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Considering the Colts improved themselves in free-agency Cheap Khari Willis Youth Jersey , how did Indy’s rivals do?"AFC South rivalsPhoto by Sam Greenwood/Getty ImagesHouston TexansSigned: Matt Kalil, left tackle. Tashaun Gipson, safety. Bradley Roby, cornerback. Lost: Demaryius Thomas, wide receiver. Kevin Johnson, cornerback. Tyrann Mathieu, safety. Kareem Jackson, secondary. Kendall Lamm, tackleThe Texans added players in the same position they lost. Still, the new acquisitions are considerably worse than the players they are replacing. Gipson is nowhere near the talent level of Mathieu, and Kareem Jackson is a much more consistent player than Bradley Roby. The fact that this team still needs to sign franchise pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney to a long-term contract must have also been influential in a slow free-agency.Jacksonville JaguarsSigned: Nick Foles, quarterback. Jake Ryan, linebacker. Chris Conley, receiver. Geoff Swaim, tight end.Lost: Malik Jackson, defensive tackle. Blake Bortles, quarterback. T.J Yeldon, running back. Tashaun Gipson, safety. Donte Moncrief, receiver.Nick Foles got a huge contract from the Jaguars, in what was perhaps the riskiest move of free-agency. The Jaguars’ future depends solely on one question: “Which Foles are they getting?” Do they get the Super Bowl champion with an incredible playoff magic and winning pedigree, or do they get the quarterback that went 4-7 as the Rams starter, with 7 touchdowns and 10 picks?Tennessee TitansSigned: Rodger Saffold, guard. Adam Humphries, receiver. Cameron Wake, defensive end. Lost: Josh Kline, guard. Luke Stocker, tight end.The Titans made Saffold the highest paid guard in the League, a bold move for someone not named Quenton Nelson or Zach Martin. They also gave a big contract to slot receiver Adam Humphries. They did not lose any significant amount of talent, so if Mariota finally develops into a franchise quarterback they could transform into a dangerous team, but knowing the Titans, everything that could go wrong will go wrong, and they will rot away in mediocrity.AFC Playoff rivalsPhoto by Al Bello/Getty ImagesNew England PatriotsSigned: Mike Pennel White Tyquan Lewis Jersey , defensive end. Brandon Bolden, running back. Matt LaCosse, tight end. Austin Seferian-Jenkins, tight end.Lost: Trey Flowers, defensive end. Eric Rowe, cornerback. Cordarrelle Patterson, wide receiver/returner. Trent Brown, left tackle. Malcolm Brown, defensive tackle. Dwayne Allen, tight end. Rob Gronkowski (R), tight endOnce again, free-agency comes and goes and it seems like the Patriots lost nearly all of their talent while signing plenty of scrubs and trash from other teams. Learning from past mistakes, I will not judge what seems like one of the worst offseasons in Patriots history, so when Matt LaCosse posts a 50/750/8 line next season it seems like I knew it would happen.Kansas City ChiefsSigned: Tyrann Mathieu, safety. Alex Okafor, defensive end. Damien Wilson, outside linebacker. Bashaud Breeland, cornerback.Lost: Eric Berry, safety. Justin Houston, outside linebacker. Dee Ford, outside linebacker. Mitch Morse, center. Steven Nelson, cornerback. Chris Conley, receiver. Kareem Hunt, running back(*)The Chiefs defense lost an alarming amount of talent and longtime franchise players. Signing Tyrann Mathieu helps, but the loss of players like Berry, Houston and Ford will surely hurt the culture and overall talent of the defense. The Chiefs also lost starting cornerback Steven Nelson and starting center Mitch Morse. Kansas might be the team that lost the most talent in free-agency. Furthermore, star wide receiver Tyreek Hill could be suspended due to domestic violence. Ouch.Los Angeles ChargersSigned: Tyrod Taylor, quarterback. Thomas Davis, linebacker. Lost: Jason Verrett, cornerback. Tyrell Williams, wide receiver. Darius Philon, defensive tackle.Overall it was a quiet free-agency for the Chargers. Thomas Davis is a nice addition to the linebacker group and will provide some much needed leadership on the defensive side of the ball. Losing #2 receiver Tyrell Williams hurts the offense Tyquan Lewis Jersey 2019 , as he was incredibly productive in his contract year. Philon and Verrett were nice defensive pieces, but they were not essential.Baltimore RavensSigned: Mark Ingram, running back. Earl Thomas, safety. Justin Bethel, cornerback.Lost: C.J Mosley, linebacker. Za’Darius Smith, outside linebacker. John Brown, receiver. Eric Weddle, safety. Terrell Suggs, outside linebacker.The Ravens signed Ingram to be the power running back their offense desperately needed, and he will form a nice duo with Lamar Jackson. Earl Thomas has not been the same player he was before but can still provide above-average play at safety. Still, this team lost