WESTFIELD Joe Haeg Jersey , Ind. — Jordan Wilkins figured the days of working in an understaffed backfield ended at rookie minicamp.A spate of injuries proved him wrong.When the Indianapolis Colts returned to practice Saturday, the running back took a quick glance around the field and suddenly realized only three other people were around — rookie Nyheim Hines, veteran Christine Michael and former NFL star Tom Rathman, who now serves as the Indianapolis Colts’ running backs coach.Of course, it’s not an ideal work environment, but right now the Colts don’t have a choice.“Rookie mini-camp, it happened real quick and we were struggling through that,” Wilkins said, recalling the last time he worked with such a small group of backs. “It kind of sucks that we’re back at that point. It is more of a workload, but I’m not worried about that.”Instead, the fifth-round draft pick sees it as an opportunity to show the Colts they found a value pick and a potential workhorse.He’s not the only trying to prove his worth.Hines, a fourth-round pick, hopes to change the coaches’ perception after struggling in the preseason opener. Michael is trying to find a more stable home on his fifth team in six seasons and after missing all of last year with an offseason knee injury.And, at the moment, it remains unclear whether help may be on the way.How did the Colts find themselves in such a predicament?Marlon Mack, the hand-picked successor to Frank Gore, left Thursday’s game with a hamstring injury and is listed as week to week. Backup Robert Turbin also left the game with an ankle injury and he, too, is considered week to week. Josh Ferguson, a backup each of the past two seasons, still hasn’t returned to practice since hurting his hamstring on the third day of training camp.Reich said Ferguson could return this week.“You don’t like just having three guys,” coach Frank Reich said when asked if Indy needs another body. “But we’ve got a couple of guys dinged, so we’ll have to see how things play out.”Fortunately, Wilkins seems well-suited to carry a big workload.Listed at 6-foot-1, 216 pounds, he became the fifth player in Ole Miss history to top the 1,000-yard mark with his breakout 2017 season. He averaged 6.5 yards per carry, demonstrated an ability to catch passes out of the backfield and convinced the Colts to take him in the fifth round.So far, he’s outperformed the expectations.On Thursday, he rushed six times for 21 yards, caught one pass for seven yards and sealed the 19-17 victory by spinning away from a Seattle defender for a three-yard run on third-and-1. Reich called it a winning play Friday John Simon Color Rush Jersey , shortly after announcing the injuries to Mack and Turbin.131<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2017Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports | Aaron DosterHines is a different kind of player. At 5-9, 198 pounds, he possesses sprinter speed and can line up in multiple spots.Reich, who served as Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator last year, envisions Hines playing the same kind of role as Darren Sproles and he has a similar resume.At North Carolina State, Hines was both a receiver and punt returner and was called into emergency duty as a running back, too.“My freshmen year I played receiver and we had some redshirt guys and literally all four running backs were hurt except for one, so I had to go play running back and there were two guys in the game,” Hines said. “That was a really interesting bowl game for us.”Michael was solid in the Colts’ preseason opener and could start next Monday night against Baltimore.But unless general manager Chris Ballard makes a move or Ferguson gets healthy, these three backs will have to do the Colts’ heavy lifting.“That’s the goal to be the starter, but that’s up to the coaches and it’s out of my control,” Wilkins said. “Whatever role I’m given, I’ll be excited about and will play to my highest ability.”Notes: The Colts signed defensive end Ryan Delaire and released safety Shamarko Thomas, who was ejected from Thursday’s game for an illegal hit. … Andrew Luck did not participate in Saturday’s light workout — as planned. He is expected to return to the field Sunday. … Starting safeties Clayton Geathers and Malik Hooker took part in team drills Saturday when the Colts were not in pads. Both are coming off of knee surgery. Utilizing a mock made by a member of our community, we take a look at possible paths the Colts might explore." NFL DraftColts War Room | Simulating the NFL Draft — Round 1, Pick 26New,84commentsUtilizing a mock made