Anthony Gonzalez, 1st Round Pick

[Dr. Duran Duran]

Just curious to hear how the Cafe feels about Indy taking a wideout with their first pick. It seems most people feel the Colts would take a defensive player. Honestly, wideout was far from my thoughts come draft day. I've heard some very impressive things about Gonzalez, but I'd love to hear what you guys have to say about the selection. Any thoughts?

[Warhawk]

Love it.

You could make a case for Gonzalez being the single highest character guy in the draft, and the best work ethic. I mean, the guy turned his room into an altitude tent. Also was a Rhodes Scholar canidate.

And, anyway, I think it's a bit odd to be saying that the only way we could have replaced a 6th rounder (June) or and undrafted free agent (Harper) is to spend a first round pick on a replacement.

Besides, Daymeion Hughes in the third was highway robbery.

[The Balanced Man]

I've followed Gonzo since he became a buckeye. Some thoughts...

1. Awsome human being. Highest Character.

2. Very Competitive. Losing makes him vomit. Still won't discuss the BCS championship.

3. Percise route Runner. You will never have a problem with his routes.

4. Balls to the Wall Blocker. Goes hard every play.

5. Faster than you think he is. As demonstrated by his 40 time.


At the end of the day, I see his career mimicing that of Hines Ward. I think Indy got the Steal of the draft.

Gonzo will be the best WR in this draft.

[nathanielwegman88]

I say they should have took Posluszny or Branch in round 1..We need Defense...We could have got Gonzo later on, by moving back into the 2nd round? oh well..
I hear that Ugoh is going to start right away, so Im okay with that selection now

[Dr. Duran Duran]

First off, if Bill Polian believes Gonzalez should be the Colts' first selection, who the heck are we to disagree? Take a look at Polian's track record with top selections as a Colts GM, and it's pretty hard to dispute him.

1998-Peyton Manning (1st round)
1999-Edgerrin James (1st round)
2000-Rob Morris (1st round)
2001-Reggie Wayne (1st round)
2002-Dwight Freeney (1st round)
2003-Dallas Clark (1st round)
2004-Bob Sanders (2nd round)
2005-Marlin Jackson (1st round)
2006-Joseph Addai (1st round)

That's a pretty esteemed group of guys. Only Edgerrin James isn't still with the team, and we all know how smart a selection James was. Especially considering how so many so-called experts thought Ricky Williams should have been our choice.

As for why the Colts didn't take a defensive player in the 1st, just remember what happened in 2001, according to Bill Polian himself:

"Drafting for need isn't a bad thing as long as the need line and the talent line cross,'' Polian said. "It's been historically true that when you sacrifice talent . . . for a need, you fail far more often than not.

"We needed a cornerback very badly the year we took Reggie Wayne. We traded down because as a staff, we couldn't agree which cornerback it should be . . . So we took the best player. There were corners who had lesser talent who we could have taken, but we took Reggie Wayne, and you saw how that worked out.''

Yeah, I'd say that Wayne selection worked out pretty well.

Look at where the Colts' defensive stars of the past have been taken? Cato June, the aforementioned departed Pro Bowl linebacker, was taken in the 6th round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Defensive back Jason David was a 4th round pick in 2004. Why should the Colts reach in the 1st to take their replacements? Obviously, Polian and the Colts brass don't want to sacrifice need for talent. It makes perfect sense, considering who the Colts have found in the later rounds:

Bob Sanders in the 2nd round of the 2004 NFL Draft. The guy single-handedly changed the Colts title run.

Robert Mathis, a perfect compliment to Dwight Freeney, was taken in the 5th round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He and Freeney have combined for more sacks than any two defensive ends in the AFC over the last five years.

Ryan Diem, a key cog of the Colts' offensive line, was taken in the 4th round of the 2001 NFL Draft. Another starter on the o-line, Jake Scott, was a 5th rounder in the 2004 Draft. Mind you, these guys have helped make Peyton Manning one of the least sacked quarterbacks in football, and helped a rookie running back crack the 1,000 yard barrier.

One of the Colts' best defenders, safety Antoine Bethea, recorded 90 tackles as a rookie last year and he was a 6th round pick. The guy recorded two key interceptions in the playoffs and is supposed to take over for departed safety, Mike Doss.

That said, why look at Polian's track record and have much doubt? As far as I'm concerned, he's hit the mark so many times before, there's almost no reason to doubt his abilities when it comes to the NFL Draft. The Colts may have just added the smartest and most reliable receiver in the draft with the 32nd overall pick. Getting California corner Daymeion Hughes in the 3rd may be a steal. If nothing more, he provides tremendous depth to the Colts DB squad. A squad that may have lost two corners in Jason David and Nick Harper, but plan to replace them with Super Bowl hero Kelvin Hayden and former #1 pick Marlin Jackson.

In short, the Colts are in the best hands I could imagine. Why worry?

[Warhawk]

I say they should have took Posluszny or Branch in round 1..We need Defense...We could have got Gonzo later on, by moving back into the 2nd round? oh well..
I hear that Ugoh is going to start right away, so Im okay with that selection now

Why are you so concerned with picking guys who will start right away?

I'd bet you money that if we picked Poz, he would NOT start right away.

Why?

The following players didn't start a single game in their rookie season:
Rob Morris
Cato June
Gary Brackett
David Thornton
Marcus Washington

C'mon, when was the last time we started a rookie linebacker?

And I don't think Ugoh will start right away. We have a solid O-line. He'll be used, sure, but I think the impetus for getting Ugoh is so that when Glenn is a free agent next year, we can replace him.

Of course, when next year rolls around and Glenn gets signed away and we don't use a first or second round pick on a lineman, people will slam us for not drafting for our needs, completely forgetting that that's why we got Ugoh in the first place.

We always draft guys a year or two ahead of when we'll need them to be full-time starters. Did you already forget that we got Marlin Jackson, Kelvin Hayden, Freddy Keiaho, and Tim Jennings in the last couple years?

[Dr. Duran Duran]

Here are some videos of Gonzalez, courtesy of Youtube.com
The first one is tremendous. Talk about improvising...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZt4FvtqBY0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOuEH2XP31A

[Indys_time]

what a great pick, go colts and maybe we can try to slow down the Patriots

[Warhawk]

I think the Colts vs. the Patriots could exceed 100 points.

[mrblitz]

I think that Gonz is going to be a very good wr for the Colts. I just feel they could've gotten him with their next pick. I believe the loss of Cato June should have been filled with their first pick.