Hey there Colts’ fans! Here are my early thoughts on the upcoming NFL draft as far as what the Colts will be targeting. The Colts pick pretty much in the middle of each round (between #13-16), holding the #14 overall pick in round 1.

QB: No way. They have too much wrapped up QB Anthony Richardson and the recently-acquired QB Daniel Jones, plus they still for some reason are keeping QB Sam Ehlinger around. There is no way they waste one of their seven picks on a passer.

RB: With the signing of RB Khalil Herbert, the need to draft a competent backup for RB Jonathan Taylor was reduced. Nonetheless, I still would not be shocked to see them take a reliable 3-down back early on Day 3 to plan for a longer-term solution. Someone like gamebreaker R.J. Harvey from Central Florida. A stronger inside guy to couple with Herbert in case of injury to Taylor might be Oregon’s Jordan James or Miami’s Damien Martinez around round 4. Not a huge priority, but likely a body will be added.

WR: I would be surprised if a receiver got drafted. While they lack an absolute game plan destroyer as the #1, their receiving room is one of the deepest in the NFL and are all pretty young. Not a likely target position.

TE: Nearly everyone has this being the target with their first pick as game-changers at the position could be available. Penn State’s Tyler Warren was considered a no-brainer lottery pick, but over the offseason Michigan’s Colston Loveland has risen sharply and is rated ahead of Warren in many rankings. Both are projected to go to Indy if one is available, and I would be shocked if one of those guys is available and NOT drafted by Indianapolis. I really can’t see a situation where one of those guys wouldn’t be the best fit for the team AND ALSO the best player available at 1.14. The only way one of these guys is not a Colt come the draft is if both go before the Colts can select. I consider Warren more of a can’t miss that will impact the offense, so I would lean that way if both are there.

OL: With the loss of two interior starters and an aging OG Quentin Nelson, there is a very solid need for offensive line help. While the immediate need may seem to be at guard, young OT Matt Goncalves was projected by many – including Indy – as a potential guard, so they could also draft a right tackle and move him inside. If the tight ends are off the board in round one and a top tackle or guard option is there, I would bet that this is the way that the team would go. If they do go tight end in round one, there are a few tackle options with first round grades that may slip to their slot in round 2. The top-rated guards all have early-to-mid second round grades, including North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel who has played all the line positions skillfully and fits the team desire for versatility. This is a unit that will likely garner the use of multiple draft picks , including at least one by the end of Day 2.

DL: I would be kind of surprised if they spent anything more than a depth pick on a project guy, perhaps a freakish athlete from a smaller school. The team has a lot of depth up front… and frankly also has not drafted well for pass rushers in the Ballard era. They will get DE Samson Ebukam back; he led the team in sacks in 2023 and missed all of last season. With expected growth from 2^nd-year interior, I think this unit likely is the one that will go into the regular season.

LB: This is a unit that needs a lot of help after losing leading tackler LB EJ Speed and key backup and special teams ace LB Grant Stuard in free agency. They have a lot of Day 3 caliber guys expected to play huge roles, so I believe that the team will be spending at least a Day 2 pick on the position. They need to target more of a tackling machine sort to replace Speed, more so than an edge-rushing linebacker. Alabama’s Jihaad Campbell is a sideline-to-sideline guy and the best linebacker in the draft, so he is a good candidate to be a first round target if the tight ends are not there. UCLA’s Carson Schwesinger in round 2 and South Carolina’s Demetrius Knight in round 3 are also good targets to consider

DB: While you can never have enough good defensive backs in the pass-happy NFL, and especially the injury troubles in Indy for this unit the last two seasons, one would think that a defensive back will be on the draft charts at some point. However, the Colts made their two big splashes in free agency to get a shutdown corner and a playmaking safety, so they are likely to be targeting some depth only here. They have lost a lot on special teams, so I would bet they look at some guys with either that experience or at least some tackling skills. Corner would be the first preference for depth on the field, but safety might impact the special teams more. A probable spend on Day 3.

SPECIALISTS: They are set at kicker, punter, long snapper and return depth. Not an option here.

OVERALL: I expect that Day 1-2 will bring a tightend, and O-lineman and a linebacker…. probably in that order based on draft depth and pre-draft evaluations. If they cannot geta tight end in round 1, I would not be shocked if they simply doubled up on one of the other two highest needs in their first three selections. On Day 3, I think they will target a backup running back, a defensive back, and a second O-line and linebacker if they have not already done so. The real wildcard will be what they do in seeking a tight end if they miss out on the top two in round 1. Will they spend yet another middling pick at the position, or will they fix "everything else" and seek a gamebreaker in next year’s draft or via trade or free agency? That first pick will determine a lot.

That is all for this month from the Crossroads of America. Have a great April!

End.