22. Indianapolis Colts - Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin Badgers
Peyton Manning is getting up there in years, and he's never been the kind of mobile quarterback who avoids the sack with any kind of regularity. He's probably the best quarterback in the NFL, but his seasons are numbered and the countdown officially began probably a year or two ago. The Colts absolutely need to do a better job of protecting him, there's no three-step drop and quick release combination in the history of the game that will save an aging, immobile quarterback from an offensive line that has dire needs at both tackle positions.
They'll take any of the four top tackles here, probably, barring some kind of fall from a defensive tackle. Tyron Smith, Anthony Castonzo, Gabe Carimi or Nate Solder could be the guy, but in this case, it's Carimi, and I think the Colts are coming out well here. They made the mistake of passing on offensive line needs early on in the 2010 NFL Draft when they took Jerry Hughes instead of Rodger Saffold, and they paid for it, big time. Bill Polian has publicly criticized the offensive line, and it's a unit that Peyton Manning is frequently yelling at on gameday.
Carimi has been compared to Jon Runyan, and that might be enough to take him on its on. Realistically though, that's not the case, and he'll need to have excellent measurables and a high enough ceiling to warrant it, and good for Indianapolis - he does. He can com in and immediately take over the left tackle position, which I expect him to do. If he doesn't, he'll move over to the right side, be a force in the running game, and hopefully progress. With needs at both positions and picking 22nd, filling either need here is a must, and lines up with any and all value charts.