April 1, 2026, 4:45 p.m. ET
Looking ahead to the 2026 NFL draft for the Indianapolis Colts, here are some of the prospects from this year’s class who have stood out above the rest in the athletic testing portion of the pre-draft process.
To compare the athletic testing and measurements of each prospect, we will be using Kent Lee Platte’s Relative Athletic Score (RAS).
In short, RAS is a way to compare a player’s athleticism and size to the rest of his position group through an easily digestible number based on height, weight, and athletic testing numbers. The RAS scale ranges from 0-10, and the closer to 10 a player scores, the better the athlete.
While a player’s athletic testing certainly isn’t the be-all, end-all when it comes to the evaluation process, it very much is something that NFL teams pay attention to.
For the Colts specifically under Chris Ballard, he has often gravitated towards the top athletic performers at each respective position group. From 2021 through 2024, the Colts drafted the most players in the NFL with a RAS above 8.0 — although the 2025 class deviated a bit from that.
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Here are this year’s standout performers at a few select positions of need for the Colts.
Top RAS at defensive endDani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State: 9.96Malachi Lawrence UCF: 9.90Michael Heldman, Central Michigan: 9.88Zach Durfee, Washington: 9.77David Bailey, Texas Tech: 9.65Top RAS at linebackerSonny Styles, Ohio State: 9.99Jake Golday, Cincinnati: 9.85Anthony Hill Jr., Texas: 9.81Jack Dingle, Cincinnati: 9.81Jack Kelly, BYU: 9.72Top RAS at strong safetyJa’Qurious Conley, Charlotte: 9.94Zion Washington, Boise State: 9.76VJ Payne, Kansas State: 9.74Dillon Thieneman, Oregon: 9.71Jalon Kilgore, South Carolina: 9.59Top RAS at wide receiverJeff Caldwell, Cincinnati: 9.99J. Michael Sturdivant, Florida: 9.96Bryce Lance, NDSU: 9.95Ted Hurst, Georgia State: 9.91Skyler Bell, UCONN: 9.83