Through the scout's eye: Meet the new Colts

INDIANAPOLIS -- Following a modern-era record 11 picks in the weekend’s NFL Draft – that’d be three linebackers, two guards, two defensive ends, two running backs and two wide receivers – the Indianapolis Colts believe they got deeper and more explosive.

Time will tell on that.

Here’s more on some of the notable picks of the weekend, through the eyes of the men who scouted, studied and eventually helped draft them:

>> Darius Leonard (linebacker, South Carolina State, chosen 36th overall in Round 2) through the eyes of Southeast area scout Jamie Moore:

"The first thing that stands out is unique physical qualities ... I fell in love with the athlete, then I saw it on tape. Watched a lot of him last May, fell in love with the athlete, and you plan out your fall schedule, and he’s a guy I put on the radar that I wanted to look at."

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On the risk of drafting a player that high from a small school: "He’s definitely gotta pop on tape. You gotta see something unique about him. Gotta have something special (in terms of a) level of competitiveness. Those guys are easy. Everyone’s like, ‘Well those guys gotta be difficult because you’re projecting (from) a small school, this and that.’ They’re easy. They jump. They pop on tape. Those guys that really pop, they stand out, they’re easier. The tape is the resume."

He fits the Colts’ new 4-3 scheme perfectly, doesn’t he? "Oh, you kidding me? Absolutely. I been here 12-plus years (going back to the 4-3 defense) is like going back to the future."

He fits in at weak side linebacker? "Yeah. Absolutely. To a T. He’s fun. He’s real fun. The athlete is unique. Saw him play live. Kid’s got juice as a person.

"They practice at 5:30 in the morning, which is cool. You walk up there and you hear this guy hooting and hollering and bringing all this energy. I ask, Where’s Darius Leonard? That guy. The guy in the end zone (yelling). Alright, alright, I can get with this.

"I went saw and him play against North Carolina Central on a Thursday. I was lurking on the sideline, near him, just to see him mannerisms, his demeanor, how he communicated with his teammate, and it confirms what you saw at practice. (He has that) juice, energy level, which Chris has preached since he got here."

>> Braden Smith (guard, Auburn, chosen 37th overall in Round 2) through the eyes of Director of College Scouting Morocco Brown:

"The theme – (General Manager) Chris (Ballard) has alluded to it leading up to the draft – we really wanted to upgrade both sides of the ball on the front. Because in the NFL, if you can’t block the opposing team, you’re in trouble. That was the emphasis we harped on.

"With Braden, he’s smart, tough and physical at the end of the day. If there are three things you wanna say about him, those would be the three things I’d say. He’s a guy that can reset the line of scrimmage, he’s a guy that can get a surge and push people, he’s tough, and here’s the thing about the two guards we were able to get early (Smith and Quenton Nelson, chosen sixth overall): they’re not scheme dependent. So whether you’re running the zone stretch, or the power gap scheme, either one of those guys when you get 1-on-1, they’re not scheme dependent players."

Does he start as a rookie? "I’d say on paper, you wanna say that. But it’s like the NFL is every year at every position, it’s up for grabs for everyone. Pencil him, but you gotta earn it."

Does he have position versatility? Can he also play tackle? "In college, they tinkered with him in the spring at right tackle. But the right tackle they had there came along, so it made more sense to keep him (at guard). You’ll see him at some jumbo tight end (sets) as well. You like him as an athlete and his position versatility. Body-wise it looks like a polar bear that could fill up that door."

>> Kemoko Turay (defensive end, Rutgers, chosen 52nd overall in Round 2) through the eyes of area scout Mike Derice:

"The way he rushed the passer, without having complete knowledge of what he was doing, I thought, ‘Hey, this guy with some consistent coaching, and (older players) he would want to follow, the upside would be tremendous.

"One year of HS football, 19 sacks as a senior. Was a basketball player and track athlete. From Africa. Came to US in 2000. Really had limited experience. Had great freshman year at Rutgers as a DPR – designated pass-rusher. His sophomore and junior year he was in and out with injuries, never got a chance to see him develop. Senior year, didn’t show from a stat standpoint. (We still believe he has) traits that can translate to something special."

How much of a jump will he have to make to contribute at the NFL level? "He’s not as raw as you think, at least I thought. What I thought was that Kemoko was a natural pass rusher, doesn’t have refined skill. The sack number is pretty low.

