With the dust having settled on the 2024 season, let’s take a look back at how the Indianapolis Colts rookie draft class fared through the Pro Football Focus’ lens.
But first, to state the obvious, PFF’s grading system is far from the be-all-end-all. While helpful in quantifying a player’s performance, it is one metric out of many that are out there and should be treated as such.
Here is a look at PFF’s grading system to provide some context behind the numbers:
90.0+: Elite
80-89.9: High quality
70-79.9: Good
60-69.9: Above average
50-59.9: Average
40-49.9: Below average
39.9 or less: Poor
Now, with that out of the way, let’s dive in:
DE Laiatu Latu
PFF grade: 71.5
Latu’s 38 pressures were the second-most on the Colts’ defense last season. He had four sacks as well. He regularly showcased his ability to win one-on-one matchups, ranking 30th out of 121 defensive ends in PFF’s pass rush win rate metric. He also steadily improved as a run defender as the season went on.
WR AD Mitchell
PFF grade: 57.9
Mitchell would catch just 23 of his 51 targets for 312 yards and averaging 13.6 yards per catch. At times, drops were an issue or he wasn’t on the same page as the quarterback. GM Chris Ballard said that they need more consistency out of Mitchell in Year 2. But with that said, what we did see from Mitchell was an impressive ability to create separation.
OT Matt Goncalves
PFF grade: 65.9
Goncalves was tasked with playing both tackle spots in his first season due to injuries on the offensive line. As is the case with most first year players, the more reps Goncalves got, the better he performed. By PFF’s metrics, Goncalves was a more effective run blocker than pass blocker in Year 1.
C Tanor Bortolini
PFF grade: 65.1
When called upon, Bortolini provided a steady presence at center for the Colts. Among all centers he ranked 15th in pass-blocking efficiency and was 22nd in run-blocking grade.
LB Jaylon Carlies
PFF grade: 70.0
Carlies was the Colts third linebacker when lined up in their 4-3 base this past season. He proved to be a sound tackler and as a former college safety, Carlies brought some added coverage ability to the position, holding pass catchers to only 6.0 yards per catch.
WR Anthony Gould
PFF grade: 69.6
The caveat here is that Gould played only 15 offensive snaps all season–so take his grade with a grain of salt. Gould was inactive on gamedays for much of the year, but did regain his return man role late in the season, where he was much more decisive in his decision-making. On special teams, Gould had a grade of 58.5.
OL Dalton Tucker
PFF grade: 53.3
The undrafted rookie took over at right guard for Will Fries but as there began to be more film on him, defenders started to take advantage of the first year player. This eventually resulted in Tucker being benched for Mark Glowinski. Tucker surrendered 24 pressures and had a run-blocking grade of just 53.0.
