Feb. 7, 2026, 9:50 a.m. ET
The early round talent in the 2026 NFL draft seems to align fairly well with where the Indianapolis Colts’ greatest needs are.
Jordan Reid of ESPN recently put together his top 50 prospects big board, with a number of the players represented playing positions that should be on GM Chris Ballard’s radar this offseason.
From the sounds of it, this may be more of a defensive-heavy offseason for the Colts. During his season-ending press conference, Ballard discussed the need for “more fuel” up front, along with wanting to get younger and faster on defense overall.
The defensive end position, in particular, stands out as a pressing need, as the Colts search for more depth and pass-rush juice. More coverage ability at linebacker is a need, while the starting spot at safety next to Cam Bynum is available with Nick Cross hitting free agency.
Planning ahead for the 2027 offseason at defensive tackle should be on the to-do list as well.
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On offense, adding depth at tight end, running back, and the offensive line are needs, but not as pressing as the ones listed above.
The Colts do not have a first-round pick in this year’s draft, but have second and third-round selections. Indianapolis also seems to be positioned well salary-cap-wise to be aggressive again in free agency to help fill these needs.
Below is a positional breakdown of how Reid’s top 50 big board shook out.
Positional breakdown of 2026 NFL draft big boardQB: 2RB: 1TE: 1WR: 7OT: 7IOL: 3DT: 5DE: 10LB: 5S: 3CB: 6