"What we did was look at all the top pass-rushers in this draft. (Bradley) Chubb, (Marcus) Davenport, (Harold) Landry. Compared them with Kemoko. The amount of times they rushed the passer, and the amount of times they affected the QB, whether by sack, hurries or hits. Kemoko rushed the passer – throughout his career, which was four years – half as many times as all the other guys. Everyone was around 1,000 rushes. Kemoko was like 550. The amount of times Kemoko hurried the QB was close to the guys who had 500 more rushes. Hits? Was more than the other guys. This is total number, not percentage, in regards to pressures."

Derice shared the stats the Colts compiled. Total QB hits for his college career, Turay had 24, compared to 21 for Landry, 24 for Davenport and 33 for Chubb, who was taken fifth overall by Denver. Turay had far less sacks than the other three. In pressures, he had 110, compared with 138 for Landry, 144 for Chubb.

"By percentages, he topped all of them. He affected the game in more than one way. But he got to the quarterback. So if we can find a way to seal the deal, we may have found a guy who can become a very productive pass-rusher. So if you tie it all together with what you saw at the Senior Bowl, you just feel it. Sometimes you’re gonna feel it. Sometimes you do see the upside."

>> Nyheim Hines (running back, North Carolina State, chosen 104th overall in Round 4) through the eyes of Jamie Moore:

"It’s cool because the coaches have a real good defined role on how they’re going to utilize him. He can play running back, but started as a slot wide receiver, and also is a bona fide kick returner. He’s got some work to do as a punt returner, but as a kick returning, the guys got home run speed. Three touchdowns there. He’s a weapon, and it’s cool how the coaches (with the Colts) have a defined plan with him."

>> Jordan Wilkins (running back, Mississippi, chosen 169th overall in Round 5) through the eyes of Jamie Moore:

"Jordan Wilkins to me, he’s kinda a little good at everything. Real smooth athlete, real smooth runner. Probably moving faster than you think he is. Really good vision, some of the best eyes in this draft class. You can always quantify the athletic stuff, but the eyes, the vision, that’s something you have to see on tape.

"Everything you do he does really smooth. He’s one of those guy who flew under the radar. He’s going to compliment Marlon (Mack) and Nyheim and those guys."

>> Deon Cain (wide receiver, Clemson, chosen 185th overall in Round 6) through the eyes of Director of College Scouting Morocco Brown:

"Uber-talented prospect. For what reason he fell, we do our due diligence, all the teams do. (Cain was suspended by the Tigers for a failed drug test his freshman year.) I don’t know if it was one particular reason. (His) talent would probably be a higher round than we got him. That was what was attractive. It’s not necessarily where you get picked, it’s what you do when you get in here. When you see a guy with that high side, sitting there on the board, you go ahead and snatch him. We were thinking about the fronts, and when we squeezed the blood out of the turnip, let’s go and pick the best guy available at each round."

Why did his production dip last season? "They got a lot of good players at Clemson, No. 1, and No. 2, Deshaun Watson’s in Houston. That hurts a lot. I don’t know. Sometimes there’s just a dip.

"He didn’t do anything different than the year before. He had a first-rounder playing with him at WR (Mike Williams), and he had the best player in Clemson history playing quarterback (Watson). ... He’s talented. He’s a quarterback out of high school so he hasn’t been playing WR that long, so some of the intricacies of the position he hasn’t mastered yet."

>> Zaire Franklin (linebacker, Syracuse, chosen 235th overall in Round 7) through the eyes of Mike Derice:

"I think he’s the first three-time captain in about 130 years at Syracuse. Outstanding leadership traits. They talk about grit, this guy has it. From the standpoint of he was raised by mom and grandma and they both passed away, so, he was self-sufficient growing up. Those are the traits I like. He’s been productive as a linebacker, he’s tough, instinctive, just has the right makeup."

Is he a middle linebacker? "Yes. He’s a MIKE. You want someone who can read it and attack aggressively downhill. And that’s what he can do. (Against) Notre Dame last year, you saw how he attacked downhill, even this year, he hawked down NC State, (Nyheim) Hines, he flipped his hips and turned and caught Hines from behind. Kid ran 4.5 at the pro day and it made sense."

Call Star reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134 and follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.