and absurd amount of talent on defense. Losing 4 starters on one side of the ball is insane. Mosley was one of the best linebackers in the NFL. Smith was a very productive pass rusher, and Suggs and Weddle were solid veteran presences. Emerging threatsPhoto by Joe Robbins/Getty ImagesCleveland BrownsSigned: Odell Beckham Jr. (trade), wide receiver. Olivier Vernon (trade), defensive end. Sheldon Richardson, defensive end. Morgan Burnett, safety. Kendall Lamm, tackle. Kareem Hunt, running back.Lost: Tyrod Taylor, quarterback. Breshad Perriman, receiver. E.J Gaines, cornerback.The Browns are being labeled as one of the biggest winners in the off-season after trading for star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr, and also getting Olivier Vernon, Sheldon Richardson and Kareem Hunt (after an 8 game suspension). In the process, they lost backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, Breshad Perriman and E.J Gaines, none of those are big losses. On paper, the Browns might look like Super Bowl contenders, but taking a deeper look, there are some reasons for concern. Baker Mayfield went 1-5 against teams above .500 last season. The Browns locker room is filled with big egos, couple this along with a rookie head coach who may over his head and you have a perfect recipe for disaster. In case you did not notice, I am not sold on the Browns just yet.New York JetsSigned: Le’Veon Bell, running back. C.J Mosley Indianapolis Colts Ryan Grant Jersey , linebacker. Jamison Crowder, wide receiver. Chandler Catanzaro, kickerLost: James Carpenter, guard. Buster Skrine, cornerback. Jason Myers, kicker. Spencer Long, center. Mike Pennel, defensive end. The Jets were by far free-agency’s biggest spenders. Bell and Mosley are game-changing talents, and were paid as such. Crowder is a solid receiver who will help Darnold immediately. On the downside, the Jets lost an incredible amount of depth, while they did not solve their biggest problems (offensive line, secondary). The Jets lost two key members of the offensive line in Carpenter and Long, while also losing always reliable kicker Jason Myers, and solid depth defensive players Pennel and Skrine.Overall, the rest of the AFC got much weaker in my opinion. The biggest rivals lost plenty of starters and solid talent, while the emerging threats still have plenty of questions to answer before being considered serious contenders. If Chris Ballard drafts another solid class with immediate contributors, then the Colts could surprisingly have one of the best all- around rosters in the entire AFC. (Now that is a sentence I thought I would not write in a long time) The Colts prospect interviews are rolling along as we approach the NFL Draft. Today’s player interview is Wisconsin Linebacker Ryan Connelly. The Colts could use depth in their linebacker core and..."The Colts prospect interviews are rolling along as we approach the NFL Draft. Today’s player interview is Wisconsin Linebacker Ryan Connelly. The Colts could use depth in their linebacker core and Connelly would be a great addition on and off the field for this Colts’ team.As usual, the interview will be towards the bottom of the page.Connelly interviewed exclusively with Stampede Blue to talk about walking on at Wisconsin, earning a Team Captaincy in 2018, and how he is being underrated in this draft process.BackgroundSize:6’2” 242 poundsMeasurables: 40 Time: 4.67 / 10-yard split: 1.62 / Bench Reps: 17 Reps / Vertical Jump: 34.5 inches / Broad Jump: 118 inches / 3-Cone: 7.09 secondsCareer Stats:251 total tackles, 29 tackles for a loss, 6 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 2 forced fumbles in his career.Round Projection:Rounds 5-6Fit with the Colts: The Colts appear set with their starting linebackers as Darius Leonard and Anthony Walker both enter another year on the team. They need to work on adding quality depth behind them, though. When either player missed time last year, the drop off in play was rather noticeable. Adding a player like Connelly would help in a variety of ways. First, he can replace Najee Goode as a core special teamer. In addition to providing help there, he can also serve as a solid backup who can step in and play whenever needed. A hard working locker room player who fits the team well and can be had on Day 3? Seems like a great fit to me.Film RoomConnelly’s ability to get into the backfield and make plays immediately pops. He makes a ton of plays in the opponent’s backfield.Connelly brings some upside as a blitzer, as well. He’s constantly in the backfield and has an innate ability to get by pass-protecting running backs.Connelly is just a really solid linebacker that gives 100% effort on every single play.InterviewZH: So, you walked on at Wisconsin after a successful high school career. What went into that decision to walk