Colts May Need Every One of Their Supplemental Picks

The Indianapolis Colts lost a handful of free agents in 2006, including Edgerrin James and David Thornton. It didn't really hurt them all that much. In fact, it's going to help them in the upcoming NFL Draft. The NFL announced earlier this week that the Colts will receive supplemental picks in the 3rd, 4th and 5th rounds to compensate for their free agent losses.

They may need those picks, too, what with the holes in the Colts lineup that this offseason has created. Dominic Rhodes, Nick Harper and Cato June
are all gone, and GM Bill Polian has to find their replacements.

Fortunately, that's been Polian's M.O. from the start. This article by ESPN's Len "Todd Pinkston doesn't suck, dammit!" Pasquarelli shows how adept Polian seems to be at finding replacements in the draft for key free agent departures.

"Just about every year," (Head coach Tony) Dungy said, "we've known we had to replace somebody. And we knew we had to do it from within, with one of our own guys, and that's what we did. There was no panic. You trust that you've made good choices and that you've prepared people to play well when they get the chance."

It certainly seems like a simple philosophy, yet in the quick-fix NFL, where some teams figure they can sign a veteran free agent to fill a hole in the lineup, the approach has not been widely adopted. The presence of Polian and Dungy, and a solid if unheralded personnel staff in Indianapolis, allows the Colts to succeed at something most franchises won't even attempt anymore.


Polian and Dungy both seem to think they can fill the hole left at cornerback by Harper, probably with either Marlin Jackson or Tim Jennings. Those holes at linebacker and running back might be a different story. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Colts grab the best running back available as early as the 2nd round. Joseph Addai's job is secure, but someone has to be ready if he gets hurt.