ColtsSpeak: Grant King

PhilB: How ya’ feelin’ about your Colts?

Grant: I think I’m as optimistic as any fan really. I always really look forward to the offseason because of all the improvements that I think the Colts can make, whether it’s through free agency or the draft. I’m pretty excited about the acquisitions that we’ve made so far. We’ve got some good skill added to the roster, but also some good leadership, which I think those are the main things that (GM) Chris Ballard, (owner Jim) Irsay and (head coach) Frank Reich are all looking for. I think that only adds to the depth of that which we already have.

PhilB: Any one move jump out at you that you really liked or any one move you’re scratching your head about?

Grant: I actually like all the moves. I’ve had to really think about all the moves and the one that I think at first was kind of a head-scratcher was DeForest Buckner. I knew who he was. I’ve been following the draft. Unlike most 22 year olds, I’ve been following the draft really closely since probably early high school. I knew who DeForest Buckner was when he was coming out. I was kind of like, the 13th pick, we’re giving up the 13th (overall) pick, but then I was kind of knowing what the defense is looking to build in having the pressure from the inside. I was actually kind of an anxious to get a wide receiver at 13. But then you look at what the Browns did in acquiring Odell Beckham Jr. last year and what (GM John) Dorsey said, ‘For the 13th pick, I’ll take Odell Beckham Jr.’ For us for the 13th pick, I’ll take DeForest Buckner because he’s pretty much a sure bet. We know what we’re getting from him.

PhilB: I like Buckner. He really impresses me. It’s not like Ballard to trade a pick, so the fact that he did tells you how much he thinks of the guy.

Grant: That’s where my hesitation was. I was like, ‘They’re trading that pick. That’s a decent pick, a high pick.’ But I have all the confidence in Ballard and (assistant GM) Ed Dodds is a sleeping giant, too. The evaluators that we have, those guys know what they’re doing.

PhilB: You submitted a picture holding a football. Who signed the football?

Grant: That was one of my bucket list items. Two years ago, I went to Colts training camp. I think the most notable player on there who signed from the defensive line was Kemoko Turay, when he was a rookie. That was exciting. Actually last summer, I did an internship in Columbus, Ohio. I follow the draft and there was one player I wanted to pick up, that was (wide receiver) Parris Campbell. We picked up Parris Campbell. I moved in for the internship, and I found out about halfway through the internship that Parris Campbell was my next-door neighbor. So I got a picture with Parris Campbell.

PhilB: I’m a Buckeye, grew up in Ohio with a lot of stuff here in my Man Cave. I know you go to IU, sorry, but I’m a diehard Buckeye. I think the world of Parris. It’s frustrating to relate to people who think he’s soft and brittle because he got hurt so much. I’m like, ‘Guys, he never got hurt at Ohio State. He endured three surgeries last year.’ It’s not his fault that an ankle broke or a fractured hand or a sports hernia. All I ever saw was lights-out speed and playmaking ability at Ohio State.

Grant: That definitely was the biggest reason I was looking forward to him getting there. I’m excited to see what happens this year.

PhilB: I think he’s got tremendous upside. Once people see him at his best, they’ll be like, ‘I like this guy a lot.’ I’m here to tell you, he’s a good player. So back to that signed football, you’ve been to camp. You go to many games?

Grant: I’ve only been to two games. It’s about three hours away from where I live currently. I made it to a Cowboys-Colts game in 2010, (Peyton) Manning’s last year that he played for the Colts. Then we made a preseason game at St. Louis when the Rams were still down there. As I get out into the real world and have some of my own money to spend and I can kind of control my own time, I’m looking forward to getting some more games.

PhilB: We’ve got an NFL draft coming up. What are your thoughts? What do you think the Colts need to address?

Grant: They need another wide receiver. And I think you could address the quarterback of the future. I’m very high on (QB) Jalen Hurts. He’s a proven winner at Alabama. He’s a proven winner at Oklahoma. I remember watching him after Oklahoma demolished Houston this past year. He was in the gym working out after the game. Watching his interviews and stuff, I’m very high on Jalen Hurts. I think he could be available for the Colts with their second pick in the second round (44th). That’s all dependent on the two teams I’d be worried about, the Patriots and the Saints. I honestly think that wherever (Utah St. QB) Jordan Love falls, that can be a big domino effect for where Jalen Hurts falls. If Love probably falls a little bit later, I think there’s a good chance we can get Hurts and somebody won’t have to reach for him. Wide receivers, I love (TCU’s) Jalen Reagor.

PhilB: That’s (former Colts defensive tackle) Montae Reagor’s kid.

Grant: I really like him a lot. I think he would have to fall for us to get him in the early second. I think we could probably pick him up with the 34th (selection). I read the other day that he’s doing like 800 push-ups a day, which is unbelievable. That’s Herschel Walker-type stuff. But if we don’t get him, the newest thing I’ve kind of been thinking is maybe (Wisconsin’s) Jonathan Taylor at running back.

PhilB: I recently wrote about left-field draft ideas and the first was running back, and I listed all three top running backs, Taylor, (Georgia’s) D’Andre Swift and (Ohio State’s) J.K. Dobbins. Why not? You know Marlon Mack is entering a contract year.

Grant: You look at (2018 No. 2 overall pick) Saquon Barkley’s numbers at the combine and just the size and everything, they’re very comparable. Yet the hype around him and Taylor is completely different. My scenario would be to draft Jonathan Taylor, then we have Marlon Mack also in the room and we keep Nyheim Hines as like a small, scatback, speed kind of guy. And then even though I’m high on him, we trade Jordan Wilkins for a decent pick, whether it’s a third- or fourth-rounder, I think we could probably squeak that out of somebody.

PhilB: Some of the initial social-media responses were telling me I was crazy to suggest it. That’s what left field is. It’s supposed to be off-the-wall, not what you would expect. I had done a couple of things about how wide receiver was a need and they had to address it, maybe it’s a No. 1 need. I looked at quarterbacks and talked about (Washington’s) Jacob Eason. I’m not sold on him.

Grant: I’m not, either.

PhilB: I saw some mocks projecting him, so I wrote about him. I also did a story on how if you want a tight end, the kid from Notre Dame, Cole Kmet, he’s the guy to get. I do like (Notre Dame) Chase Claypool, too.

Grant: Claypool could be interesting because he’s a big mismatch. The thing is I do kind of think, and this has been stereotypical for us for the longest time, we need to get bigger at wide receiver. We had (Donte) Moncrief a few years ago. We had (Devin) Funchess. I think Ballard likes big receivers. I don’t know if that’s because he likes the red zone or the blocking. I could also see him go big with (Baylor’s) Denzel Mims or if (LSU’s Justin) Jefferson falls that far, but I don’t think Jefferson falls that far. And (Clemson’s) Tee Higgins, too.

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