INDIANAPOLIS — Three days and nine picks later, the Colts’ NFL Draft came to an end Saturday night. After emerging from the draft room, four Colts area scouts were made available to the media. These scouts, who often spend years evaluating prospects, shared their knowledge of a handful of rookies who represent the Colts’ future.
Here’s what Chris McGaha, Anthony Coughlan, Chad Henry and Tyler Hughes had to say about Indianapolis’ newest players:
After suffering a serious neck injury, Latu underwent cervical fusion surgery in March 2021 and spent more than two years away from football. He made his return at UCLA and dominated with 34 tackles for loss and 23.5 sacks over the last two seasons.
Primary scout: McGaha
McGaha on Latu’s infectious personality and love for the game: He just has a really down-to-earth demeanor and an easy presence, an easy go about him. He’s an easy guy to root for. … You just like the guy’s grit. We talk about that all of the time. Just trying to find guys who love football, and sometimes you have to dig a little deeper to try to find, ‘Do they really love it?’ But his was pretty easy to see, right? The things he had to go through, the things he had to overcome, it’s a unique story and a unique journey for him. It’s just a testament to him as a person, the kind of special makeup he has.
On what made Latu worthy of being the first defensive player drafted: You see the get-off right away. He can bend. He’s got a long list of pass-rush moves he puts in play all of the time. He can win up the field. He can win inside. He can come down the middle with power. He’s great with his hands. He’s got moves, and he’s got countermoves.
GO DEEPER
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On a UCLA practice in August that foreshadowed Latu’s All-American season: He just dominates their offensive linemen. They have a good group of offensive linemen, but it was a standout practice for him. The motor jumped out. He wants to go. He wants to take reps. He’s kind of fighting to take another rep, so that was my first exposure to him this year (McGaha had seen him play in person before that). And then you fast forward (to) the Senior Bowl, he was the standout pass rusher down there. He did well at the combine, and you go to his pro day, and you watch him work out at his pro day, and he’s explosive. You feel the twitch. You feel the power.
On how Latu became a better pass rusher even when he wasn’t playing football: It’s just a testament to him. He’s putting in work when he’s down for two years without playing football, watching YouTube. He’s studying YouTube to find pass rush moves and then he’s adding them to his repertoire. … This is a dude who for two years didn’t play football, comes off the couch, comes out of his house, and goes double-digit sacks two years in a row just by practicing with himself. I just think the guy was born to rush the passer. I truly do.
Mitchell won back-to-back national championships at Georgia, even catching a TD pass at Lucas Oil Stadium during the 2022 title game, before transferring to Texas. He blossomed with the Longhorns, becoming just the fifth player in program history with 11 touchdown grabs in one season.
Primary scout: Coughlan
Coughlan on what Mitchell will bring to the Colts’ offense: He’s gonna be pretty versatile, as he was at Texas. He’s a guy who can be a deep threat. He can run intermediate routes. He’s a big dude. He’s 205 pounds running a 4.38 (40-yard dash), so it’s a multidimensional threat, and he’s a good route runner. It’s not just a deep ball, 50/50, and that’s it. He can run routes, too. I think he can be a threat on multiple levels. He’s extremely talented.
On Mitchell’s big plays in big games (five TD catches in five college playoff games): Matt Terpening, our director (of college scouting), always says like, ‘Man, this guy’s clutch.’ He just says that about certain players, and (Mitchell) has that gene. AD has it, man. He just has the clutch gene and makes plays. There are countless games, man. Me and Terp were at the Kansas State game, and he was catching deep shots. You watch the Alabama game, this is prime time in Tuscaloosa, and he’s catching some deep bombs. He’s got whatever it is that makes him make plays.
RD 5 | PK 142 – Colts: Anthony Gould WR, Oregon State
With Gould and 2nd-round pick Adonai Mitchell, the @Colts now have two of the five most athletic wide receivers in this year’s draft by the NGS athleticism score.#NFLDraft | #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/1cCMm8Rc1i
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) April 27, 2024
On Mitchell’s work ethic: We talked to everybody in that building. This dude practices hard. He works hard. His position coach (Chris Jackson at Texas), coached in the NFL. I talked to him extensively about this guy. … I’m like, ‘How’s this guy gonna fit in the building?’ He’s like, ‘Dude, this guy believes he belongs.’ … He believes that. His coach believes it, and obviously we do, too, to pick this guy.