on there?RC: Really that was my only opportunity to play any sort of Division I football. That was something I really wanted to do, so it was like my only chance and I took it.ZH: I saw that you played QB in high school. How difficult was the transition from high school QB to Wisconsin linebacker?RC: It was... a little bit rough at first, transitioning. Not having played defense in a while, just tackling was foreign to me at first. I knew I wasn’t going to be a Division I quarterback so I put on some weight to get a little bigger Womens Ryan Grant 2019 Jersey , and I think that kind of helped ease the transition a little bit.ZH: Before we get to the on the field stuff, I read that you were a member of NFF Hampshire Honor Society and All Academic Big Ten player. Were your off the field academics and activities important to you in college?RC: Yes sir. Being a walk on, I had to get into school here first before I could join the team, because that is really how it worked back then. Yeah, though, it has been a big focus, but obviously football has always been my first love.ZH: How great did it feel to go from former walk on to eventually being a player who earned an invite to the Combine?RC: It was pretty exciting and surreal. I remember growing up watching it on NFL Network every year, and getting that invitation and knowing that I would have a chance to go there to do the thing I’ve been watching on TV was pretty cool. ZH: You were a Team Captain this past season at Wisconsin. What did it mean to receive that honor?RC: It was huge, man, especially because it was voted on by my peers and then Coach Chryst ultimately chose. It was quite the honor to be recognized that way. I was pretty happy with that.ZH: You dealt with injuries this past season in college. How are you feeling now, though, with all that recovery?RC: Everything is going well. Finally being able to lift is a good feeling. This past season, I wasn’t able to squat or do any major lifts because of my core muscle/sports hernia. Now that it is fixed, I am finally able to get back into the weight room like I’m used to and get back to full strength. ZH: Looking at your film, you make a ton of plays in the backfield and force tackles for a loss. What is the key to making plays like that?RC: I think it is two things. One is the confidence to trust what you see and the other is being prepared and having an understanding of what is about to happen. When you have confidence and trust what you see, that is when you can play fast and that is when you can get in the backfield and get TFL’s and whatnot. ZH: Linebackers are often called the quarterback of a defense. Would you describe yourself as that?RC: Sure, man. My responsibility at Wisconsin was me and TJ, as my other linebacker, was that we always would set the front, give different coverage communication calls, and we were definitely the center of everything in terms of being the directors of the defense.ZH: Instincts are always talked about as being important for linebackers. In your words though, what are instincts for a linebacker?RC: I would say that it is the ability to feel the play before it happens. I don’t know if whether that comes down to film study or just having done it before or what it is. It’s really just something you feel about to happen and then you react on it. In order to then execute on the instinct, you have to have confidence to be able to do it. ZH: So you went to a big school, were super-productive, loved by your coaches and teammates, and put up excellent numbers at the combine yet I rarely see your name in mock drafts and draft circles. Do you feel like you are being underrated right now?RC: That’s kind of been my whole career. I’ve always kind of flown under the radar. Honestly, I’m just ready to get to a team and then be able to show that I belong there wherever I land. So I’m just excited to get this process over with and get back to normal football again. ZH: Who in the NFL do you compare yourself to/model your game after?RC: I love watching Luke Kuechly. You can just tell how cerebral he is on the field and that is something that I want to get to. You can tell he knows the play before it is even happening and I really want to get to that point.ZH: Last question is Colts-related. The Colts have very good linebackers in Darius Leonard and Anthony Walker. What would you bring to that linebacker group if this team drafts you? On and off the field, what would the Colts be getting?RC: I think the biggest thing is just another backer that they can depend on. At Wisconsin, I was always where I was supposed to be, I was always doing my responsibility, and if you needed a play in a big moment, then you could depend on me. I think they could just have added depth and someone they could count on if there were an injury an injury to occur at all.