, fighting for balls in traffic, fighting for extra yards or making the big catch over the middle.

An appropriate simile for DHB would be one of those mega-horsepower muscle cars from the late 60s and early 70s that had remarkable straight-line speed, but weren't really good at doing anything else.

Because of DHB's ineffectiveness out of the slot, I think we'll see Reggie Wayne and TY Hilton as the starters in two-receiver sets, with DHB lining up wide and Hilton shifting over to the slot on three-receiver sets. That is, of course, if DHB can beat out LaVon Brazill, Griff Whalen and anybody else they bring to camp.

While I'm certainly of the opinion that he represents an upgrade over Donnie Avery, and that his almost legendary straight-line speed will probably inspire some defensive backs to play a bit deeper than they normally would, I'm not a huge fan of this signing. DHB seems a bit out of place in Pep's offense, and he does not have the potential to be the No. 1 guy the Colts will need when Wayne eventually slows down and/or retires.

It seems to me that the signing was more an attempt to make headlines and Twitter traffic by adding a big name, rather than a player who can make a real impact. I hope I'm wrong about that.

Still, DHB's presence probably means us fans can take wide receiver off our lists of positions we can consider for the first round in our mock drafts.

BG points out that the team still needs a right guard, corner; safety; edge rusher and third halfback, and wonders if they can solve the guard problem through free agency.

The only significant free agent left at guard is 10-year veteran Brandon Moore. I'm sure the Colts could make a run at him, although I hear the Cowboys are his most likely destination, but I'm not sure they will. Instead, I think they will throw Joe Reitz, Jeff Linkenbach, Mike McGlynn, Ben Ijalana and anyone who comes in the draft (although it's unlikely to be a first-round pick) into the fray and see who wins the job. My money's on Reitz.

Corner could be an option, although the Colts have a lot of money invested in their top three (Vontae Davis, Greg Toler and Darius Butler), and not an insignificant amount earmarked for their probable No. 4, Cassius Vaughn. The other three guys already in house (Josh Gordy, Marshay Green and Teddy Williams) should be able to give them a competent, developable No. 5. Of course, it's always a position you want to upgrade, but I can't see the Colts investing a first-round or even third-round pick at the position (unless they fall in love with somebody) because I can't see who the rookie would displace. An aside: Keep an eye on Williams. He's raw as sashimi, but is also one of the few humans who may actually be faster than DHB.

Safety is an interesting option, despite the presence of starters Antoine Bethea and LaRon Landry and swingman/special-teams ace Joe Lefeged. Bethea is going to be an unrestricted free agent next season, and the team has made no movement toward signing him to a long-term contract yet, and I'm not sure he fits their concept of an ideal safety. Maybe he walks. If he does, the team needs to replace him.

Edge rusher, of course, is a crying need, despite the signings of Erik Walden and Lawrence Sidbury. If the Colts use their first-round pick at any other position, I'll be surprised if not totally disappointed.

As for halfback, I'm not totally in agreement with BG. Instead of a No. 3, I think the Colts need a No. 2 who could challenge to be No. 1A if not No. 1. In fact, it's one of the few positions that would actually make sense in teh first round if the team can't find a pass rusher they like enough.