With The First Pick
Fansided

Johnathan Hankins a Sign for Indianapolis Colts

By Carl Cockerham

Dec 14, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) fumbles the ball as he's hit by New York Giants defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins (95) during the fourth quarter of a game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 14, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) fumbles the ball as he's hit by New York Giants defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins (95) during the fourth quarter of a game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Indianapolis Colts are actually starting to make good moves. Signing NT Johnathan Hankins to a contract is one of them.

When the Indianapolis Colts hired Ryan Grigson in 2012 he had an ideal situation. The Colts were a good team that lost to the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl three years prior. They ended up with the first pick in the draft because Peyton Manning just missed the season.

And it just so happened that Andrew Luck, the best quarterback prospect in years, was in the draft. With all the neck surgeries Manning had, it was a no-brainer for Grigson to pick Luck. From there, all Grigson had to do was replenish the roster around Luck.

It’s simple to draft players to replace players that are aging, right?

It wasn’t for Grigson, who traded picks for busts and reached on players that didn’t even fit a need. The over-the-hill free agents he brought in to join them didn’t amount to much either. Then he finally hit another first-round pick when he chose C Ryan Kelly last year.

But the damage had been done as the Houston Texans started to dominate of the AFC South. And the Colts, who have Luck and some weapons on offense, fell to the middle of the pack. If they can get their defense turned around, the Colts could be competitive again.

And they quietly made a couple of upgrades there, signing OLB Barkevious Mingo and ILB Sean Spence. Then Thursday, the Colts made a big move, both figuratively and literally. They signed 6’3″, 320-pound NT Johnathan Hankins for three years and $30 million.

This will considerably help a Colts defense that’s giving up 4.7 yards per carry on the ground. All they have to do now as get another ILB like Reuben Foster or Haason Reddick and it’s on. The Colts defense will stop opposing team’s running game.

This draft is deep in EDGEs and CBs too so the Colts have a chance to get better there too. New GM Chris Ballard already seems to have more sense than Grigson in his time. He’s off to a good start taking care of one big need in free agency with a good player.

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