2 weeks Ago
The 2025 NFL Draft is officially here. After months and months of speculation, rumors, and meetings, the big day has finally arrived. The Indianapolis Colts have the 14th pick in round one, but that could certainly change depending on how the board falls tonight.
With the busy draft season finally coming to a close, I decided to put together one big list of what I'm feeling and what I'm thinking the Colts could do this weekend. This list combines speculation, what I've heard from others, and a little bit of my gut feeling to trudge through the waters of this draft season. First-Round Thoughts Most of the speculation around the Colts this offseason has been around what the team will do with their first pick of the draft.
This first round is considered weaker than most classes, with most teams having somewhere between 9-12 true first-round grades. Even with some surprises likely baked in, pick number 14 is a tough spot for the Colts to be sitting in a weak class. The biggest debate around first-round picks for every fan base is balancing need versus best player available.
The line between the two thoughts isn't as rigid as most people think, as teams typically tend to blend the two ideas together when making their pick. Draft boards are typically comprised horizontally, so it's about taking the player that fills the biggest need within the highest tier, if that makes sense. Luckily for the Colts, their biggest need coincides with the talent that could be there at pick number 14.
I firmly believe that Tyler Warren is the team's top option on the board and that they would run the pick in if he made it to 14, but that could be tricky with the New York Jets (picking at number seven) also very high on him. With Warren, the Colts value unique traits over everything else early in the draft. Warrens' explosiveness and ability with the ball in his hands are simply on another level, and those two traits are part of the reason why the team tried to move up for Brock Bowers last draft season.
I expect the Colts to carry that same love over to Warren. I'd keep an eye on the Colts moving up for Warren if the star tight end happens to fall past the Jets at seven. The 8-13 range is the sweet spot for moving up, and the Colts might do it to secure a potential blue chip player on the board.
My understanding is that the Colts have Warren as one of the top tier players in this draft, so I firmly believe a trade up could be in the cards come Thursday night. If Warren is gone, then I expect the team to shift their focus to Michigan tight end Colston Loveland . Loveland is a more traditional tight end with prototypical size, length, and footwork.
He is a smooth mover that has produced at the college level since his age 19 season. He may be a reach at this spot in a normal draft, but he's a perfectly solid prospect to target at number 14 in this class. After the two tight ends, it's hard to conjure up any other player the Colts could have interest in with their first pick.
Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks is certainly their type of guard, but he may go too high tonight to be a surprise pick. Guard Tyler Booker from Alabama is another player they love, but number 14 may be too rich for a player that tested as poorly as he did. Chris Ballard loves the trenches, but it's hard to find a name to plug in that makes sense.
Even last year with the surprise of the Laiatu Latu pick, Latu's personaility and production certainly felt like a Colts' player. Aside from Banks and Booker, most of the trench players in the Colts' range have massive football character red flags or off-field concerns that make them feel too risky for the team. For those reasons, I struggle to see players like Walter Nolen, James Pearce, or Mike Green being considered at the pick.
Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell is maybe the biggest X-factor here, but I struggle to see the team taking an off-ball linebacker this high, espeically when Campbell was flagged for knee and shoulder injuries at the combine. Campbell is a fantastic player, but I just don't see the Colts going that route. Just under 12 hours away from the first round, I still believe that the Colts' pick will be one of the top two tight ends at number 14 (or a trade up to secure one of them).
Day-Two Thoughts The second day of the NFL draft is where the fun begins. The Colts have swung for the fences on day two the past few years, and it has resulted in a lot of home runs and a lot of strikeouts. The team is much more willing to take risks on day two, so this is where we see Ballard really lean into high-end traits to build his roster.
After they, presumably, go tight end at the top of the draft, I would fully expect the Colts to lean into the trenches on day two. There is a massive hole at right guard at the moment and the long term depth on the defensive line could use another drafted player added to the mix. My gut feeling is that the team would lean defensive line in round two and then offensive line in round three, but that would ultimately come down to how the board falls.
As for their pick at number 45, there are a lot of different directions the team could go. They could swing on one of those "too risky" edge rushers I mentioned in the first round section, but even if a player like Pearce were to fall, I'm not sure that they would select him. I think the list of defensive line players for the Colts will look like the usualy suspects.
