NFL Draft 2022 tracker: Live blog and pick-by-pick analysis
The Colts were curiously inactive in free agency when it came to addressing their offensive line despite losing two starters from 2021 (left tackle Eric Fisher and right guard Mark Glowinski).
But after some maneuvering Friday night, the Colts made a big offensive line acquisition in Central Michigan’s Bernhard Raimann. Putting a pick acquired earlier in the evening in a trade with the Vikings to good use, the Colts selected Raimann with the 77th pick.
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The Austrian native and former college tight end played just one year of high school ball in the United States, but it was enough to draw the attention of a couple of Division I schools. Fast forward a few years and 60 pounds later and Raimann joins the Colts with the potential to play several spots on the offensive line, perhaps even left tackle — their biggest remaining question.
Draft grades: Sheil Kapadia weighs in on the picks
Big board best available: Who’s left from Dane Brugler’s Top 300?
Big-board ranking: No. 36. Raimann was viewed by many analysts as a first- or second-round pick, so the Colts should feel fortunate to have gotten him at No. 77.
Introduction: For more about Raimann, take a look at Nicole Auerbach’s profile on The Athletic:
“Bernhard Raimann grew up in Austria and didn’t begin playing football until age 14. He eventually moved to Michigan as part of a year-long foreign exchange program, which led him to Central Michigan — as a tight end, at first. He gained 50 pounds, moved to left tackle prior to the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and grew into a small-school star.
“In taking Raimann with the No. 77 pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts are getting a player who coaches can say without exaggeration has his best football ahead of him. He has only played on the offensive line for two years.”
How he fits: That’s to be determined. Raimann could be a candidate to play tackle or guard. It would be ideal if he shows he’s capable of playing left tackle, as he did last season at Central Michigan. But to do that in the NFL, he’ll have to show his lack of ideal arm length isn’t an impediment. He’s also going to have to demonstrate he has the athleticism to deal with the speedy edge rushers he’d see at tackle.
But at worst, Raimann is a big, physical interior prospect. At 6-foot-6 and 303 pounds, he said Friday that he looks forward to playing in an offense that has a physical style that appeals to him. The Colts will figure out where he’s best suited to play later. But what we know for sure is that Raimann gives the Colts increased offensive line depth, which they needed.
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Second guess: There was pre-draft talk about the Colts being interested in this year’s crop of quarterbacks — Malik Willis, in particular. Willis was still available when the Colts selected Raimann, but they ultimately did not believe strongly in this class of quarterbacks and passed. The Colts demonstrated they are content to address their long-term quarterback need next year when they’ll have a first-round pick.
Rookie impact: Again, we don’t know where Raimann will play, but he figures to be one of the Colts’ top six linemen on Day 1. There’s quite a bit of value in that, as last season proved. The Colts beefed up their line depth entering the 2021 season, and it’s a good thing they did.
Indianapolis needed to tap that depth more than any time in recent years, with Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith and Ryan Kelly missing multiple games.
Depth-chart impact: If Raimann ends up playing tackle, he would provide competition at left tackle for presumptive starter Matt Pryor. If he settles in at guard, Raimann would likely compete with Danny Pinter, who is in line to start at right guard. Both positions will have new starters in 2022, so there are no incumbents to claim the jobs.
Fast evaluation: The Colts’ trade with Minnesota came in quite handy and allowed them to address a critical spot on the roster. Finding a surefire left tackle in the third round of the draft is largely a pipe dream, but the Colts got a talented lineman who has a chance to play a significant role as a rookie. That’s a win.
(Photo: Vasha Hunt / USA Today)
