Insider: Analyzing the Colts' draft haul

The NFL draft is in the books, and the Indianapolis Colts will confidently tell you they're a better team for it.

They're certainly faster after drafting first-round receiver Phillip Dorsett. They're deeper in the secondary after picking up third-round cornerback D'Joun Smith from Florida Atlantic and fourth-round safety Clayton Geathers from Central Florida.

The defensive line was addressed, perhaps later than expected, but it was not completely ignored.

Here are some early conclusions we can make after three days of highly-anticipated moves from the Colts.

A measured approach on defense

The Colts at one point in this draft selected four straight defensive players over Friday night and Saturday afternoon (between Rounds 2 and 5), and five of their eight total selections came on the defensive side.

After picking Smith and defensive end Henry Anderson on Friday, the Colts followed with Geathers, Stanford defensive tackle David Parry (fifth round) and Georgia inside linebacker Amarlo Herrera (sixth) on Saturday.

But the Colts took a long-range view to drafting their defensive players. They didn't reach for defensive prospects in the early rounds that they did not deem worthy of the picks. They instead were content to select players who might need time to develop or, perhaps, won't immediately compete for starting jobs.

The idea, according to owner Jim Irsay, was to balance the desire to win now versus their wishes to remain in championship contention long term.

"I think that patience is something that's critical," Irsay said. "In terms of drafting and getting a group of defensive players that are 26 years and under, that it's going to take a little time. People, I think, forget how empty the cupboards were in 2011 when we started this rebuilding process in 2012. The success happened so quickly that we covered up some of our weaknesses that we're still trying to strengthen with some good players.

"We feel like in some games, like the (AFC Championship Game), if we could have gotten a first down, if we could have gotten something going, if we didn't have the turnover on special teams, games can be different… What I'm getting to is that in our times when we weren't successful, we had failings going on on both sides of the ball."

The offensive line isn't a concern

Remember all the pre-draft conversation about the offensive line and how it might factor into the Colts' draft decisions?

Yeah, well, not so much.

The Colts did not pick an offensive tackle until the seventh round, when they took Denzell Good from Mars Hill, a Division II school in North Carolina.

That means that one of two things is true: Either the Colts believe right tackle Gosder Cherilus will rebound from his injuries or, perhaps, they feel confident they can be functional with the pieces they already have.

The Colts say it's the latter.

"I feel like we have some real solid options within our own group right now," General Manager Ryan Grigson said.

"We look at who's there and you measure things up against guys who are on the (draft) board, and I feel comfortable that we have enough options to work with. We have (organized team activities) and we'll see them on the grass and we'll figure out from there. Our whole offensive line, our motto is kind of versatility."

Crazy receiver competition

It's premature to speculate on which receivers will play when, but there will be fierce competition in the unit. Getting Dorsett in the first round only strengthens what was already a deep unit for the Colts, and there will be significant jockeying for position – and footballs.

Dorsett says he's ready for what's ahead.

"I always embrace competition," he said. "I'm not shying away from it, so it's nothing different to me."

The selection of Dorsett could adversely affect Duron Carter, the much-hyped signing from the Canadian Football League and son of Hall-of-Fame receiver Cris Carter.

Most rookies won't play immediately

The Colts' rookies likely won't see extensive playing time immediately.

Geathers will be thrown into the competition at safety, but coach Chuck Pagano admits he has a lot to learn, adding that "he's not even close to his ceiling."

Dorsett will likely get on the field, at least as a return man and backup receiver. Look for Parry and Anderson to get some meaningful snaps, too. But it's going to be tough for Smith to crack the top three cornerbacks right away and the latter picks are somewhat developmental.

This is not unusual or unfortunate on a team that was one game shy of the Super Bowl.

Are they closer to New England?

The Colts answered that question with an emphatic yes, saying the free agent pick-ups of Trent Cole and Kendall Langford have bolstered a defense that was steamrolled by the Patriots in the AFC title game. But the Colts did little to improve the defensive line, and that's where the question lies.

"We know it all starts up front," Pagano said.

The twin Stanford draftees, Anderson and Parry, will make an impact on the line, bringing the kind of toughness the Colts seemed to lack. But there is still an element of the Colts relying heavily on guys like Josh Chapman and Montori Hughes, who need to take significant forward steps in 2015.

Follow Star reporter Stephen Holder on Twitter: @HolderStephen.