{"id":859170,"date":"2026-04-07T15:21:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:21:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/859170\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T15:21:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T15:21:18","slug":"indianapolis-colts-2026-nfl-draft-preview-the-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/859170\/","title":{"rendered":"Indianapolis Colts 2026 NFL Draft Preview \u2013 The Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2025 Indianapolis Colts rose to the throne only to have their kingdom crumble. Sadly, a devastating injury to Daniel Jones<\/a> vanquished their playoff chances. However, after resigning Daniel Jones<\/a> to a two-year, $88 million deal<\/a>, the question becomes: Is Indiana Jones enough for this franchise?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Offseason moves can be quiet; not so much for the Colts. Alec Pierce<\/a> re-signed to a whopping four-year, $116 million deal<\/a>. Also joining the pack were Arden Key<\/a> on a two-year deal and Michael Clemons<\/a> on a three-year deal. A few more under-the-radar signings boosted the Colts defensive front.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Colts Draft Picks:<\/p>\n

Despite their free agency moves, the Colts are aiming for an unprecedented amount of success in the draft. With only three picks in the first four rounds, every decision matters:<\/p>\n

Round 2: Pick 47
\nRound 3: Pick 78
\nRound 4: Pick 113
\nRound 5: Pick 156
\nRound 6: Pick 214
\nRound 7: Pick 249
\nRound 7: Pick 254<\/p>\n

Despite these few draft picks, general manager Chris Ballard has said they like to acquire picks<\/a>: \u201cWe like to acquire picks\u2026I would anticipate having more when it\u2019s all said and done.\u201d Knowing this, the Colts could aggressively trade to bolster positions of need.<\/p>\n

Colts Positions of Need:<\/p>\n

Key Draft Targets for Colts:\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0
\nAnthony Hill<\/a> Jr. \u2013 LB \u2013 Texas<\/p>\n

Slated as a \u201cfuture Pro Bowler<\/a>\u201d,\u00a0 Anthony Hill Jr reminds fans of a young Bobby Wagner<\/a>. Each season in college he progressively got better; he\u2019s an all-around machine that ceases to impress.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With an inexperienced LB core, Hill Jr. would fit perfectly in Lou Anarumo\u2019s defense. Though Hill Jr. is a top LB prospect, he still needs work, which could see him fall<\/a> to the second round.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joshua Josephs<\/a> \u2013 EDGE \u2013 Tennessee<\/p>\n

A lengthy framed menace on the edge, Joshua Josephs<\/a> has the means of confusing even the best linemen. With more weight and development, Josephs has the potential to become a serious threat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Colts need an explosive edge player that comes off the bench. Josephs can be just that for this team that lacks a deep front four. The standout Volunteer currently projects<\/a> to be a late 3rd round selection.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Skyler Bell<\/a> \u2013 WR \u2013 UConn<\/p>\n

Skyler Bell is the type of wide receiver the Colts are known for drafting. A solid, quick, mid-round receiver that plays similar to Michael Gallup<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although the Colts may have to trade-up to have access to Bell, a prospect consistently mocked<\/a> as a third-round selection, he would be well-worth the investment. Especially in a wide receiver room that lacks talent around Alec Pierce<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2025 Indianapolis Colts rose to the throne only to have their kingdom crumble. Sadly, a devastating injury…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":859171,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2059],"tags":[4955,2005,7,2004,392,2381,6,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-859170","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-indianapolis-colts","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-colts","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-indianapolis","12":"tag-indianapolis-colts","13":"tag-indianapoliscolts","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-nfl-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116364108755778734","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=859170"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859170\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/859171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=859170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=859170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=859170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}