2011 NFL Mock Draft: The Indianapolis Colts Select...

With the twenty-second pick of the 2011 CSC Community Mock Draft, the Indianapolis Colts (represented by MobileSaint) select...

Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois

Quick, name a Colts defensive lineman not named Dwight Freeney? (chirp, chirp) No, LSU fans, Anthony "Booger" McFarland isn't there anymore. Go to the other side of the ball. Name a Colts offensive lineman not named Jeff Saturday? (more chirping, you get it, I know) This demonstrates the dilemma faced by the Colts with the No. 22 pick.

Many are quick to point to a sub-par season from veteran signal-caller Peyton Manning, with 17 INTs including 11 in just three games, arguing that Manning obviously needs better protection. He does. The run game needs help too, as it averaged just 3.8 yards per carry. So does Corey Liuget play offensive line? No.

But the best offensive line talent at this point - Tryon, Costanza, and Sherrod - is already off the board in our CSC mock drft. Nate Solder of Colorado is a workout warrior, but questions about him abound. And Gabe Carimi of Wisconsin projects at right tackle, hardly first-round material.

So look at the players on the board and the areas of need. The fact is the Colts couldn't get the ball back to their offense last year. Teams simply ran at will, averaging 4.6 yards per carry, almost a full yard better than the Colts did running the ball. The Colts run defense was ranked 25th in the league. That won't do in an AFC South stocked with Chris Johnson of the Titans, Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jaguars, and Arian Foster of the Texans. The Colts also lost the time of possession battle, with opposing teams controlling the ball 30:32. That's not Colts' football, which for much of the Manning era has meant precision passing and ball control.

Enter Corey Liuget, standing 6'3", 300 lbs. In 2010, he logged 63 tackles with 12.5 tackles for loss, to go with 4.5 sacks. He had a high of 11 tackles against Michigan State, an enormous sum for a DT. A team captain in 2010, he earned second team All-Big Ten honors. And he happens to be a perfect fit for the Colts' 4-3 scheme which is becoming increasingly rare in today's NFL(you listening Gregg Williams?).

Unlike a new left tackle, the Colts can plug Liuget in immediately and give him siginificant playing time, something they may be unwilling to do with a rookie LT protecting the franchise. A difficult choice between a new left tackle and a defensive tackle, with both such obvious areas of need, but the pick here is Liuget in an effort to upgrade the run defense so that the Colts can get the ball back to Manning more frequently (other than via kickoff) in 2011.