hey everyone welcome back to another video today we're diving into the Colts unofficial depth chart for their preseason opener let's talk about a couple of key points first up Nick cross is listed as the starting free safety for those of you who've been following my videos this shouldn't be a shock cross has been getting most of the first team reps sure Rodney Harrison and Rodney Thomas have had some time on the field but cross is really stepping up he's played both free and strong safety and can even fill in as an emergency nickel while I'm a bit unsure about him as the starting free safety due to his limited experience betting on young Talent isn't a bad move look at Bernard Ryman our faith in him last season paid off and now PFF ranks our offensive line as the number one in the AFC the second point is about the wide receiver spot Alec Pierce and oonai AD Mitchell are both buying for the wide receiver three position the Colts haven't named a clear front runner which makes sense I don't see Pierce being ahead of Mitchell or vice versa ad Mitchell might be the more naturally talented player but Pierce is entering his third season which gives him the edge and experience while Pierce has impressed an 11on 11 drills Mitchell has shined in one-on-one matchups some fans have mentioned that Mitchell seems unfocused at times but I think that's unlikely he was a second round pick who is expected to go in the first round which is why he wears the number 10 to remind himself of the receivers picked before him Mitchell brings personality and athleticism that the Colts need which could help Elevate Anthony Richardson more skilled players mean a stronger offense and Mitchell is definitely a playmaker I believe Josh DS is going to have a breakout season potentially hitting over 1,000 yards Michael Pitman Jr is already one of the top receivers in the league and with Richardson healthy he'll only get better overall our offense has great potential it hasn't been perfect in training camp partly because Richardson's accuracy is still improving and our defensive line is formidable we've seen stars like quiddy pay DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart making life tough for the offense taquan Lewis and Dio have been out but once they're back the defensive line will be even stronger despite some challenges I've noticed a lot of explosive plays from the offense if we weren't seeing these big plays I'd be worried remember Richardson is only 22 making him one of the youngest quarterbacks in the NFL so patience is key with time I'm confident our offense will find its Rhythm let's move on to the next Point quiddy pie and tawon Lewis are listed as the starting defensive ends with Leu latu as a backup this is something I anticipated even before Samson abam got injured many people disagreed with me since latu was our 15th overall pick and considered by many as the best defensive player in the draft it might seem strange not to start him right away but the Colts have a strong defensive line it makes sense to let him develop against the second team and hone his skills having latu behind quiddy pay shows that the Colts are serious about developing his talent this doesn't mean and latu won't start in week one against the Houston Texans but for now the Colts are going with Lewis and pay Lewis had over 40 pressures last season and is highly underrated many casual fans might not know him but he's a solid player p e a former first round pick is more wellknown and had n and a half sacks last season while I don't think pay is incredible he's definitely capable now regarding the tight end position Mo Aly Cox and kylin granson are the starters this is a bit surprising to granson isn't a surprise as he's the most balanced tight end on our roster however seeing Mo Al Cox ahead of Drew ogal tree was unexpected Drew has looked good in Camp and has a lot of potential aox is mainly known for his blocking though he can be a mismatch in go line situations due to his basketball background I have a soft spot for galani Woods if I were Shane styken I'd probably start him just for his potential but styen knows what he's doing and he's chosen to go with granson and ay Cox for now we have to trust his decision we haven't seen the last of ogal tree though in the last practice he found the end zone Woods is also showing flashes of Brilliance but still struggles with consistency occasionally dropping passes he missed all of last season so it will take time for him to fully develop overall there aren't too many surprises on the list Colts fans might be surprised that latu is a backup but it's all part of the development process I doubt any Colts fan would be surprised by what I've said so far except maybe for our our 15th overall pick leou latu being behind taquon Lewis however Lewis had over 40 pressures last season so he deserves to be ahead of latu for now remember this is the NFL not the NBA where rookies often come in and make an immediate impact while we've seen rookies succeed in the NFL it's much harder when you're up against players with a few years of experience take Alec Pierce for example I see him as a wide receiver four in the NFL he's currently ahead of Adonai Mitchell who was viewed as first round talent and did great against top college Corners Pierce has the advantage of experience in the league and familiarity with the scheme we're playing the Denver Broncos on Sunday and Shane styen will speak to the media tomorrow to update us on whether the starters will play I saw that Matt lafur mentioned the Packers will play Jordan love and their starters in their game I'd be shocked if styen doesn't play Richardson last year Richardson played in two preseason games with starters like Grover Stewart and Michael Pitman Jr out there so I expect him to play the starters again Richardson needs all the Reps he can get no one can seriously argue that he shouldn't be playing in the preseason he's still a developing quarterback with only 13 starts at Florida and five in the NFL and he only finished one of those games he needs the chance to face Denver even if it's just for a few drives Denver wasn't a top team last season and their defense struggled so it's a great opportunity for Richardson to gain experience thanks for watching and see you next time