On Mitchell’s confidence: This guy went to Georgia and started as a freshman. I don’t know if it’s necessarily a chip (on his shoulder). It’s just like, ‘This guy knows he’s talented.’ He knows he’s an NFL player. … When you produce as a freshman at Georgia, at Lucas Oil Stadium against Alabama, and at Texas … he just knows he’s got something to him. You have to have that. You have to have some belief in yourself at this level that you can achieve great things. It’s not cockiness. When you put in the work, man, you can believe.
GO DEEPER
Full list of 2024 NFL Draft picks
No. 79: Matthew Goncalves, OT, Pitt
Goncalves started 24 (13 at right tackle and 11 at right tackle) of 38 games at Pitt. He was limited to just three games during his final season due to a left big toe injury and subsequent surgery. Goncalves said he’s 100 percent healthy now.
Primary scout: Chad Henry
Henry on evaluating Goncalves amid his toe injury: … Yeah, you’re (only) watching a couple of games this year, but his performance last year was really good. … It wasn’t like he was unfamiliar. Obviously, we would’ve liked to have had more action this year, but a guy like him, it’s pretty easy to identify what he is when you watch him on film, and he’s pretty consistent every game. So, (his toe injury) wasn’t really that big of a hindrance.
On how Goncalves will mesh in Indianapolis: I’m giving this guy the nickname ‘The Blueprint’ because he is a pure, exact blueprint of what we want in an offensive lineman in our room. I don’t know that there was an offensive lineman on the board that fit our room better than this guy. Big, small, tough, smart, mean, high ‘give a sh—’ factor, versatile, dependable — he really cares.
Is fourth-round pick Tanor Bortolini the Colts’ future at center? (Kara Durrette / Getty Images)
Bortolini started 28 of 35 games at Wisconsin, with 24 on the interior offensive line. He broke future Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Kelce’s combine record for the fastest three-cone drill by an interior offensive lineman, coming in at 7.16 seconds.
Primary scout: Tyler Hughes
Hughes on what Bortolini’s role will be with the Colts: Obviously, he’s built more for the inside at our level. A little bit undersized to play tackle and obviously the length isn’t all there. But he went down to the Senior Bowl, played with the best competitors there, played both center and guard, held his own and had a very good week. Then obviously went out to the combine, tested extremely well, and he had another good pro day showing. We value that interior versatility, just having the brain to play it all is really something unique.
No. 142: Anthony Gould, WR, Oregon State
Gould led the FBS with an 18.3-yard punt return average in 2022, highlighted by 80-yard and 55-yard punt return TDs. He averaged 16.4 yards per punt return during his college career.
Anthony Gould (@antgould_) TOOK OFF at the East-West #ShrineBowl‼️ pic.twitter.com/vWCVKlp8vk
— East-West Shrine Bowl (@ShrineBowl) April 23, 2024
Primary scout: McGaha
McGaha on how the new kickoff rules factored into Gould’s evaluation: I think the new rules do change (scouting) a little bit. That’s now back on the table as a potential weapon and big play opportunity for us. He’s got a lot of experience returning punts. He’s got two he took to the house two years ago, so yeah, he’s definitely a weapon in that sense, and I think the kickoff stuff does come into play.
Carlies, who began his college career as a cornerback, eventually slid over to safety and shined on the backend for the Tigers. Thanks to his impressive size and length, Colts GM Chris Ballard said Carlies will likely assume more of a linebacker role in the NFL.
Primary scout: Hughes
Hughes on Carlies’ journey to the pros and projection as a linebacker: J.C.’s kind of got an interesting story. Only recruited by Missouri to play defense. All of the other schools that were recruiting him wanted him to play wide receiver, so I like that he bet on himself to go play (defense) in the best conference in college football. … He started three games at corner, then he goes and plays free safety. I think this year, you see him on the (field) and you’re like, ‘Damn, that’s an NFL linebacker.’ He’s 6-3, 235 pounds, 34-inch arms, and he played down in the box a lot later in the season like, ‘Oh, yeah, he can do it.’ … He’s got a lot of versatility to him. Definitely the figure of what we want at linebacker.
(Photo of Mitchell: Jay Janner / USA Today)