Defensive end Landon Jackson from Arkansas is their type of inside-out rusher with elite explosiveness. Nick Scourton from Texas A&M was a hyper productive player at Purdue before struggling last year with added weight. LSU's Bradyn Swinson is another productive player that the team is interested in.
Louisville's Ashton Gillotte also makes some sense. Defensive tackles Alfred Collins, Joshua Farmer, and TJ Sanders are also very much their type of players. If the Colts want to go offensive line, they could look at players like Tate Ratledge (Georgia), Jonah Savaiinaea (Arizona), and/or Donovan Jackson (Ohio State), but there is expected to be a heavy run on offensive line late on day one which could leave slimmer pickings on day two.
The wildcard to mention here is UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger . The Colts probably want to go trenches on day two, but Lou Anarumo loves Schwesinger in this draft. The Colts probably run the card in if he's there at 45, even if some of the defensive line talent is also sitting there.
Some other potential wildcards that could factor in are cornerbacks Shavon Revel and Darien Porter . They just fit the Colts too well to completely ignore them. As for round three, I believe that to be the sweet spot for the Colts to attack offensive line in this draft.
They could have their pick from so many players they like in that range, including players such as Wyatt Milum (West Virginia), Miles Frazier (LSU), Marcus Mbow (Purdue), Emery Jones (LSU), and Jackson Slater (Sacramento State). Ballard mentioned liking the offensive line depth in this draft, so I think the team takes advantage and finds their right guard in the round three range. If the Colts neglect offensive line here (or address it earlier), there are a few wildcards to mention.
Cal cornerback Nohl Williams is a favorite of the Colts and the team may consider him in this range. Miami running back Damien Martinez is exactly what they are looking for and could be the pick if he's still available. Linebacker Smael Mondon Jr.
could even be an option in this range. Overall though, when it comes to day two, I think the Colts address the trenches pretty heavily. Oh, and expect a round two trade back to accumulate more draft capital, simply because that's the way that Ballard operates.
Day-Three Targets/Objectives Day three is always the most difficult day of the draft to predict, as there really aren't any reaches or steals once we are this late into the event (at least on draft night). Teams essentially have players still on the board until the mid-round five range, and then everything after that becomes an early look at undrafted free agency. So keep that in mind when the Colts take some random division two player in round seven.
If the Colts' draft flows the way I expect it to (tight end early and trenches on day two), then the team isn't left with many pressing needs on the final day of the draft. Linebacker would certainly sit near the top of the list, but Ballard is pretty confident in his ability to evaluate that position. I would expect a super athletic linebacker pick in round four or five if they haven't selected one already in this scenario.
Some other potential targets/objective for the team in this range include a new third quarterback on the roster and a swing tackle to compete with Blake Freeland in camp. For the quarterback pick, the Colts probably look for a Sam Ehlinger archetype of player, so maybe a guy with a little bit of mobility and an accurate (but not strong) arm. At offensive tackle, we all know that the type they covet there is massive (6'7"+) and super athletic, so we already know how that's going to go.
I'm also curious to see how the team attacks defensive back in this range as well. Ballard typically selects 1-2 cornerbacks every draft, so I want to see how much Anarumo influences his picks on day three. With all of those thoughts out of the way, here is a long list of players that I think the Colts will be interested on day three to close this article out.
Brady Cook, QB, Missouri Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame Cam Miller, QB, North Dakota State Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma State Montrell Johnson Jr., RB, Florida Corey Kiner, RB, Cincinnati Oronde Gadsden, TE, Syracuse Thomas Fidone, TE, Nebraska Dalton Cooper, OT, Oklahoma State Caleb Etienne, OT, BYU Jack Nelson, OT, Wisconsin Clay Webb, IOL, Jacksonville State Luke Newman, IOL, Michigan State Zeek Biggers, DT, Georgia Tech Aeaneas Peebles, DT, Virginia Tech Tyler Barron, DE, BYU Que Robinson, DE, Alabama Jailin Walker, LB, Indiana Nick Martin, LB, Oklahoma State Wesley Steiner, LB, Washington State BJ Adams, CB, UCF Zah Frazier, CB, UTSA Josh Minkins, S, Cincinnati Dean Clark, S, Fresno State Dan Jackson, S, Georgia.