by a member of our community, we take a look at possible paths the Colts might explore.ESTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Colts War Room | Simulating the NFL Draft — Round 1, Pick 26TwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailBefore we start, thank you to Mr. Too Proud for letting me utilize his mock draft. It’s much more realistic than a lot of the national ones as most insiders and analysts on a national level tend to sleep on the Colts. The whole point of this mock draft is to get the fan base involved and see who you guys would like to see the Colts draft in different situations, plus providing some trades and realistic scenarios. This draft will cover the Colts’ first four picks. Please shares your thoughts, picks and preferences in the comments and I’ll choose the one that I think makes the most sense.Note: The original draft has been slightly altered due to Combine production<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="TuVXwC"> Mock Draft1. * Cincinnati BengalsKyler Murray QBCincinnati trades 2019 1st, 2nd and 4th2020 1stCordy Glenn OTFORArizona Cardinals 1st round pickCincinnati hit the refresh button and gains a ton of cap. Andy Dalton can be traded or cut without any penalties. Murray steps into a division with a new QB at 2 out of the 3 other teams. As well as weapons in Green and Mixon.2. 49ersJoey Bosa DE3. JetsJonah Williams OT/G4. * Washington RedskinsDwayne Haskins QBWashington trades 2019 1st and 3rd2020 1stJosh NormanFORRaiders trade 2019 1st roundWashington is in a tough position cap wise. They have a great line for Haskins to play behind. Raiders gets 2 first rounds and Norman fits the veteran mold similar to Nelson being brought in last year.5. Tampa BayQuinnen Williams DT6. *BroncosDrew Lock QBBroncos trade this years 1st and 2nd 2020 2nd round Jake Butt TEFORGiants trade 2019 1st round pick7. JaguarsRashan Gary DE/DT8. LionsJosh Allen DE9. BuffaloDK Metcalf WR10. *GiantsGreedy Williams CB11. * ArizonaBrian Burns OLB12. Green BayMontez Sweat DE13. DolphinsCody Ford OT14. AtlantaEd Oliver DT15. RaidersDevin White LB16. CarolinaClelin Ferrell DE17. BrownsChristian Wilkins DT18. VikingsJawaan Taylor OT19. TitansJachai Polite OLB20. Pittsburgh SteelersDeandre Baker CB21. SeahawksMarquise Brown WR22. RavensJaylen Ferguson OLB23. HoustonAndre Dillard OT24. RaidersN’Keal Harry WR25. EaglesDevin Bush LB26. COLTS on the clock<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="6A6Zpm">Other TradesPick 32 the Patriots trade to GiantsPatriots receive Janoris Jenkins, Giants 2nd and both 4th rounds this yearGiants picks: Daniel Jones QBNiners trade draft pick 36 and swap 5th round picks for Antonio Brown<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="gjs1SG">Players Available (Ranking by Matt Miller of Bleacher Report)5. Josh Jacobs9. Jeffery Simmons, DL, Miss. State11. TJ Hockenson, TE Iowa15. Byron Murphy, CB, Washington18. Trayvon Mullen, CB, Clemson22. Taylor Rapp https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Chester-Rogers-Jersey , S, Washington23. Noah Fant, TE, Iowa24. Irv Smith Jr., TE, Alabama29. Yodny Cajuste, OT, West Virginia32. Deionte Thompson, S, Alabama37. Hakeem Butler, WR, Iowa State38. Dalton Risner, OT, Kansas State39. Jerry Tillery, DL, Notre Dame40. A.J. Brown, WR, Ole Miss41. Elgton Jenkins, OC, Miss. State42. Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware43. Oshane Ximines, EDGE, Old Dominion44. Rock Ya-Sin, CB, Temple45. Johnathan Abram, S, Miss. State46. Mack Wilson, LB, Alabama48. Mecole Hardman, WR Antonio Morrison Jersey , Georgia49. Deebo Samuel, WR, South Carolina50. Devin Singletary, RB, FAU<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="bKoEAL">Discussion Do you see the Colts trading back in this scenario? No, but they will certainly consider it. The draft could very well shake out like this, being very defensively skewed. If it were to play out this way, the Colts could find themselves picking and the best Defensive Line prospect would be Jerry Tillery, who I have a second round grade on. However, the positive of having many teams go a specific route causes other talented players to slide, and that’s why I think they stay put. I understand the argument that could be made for TJ Hockenson, but I’m going to go with Byron Murphy. I like his length and athleticism, but what makes him my number 2 CB in the draft are his instincts and anticipation. The ability to understand routes and keep track of the QB as plays develop is something that truly cannot be taught. I think it would be a blessing that