After months of anticipation and overreacting to mock drafts, the 2021 NFL Draft has finally arrived. If we had to guess, we’d say that’s music to the ears of Indianapolis Colts fans, who’ve suffered through an offseason highlighted by a lack of spending in free agency.
If you can believe it, all of the final round of mocks had the Colts doing something different with their first-round selection. The way we saw it, they could either stay put and draft an edge rusher or left tackle, trade up for an LT they’re head over heels for, or trade back and stockpile picks.
Well…welcome to Indianapolis, Kwity Paye! Who saw him landing here?
However, the second and third rounds figure to unfold a lot differently than the first 32 picks, which should include five quarterbacks.
We know Ballard has made his money on Day 2 of the draft — where he’s nabbed impact players like Darius Leonard, Braden Smith, Jonathan Taylor and Bobby Okereke (among others) — so what trends should he be on the lookout for in the second and third rounds this Friday?
What trends should the Colts watch out for on Day 2 of the NFL Draft?
If #Colts are targeting a left tackle first, Kansas City trading for Orlando Brown takes another team off the board who could take one.
— Locked On Colts Podcast (@LockedOnColts) April 23, 2021
Indy could realistically move back to the early parts of Round 2 and still get their potential top target at LT.
Indianapolis Colts Round 2 Trends
Assuming the first round unfolds the way almost every expert believes it will, the second round should see a slew of wide receivers, offensive linemen, linebackers and even cornerbacks come off the board in a relative hurry.
If the Colts were to acquire multiple second-round picks in a potential trade, we would seriously advise the front office to nab two or three of those positions, excluding receiver given the lack of need, as the talent drop-off entering the third round could be significant.
If we had any say in the matter, we’d keep a sharp eye on Jayson Oweh (DE), Jabril Cox (LB) Gregory Rousseau (DE) and Joe Tyron (DE) at the start of Round 2 and the likes of Samuel Cosmi (OT), Asante Samuel Jr. (CB), and Liam Eichenburg (OT) at the middle and end of the round.
Who is your pick to be #Colts new starting left tackle?
— Locked On Colts Podcast (@LockedOnColts) April 26, 2021
Sam Cosmi, Texas
Liam Eichenberg, Notre Dame
Alex Leatherwood, Alabama
Dillon Radunz, North Dakota State pic.twitter.com/aamgsCUWyD
Indianapolis Colts Round 3 Trends
At this point in the draft, we expect a slew of defensive players to come off the board. In other words, the Colts should maybe look to address the defensive end and linebacker positions in the first and second rounds.
Thanks to the Carson Wentz trade, the Colts don’t currently have a third-round selection, so maybe this shouldn’t even concern them. However, as we noted earlier, that could change in a heartbeat if Ballard decided to trade back in Round 1.
If Ballard manages to acquire a third-round pick, we’d love the idea of pouncing on a cornerback, wide receiver or even a tight end, as either one of Brevin Jordan or Tommy Tremble would be a dream scenario for Indianapolis if they slipped that far.
That pretty much sums it up, folks. Ballard is as premeditated as any general manager in the league, so he probably has a spreadsheet highlighting which round a certain position is expected to come off the board in waves.
Considering how much success Ballard has had drafting on Day 2, we seriously hope he’s conducted some groundwork to see how many picks he could acquire if he traded back. Who knows? If he plays his cards right, we could be looking at a draft haul similar to that of the lauded 2018 class.
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