Indianapolis Colts 2020 Mock Draft Monday: April 6

[Blue]

Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson & Jacob Eason, QB, Washington


Expert: Stephen Holder, The Athletic / April 2 (link; subscription required)


On Higgins: "Whether Higgins is available at this spot is very much an open question. He has tantalizing play-making ability and makes the jump to the NFL after a productive career (27 touchdown receptions). But for our purposes, we're going to bank on Higgins' questionable speed and athletic testing being a detriment that might knock him into Day 2 of the draft. A bummer for Higgins but, potentially, a win for Indianapolis. Higgins is exactly the receiver the Colts lack: A big body who can play outside and make contested catches while also possessing the ability to be a consistent deep threat. The Colts were seeking this kind of skill set when they signed Devin Funchess in free agency last spring, only to see him sustain a season-ending injury in Week 1. Here, we have a player with comparable size (6 foot 4, 216 pounds) but, arguably, more explosive potential than Funchess (who recently signed with the Packers after his one-year contract expired). Higgins has drawn comparisons to players like A.J. Green of the Bengals, and the parallels are certainly there. Watch him and you also might see shades of Courtland Sutton, who has quickly become a star for the Broncos. Another borderline first-round receiver is Denzel Mims, a player the Colts have been connected to. Both could fill the role of an "X" receiver, who typically occupies the outside spot on the wide side of the field. But if both were available at this spot, my preference is Higgins. Why? He has a couple of dimensions in his game that Mims does not, including the ability to generate more yards after the catch and break tackles, as well as potentially elite body control. The latter characteristic, combined with his size, is going to allow Higgins to make the kind of tough catches he must against tight NFL man-to-man coverage. We can't overlook Higgins' biggest knock: His pedestrian athleticism. He ran in the mid-4.5's in the 40-yard dash at his pro day and his 31-inch vertical jump will produce yawns. But watch his play and it's difficult to argue that any of these realities severely limited him. Let's see if he can continue to overcome them as a pro."


On Eason: "Look, you're not getting a perfect quarterback prospect in the second round. Instead, what you're looking for is a raw player with a huge upside (think Lamar Jackson) or a player who has some established, elite qualities that you can build around. Eason is the latter of those two types. His arm strength and size are prototypical. At a hair under 6-6 and 231 pounds, Eason looks the part. On the field, when he's slinging deep balls, Eason sends your imagination into overdrive. Then there are the areas where he is lacking. You'd like to see more consistency in his accuracy, for example. He was completing more than 70 percent of his attempts through five games in 2019. But he finished the season with a 64.2-percent completion rate after some uneven performances later in the year. Eason also has athletic limitations that will define him as a pocket passer, reducing a team's ability to try many of the newer quarterback concepts we're seeing in today's NFL. But if you consider the fact that Colts coach Frank Reich just pushed to seal a deal with Philip Rivers – one of the least mobile quarterbacks in the NFL – perhaps this isn't a problem in the Colts offense. Even with freakishly athletic Andrew Luck at his disposal, Reich didn't go to great lengths to implement Luck's running ability into his play-calling. The bottom line with Eason is this: If you're looking for a quarterback who can develop, why not opt for one who is skilled at doing the primary thing in the position's job description? Eason has the big arm and that gives him a chance to succeed at the next level. Before moving on, a quick note. There was some temptation here to go with Jalen Hurts of Oklahoma. He is a wild card in this draft because he has such unique athleticism and underrated quarterbacking skills. It would be interesting to see what Reich could cook up with such a player, especially given his revelation this week that he's contemplating using Jacoby Brissett in select RPO (run-pass option) situations. Point is, maybe we shouldn't rule out Hurts, even though I'm going with Eason."