he slid this far, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it were to happen. He didn’t wow anyone at the combine, and his 4.55 40-dash was pretty pedestrian compared to some of the other CB. However, during the game drills he was fantastic and what I saw mainly were great hands and very fluid hips. I think Murphy will be the 3rd corner picked in the draft around the late-teens to mid-twenties. Most teams in that range I think will take either DL or OL, but the Steelers will definitely take someone for their secondary. In this mock Deandre Baker fell to them, but that might not be the case come draft time. If Murphy makes it past Pitt, I think he’ll be there for the Colts. Who would you stay away from at this pick?Josh Jacobs, hands down. Anything you would want out of the backfield we already have in house right now. I’ve watched some of the limited tape he has, and the first thing that comes to mind is Sony Michel. They are similar in height, 5’10’’ to 5’11’’, and weight, 215 pounds to 216 pounds. They have playing styles that are alike, utilizing lateral quickness and speed to avoid defenders and the speed to beat them to the edge. Finally, their junior year stats are very similar in YPC (5.3 to 5.5) and YPR (12.4 to 10.7), it’s just that Sony Mithel had a larger workload.Jacobs declined to participate in the combine due to a groin injury, and maybe the fact that he is the de facto RB1 in this draft. I do think he is one of the better players left, and while BPA is an important strategy, like everything, it’s not perfect. My personal preference for drafting Kenny Moore Color Rush Jersey , at least in the first few rounds, is having a list of positions you are weak at and doing BPA for the pool of players in those positions. If Kyler Murray is available at #26 you don’t take him, even though he would be the best player, because you are set at that position, same thing goes for Josh Jacobs. Thoughts on the whole QB situations?So the whole “Murray will go number one” buzz picked up pretty hard the last couple of days or so, and I was starting to believe it until I listened to Rich Einstein’s show where he said that sources tell him the Cardinals are letting Rosen know that he is “their guy”. This is further re-iterated by the fact that low level scouts for the Cardinals, who should have no access to this type of information, seem to be spreading rumors like wild fire, which tends to signal that this is a smoke screen. I still think that the Cardinals take Murray. However, if they don’t, things are going to get interesting. Murray and Haskins are the only QBs I’d honestly give a 1st round grade to, but someone is going to reach for Lock. So to bring it all together, I think that Murray goes No. 1 overall, no matter who holds the pick. Then someone is going to trade up for Haskins in the top 5 and finally I think good ol’ Elway realizes that getting old QBs doesn’t tend to work (except if it’s Manning), so he gives the draft one last try and gets the Midwestern guy with the big arm after trading up.*Fun fact, in the last 3 drafts, every QB, except one, that was selected in the first round was chosen by a team that traded up to get him. Exception: Baker Mayfield (and he was the number one overall pick)Who do you think is a player that teams will reach for?I was going to go with Jaylen Ferguson here, just because I think he is this years Marcus Davenport (a developmental small school prospect), but to be brutally honest, I think Rashan Gary is a much bigger reach mainly due to the fact that he hasn’t really done much at the collegiate level and people have him as one of the best player in the draft.He was the number one player coming out of high school, but I think Michigan should have played him in the interior instead of putting him out wide and that hurt his production. Explosiveness clearly isn’t a problem as he had a 40-dash of 4.58, a Vert of 38 inches (!) and a Broad jump of 10’. He also measured in at 6’4’’ and 277 pounds, so he has the size to play the 3-tech. Most mocks have him going #4 to the Raiders, making a formidable interior with Maurice Hurst. I honestly think that the Jaguars makes a lot more sense just because they got some aging bodies on the interior and rumors are that they have already secured Nick Foles, so QB is no longer a worry. <hr class="p-entry-hr" id="Sg3Vzn">Again, thanks to Mr. Too Proud for the mock and I’ll continue this series for the Colts next 3 picks. Please comment what the picks from 27-33 should be and I’ll either pick one specific comment or mix and match a couple of them.