Over half of the Colts rookie class is now under contract

The Indianapolis Colts selected eight players last week in the NFL Draft, including four offensive lineman. Late last night the Colts signed their first round pick Ryan Kelly to a contract, and now they have sealed deals with four more of their draft picks.

Hassan Ridgeway (4th round pick), Joe Haeg (5th round pick), Trevor Bates (7th round pick), and Austin Blythe (7th round pick). That leaves just Le’Raven Clark, T.J. Green, and Antonio Morrison left unsigned. And since all three were mid-round picks, we can expect those deals to come soon enough.

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However, no deal will be worth as much as center Ryan Kelly, who was the Colts first round pick.

That deal will make Kelly the 17th highest paid center in the league. Not too shabby for a rookie.

The Colts are banking on Kelly to anchor the offensive line just in the way Jeff Saturday did for over a decade when Peyton Manning was the quarterback. And we can only hope that he comes as close to that as possible.

As for the other rookie deals signed earlier today, the expectations are not as high. Haeg should compete for the right guard starting spot. Ridgeway will be in rotation this year with David Parry, and for Blythe and Bates will hope to latch onto the 53 man roster. Blythe has a solid chance at the backup center spot, which could leave to Khaled Holmes and Jonnathan Harrison being released.

One thing is for sure, there will not be a dull moment at training camp this summer.

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