Indianapolis Colts: 3 problems Colts can’t fix during draft

Though general manager Chris Ballard might’ve tipped his hand to the media in his pre-draft press conference last week, the Indianapolis Colts remain a mystery with regard to how they plan on attacking the 2021 Draft.

It was clear at the start of the offseason — and continued when it became evident that they weren’t going to spend big money in free agency — that the Colts’ biggest needs are at left tackle, edge rusher, wide receiver and cornerback.

Though Ballard is arguably the most prolific drafting general manager in the NFL, he only has six selections to work with beginning on Thursday night.

That’s the fewest he’s had since he was hired four years ago and he opened the proceedings without a third-round pick, where he’s tended to strike gold.

At this very moment, Ballard and the Colts don’t have the requisite draft capital to fix all of their roster conundrums this weekend.

Here are three that stick out the most in our eyes.

Here are 3 problems the Colts won’t be able to fix in the 2021 Draft.

3. Cornerback

To their credit, the Colts re-signed Xavier Rhodes and TJ Carrie this offseason. Those moves will go a long way towards shoring up the secondary, as they now have one lockdown perimeter guy and two dependable slot specialists (Kenny Moore being the other).

You might be wondering, what about Rock Ya-Sin? Well, the 2019 second-rounder saw his playing time reduced significantly over the final handful of games amid his struggles in coverage, particularly with pass interference penalties.

Don’t let the Indianapolis Colts’ free agency moves trick you into believing that their cornerback situation is resolved.

This will be a make-or-break season for Ya-Sin, as Indianapolis will have to make a decision on his fifth-year option next offseason. Assuming the coaching staff hasn’t lost all their faith in him, however, the Colts likely won’t use one of their high picks on a cornerback.

We would personally be in favor of such a move, but their first three selections will presumably be used on an offensive tackle, edge rusher and maybe a receiver. That means they wouldn’t draft a CB until the fifth round (No. 165 overall) at the absolute earliest if they don’t trade back and accumulate more picks.

While Ballard is more than capable of striking gold at that point in the draft, the talent drop-off at cornerback beyond the second and third rounds is said to be significant, per experts. Because of that, we’re fully expecting CB to remain an area of concern for the Colts after the draft.