Michael Pittman Jr.<\/a> trade)
\nRound 7:\u00a0No. 249 (Compensatory)
\nRound 7:\u00a0No. 254 (Compensatory)<\/p>\nThe idea behind trading down, of course, is to fill more of the holes created this offseason. Let\u2019s take a look at what the Colts have done so far:<\/p>\n
Free agents retained: The Colts gave quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce record-breaking deals to stay put.
\nLosses: Gone are wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr, linebacker Zaire Franklin, offensive tackle Braden Smith, edge rusher Kwity Paye, defensive lineman Neville Gallimore, and safety Nick Cross.
\nAdditions:\u00a0Arrivals include edge rushers Arden Key and Michael Clemons, and defensive linemen Colby Wooden and Derrick Nnadi. They also added safety Jonathan Owens and linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither.<\/p>\n
The Colts need significant defensive reinforcements, particularly at linebacker and edge rusher. Losing Smith hurts, especially with Jones coming off a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in Week 14 (it\u2019s uncertain if he\u2019ll be ready for the regular-season opener). And trading the talented Pittman to the Steelers means oft-injured Josh Downs is now their No. 2 receiver.<\/p>\n
The Colts do have $26.6 million in cap space. Meanwhile, backup quarterback Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick three years ago, and cornerback Kenny Moore II have both requested trades and could be moved during the draft.<\/p>\n
The potential is there for fireworks.<\/p>\n
Who Will the Colts Pick?<\/p>\n
The answer, of course, depends on availability and whether the Colts trade back. That said, here\u2019s a look at some names that have been tossed around as possibilities at No. 47, based on the Colts\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n
Best Fits<\/p>\n
Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech: Butkus Award winner has a wide range of possible landing spots; he\u2019s a big-time playmaker with monster stats.
\nAnthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas: Will Hill be there at No. 47? Slightly unlikely, but not impossible. Fast. Violent. He\u2019d be a great pick.<\/p>\n
Long Shots<\/p>\n
Cashius Howell, EDGE, Texas A&M: Probably won\u2019t be on the board at No. 47, but there IS a path where he falls \u2026 and why not dream big?
\nGabe Jacas, EDGE, Illinois:\u00a0Could go anywhere from 30-70 overall; has a high motor that created double-digit sacks.
\nMalachi Lawrence, EDGE, UCF: A slightly more realistic option than Howell, projects to have 6-8 sack upside, with room to grow.<\/p>\n
Safety Nets<\/p>\n
Jake Golday, LB, Cincinnati: Not the flashiest name, but he\u2019ll likely be available. He\u2019s a safe and logical fit.
\nDe\u2019Zhaun Stribling, WR, Ole Miss: Also someone who\u2019ll likely be there at No. 47 and would fill a need with Pittman gone; still, a less-likely selection than the defenders above.<\/p>\n
The reality for the Colts is despite starting 8-2 last season, an 0-7 finish put them out of the playoffs. It means they\u2019ve missed the playoffs for five straight years, tied for the third-longest drought in the NFL.<\/p>\n
The good feelings that came with that tremendous start have faded. The Colts won one game after trading for Gardner, and it\u2019s difficult to view them as a better team now than they had been before the offseason moves.<\/p>\n
The importance of hitting on later-round picks in this draft is through the roof.<\/p>\n
What Will the Colts\u2019 Biggest Competitors Do?<\/p>\n
Some good news for the Colts: there are worse drafts to be without a first-round pick.<\/p>\n
We know who\u2019s going No. 1 \u2014 you\u2019d have to bet $20,000 to make a $100 profit on Fernando Mendoza (-20000) going first overall to the Raiders. After that, there will be a whole lot of defensive players taken. Many receivers will go off the board, along with one great running back. There may not be another quarterback taken in the first round after Mendoza (Ty Simpson, a polarizing prospect with a wide range of possible landing spots, is in play, but he\u2019s no lock).<\/p>\n
As for the Colts\u2019 division competitors, only two picks in Round 1 are currently owned by AFC South teams, and just one of those is in the top 27: the Titans at No. 4. The odds are on them taking Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love (-135 to go No. 4). The other AFC South team with a pick in Round 1 is the Houston Texas at No. 28. It would seem sensible for Houston to get some offensive line help (perhaps Alabama offensive tackle Kaydn Proctor) to keep C.J. Stroud upright. The Texans could also add to their tremendous strength, the defense, giving the Colts an even bigger headache. As for the Jaguars, they have no Round 1 pick after trading it away in last year\u2019s blockbuster with the Browns that netted them Travis Hunter at No. 2 overall.<\/p>\n
Another first-rounder of note to Colts fans comes at No. 16, the pick Indy owned before trading it \u2014 along with next year\u2019s first-rounder and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell \u2014 to the Jets for Sauce Gardner. Will the Jets look to give their new\/old quarterback Geno Smith another pass-catching weapon here? Or did Mitchell show enough flash (two TD catches for the Jets after the trade and a 12.5 yards per catch average) that they\u2019ll fill a different need?<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a lot to keep an eye on. Here\u2019s how to do it.<\/p>\n
How to Watch<\/p>\n
The 2026 NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh and will air on ESPN and NFL Network.<\/p>\n
Day 1: Thursday, April 23 (8 p.m. ET) \u2014 Round 1 (8 minutes per pick)
\nDay 2: Friday, April 24 (7 p.m. ET) \u2014 Rounds 2 (7 minutes per pick) and 3 (5 minutes per pick)
\nDay 3: Saturday, April 25 (Noon ET) \u2014\u00a0Rounds 4-7 (Round 4-6: 5 minutes per pick; Round 7: 4 minutes per pick)<\/p>\n
Main Image: Mykal McEldowney\/IndyStar \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off in a matter of hours and while most fan bases will soon…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":872247,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2059],"tags":[4955,7781,5422,2005,114078,7,2004,392,3562,2381,35794,73238,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-872246","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-anthony-hill-jr","10":"tag-chris-ballard","11":"tag-colts","12":"tag-dezhaun-stribling","13":"tag-football","14":"tag-indianapolis","15":"tag-indianapolis-colts","16":"tag-indianapolis-colts-news","17":"tag-indianapoliscolts","18":"tag-jacob-rodriguez","19":"tag-jake-golday","20":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116450812443394879","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872246","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=872246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/872246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/872247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=872246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=872246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=872246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}