Draft expert names two ideal picks for Colts but they aren’t that ideal
The Indianapolis Colts only have two selections over the first two days of the NFL Draft and they have to make both picks count.
With the NFL Draft at the end of the month, 2022 mock drafts will soon be a thing of the past and actual selections will be made. The Indianapolis Colts are hoping to hit home runs with all of their picks.
While that is every team’s goal, Indy really needs to so that it can immediately fill holes and compete for a championship next season. Without a first-round pick, the Colts have even more pressure to land big in the second and third rounds.
Who would be the dream prospects they take with those first two selections? Chad Reuter of NFL.com answered that question in a recent piece highlighting the “ideal top two picks for every team.”
For Indianapolis, Reuter named offensive tackle, Bernhard Raimann, the ideal pick at No. 42, and quarterback, Carson Strong, the ideal selection at No. 73.
While adding Raimann and Strong to the Colts would be good additions, they wouldn’t be the ideal first two selections because that means Indy wouldn’t select a receiver until day three.
#Colts GM Chris Ballard said they feel finding an explosive receiver in the draft is “very doable.”
— Locked On Colts Podcast (@LockedOnColts) March 30, 2022
Lock it in for WR at No. 42. pic.twitter.com/t3SmGvAVuf
Colts waiting until day three to select a receiver is not ideal
Bernhard Raimann as one of the top-two picks would be ideal. Indianapolis needs a long-term answer at left tackle and Raimann could be that. However, it may be more ideal if he was Indy’s second pick.
That’s because the Colts have to go receiver at No. 42. Not doing that for a left tackle is understandable, but skipping over receivers again to gamble on a quarterback that isn’t going to play for at least a few years is unreasonable.
The rationale is likely that this is a deep receiver class and Indy would be able to select a good receiver on day three of the draft. While that is true, the quality of receiver typically declines as the rounds go on.
A receiver selected in rounds four through seven is less likely to be able to immediately contribute and offer the Colts what they need to be successful next season.
While Indianapolis has many needs, if it was one that needed to be addressed the most so the team could compete for a Super Bowl next year, it has to be the receiver position.
A quarterback is going to sit behind Matt Ryan and a left tackle may just end up behind Matt Pryor. Additionally, a second-round receiver would be a bigger upgrade over every current receiver not named Michael Pittman Jr. than a left tackle would be over Pryor.
Getting a promising No. 2 receiver with No. 1 receiver potential has to be top priority for the Colts. It would help open the offense up and be the best move for the team’s chance at a Super Bowl.
