Colts 7-round 2023 NFL mock draft 1.0: Building an offense

Now that the top of the draft is cemented, the official mock draft season can begin. What prospects can the Indianapolis Colts land?

The Indianapolis Colts hold the No. 4 pick in the NFL draft and it is widely known that fans want to see Chris Ballard draft a quarterback with their first-round pick. In his post-season press conference, Ballard stated that he will do “whatever it takes” to draft the franchise quarterback this year if he’s sold on a prospect.

Now, that could mean he will take someone with pick No. 4, he could trade up and take someone, or he could pick a quarterback in the later rounds. Maybe he shocks everyone and does two of those three options. As of today, the Colts have one pick in each round of the NFL draft. Ballard often makes moves during the draft, so the chances of only drafting seven players, or even just picking without moving around the draft a bit are slim.

The major positions that need to be addressed in the draft are quarterback, offensive line, wide receiver, cornerback, and tight end. With no future in place for the quarterback position, that should be priority number one for the Colts’ scouting team. If it isn’t, the franchise will get a lot of pushback from the fans and the media.

The offensive line needs better depth and potentially at least one new starter. Wide receivers and cornerbacks are needed for depth with starter potential for when players go down. And we all have seen how much the Colts’ offense has missed a player like Jack Doyle. Without a true blocking tight end, it has been tough for the Colts to keep moving.

With Yannick Ngakoue likely to hit the free agency market this year, the Colts may need to look at finding his replacement to pair with Kwity Paye. More depth in that position is going to be drafted, as we always see with Chris Ballard in the draft. Is it even really a Ballard draft class if he doesn’t take a defensive lineman?

So let’s get right to it and see who the Colts draft with the first mock draft of the offseason!

Colts draft QB Bryce Young in the first round (4th overall)

At the top of my draft, the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals stayed put and took defensive players, while the Houston Texans drafted Will Levis over Bryce Young. This was an almost no-brainer decision to draft Bryce Young with pick No. 4 in the draft.

In recent rankings, Young sat as the second-best quarterback for the Colts to draft, behind C.J. Stroud, and with Stroud still on the board, I took Young anyways.

Stroud is very much a project piece for the Colts as he hasn’t learned to plant his feet and deliver a great throw. If he is able to do that, then it would really improve his game. With Bryce, you are getting a day-one starter in the NFL.

Bryce has poise and can deliver the perfect ball. If he’s able to get the time in the pocket, he is going to hurt a lot of defenses. The worry with Young is that he is on the smaller side, standing at just six feet tall and 194 pounds. Jim Irsay has never drafted a quarterback of that size in his time as the Colts owner or general manager. So this would be a change for him.

The important thing for Indianapolis would be putting Young behind a great offensive line. We saw how Indy’s quarterbacks struggled to stay healthy behind last season’s offensive line, and they were much bigger than Bryce Young. It’s essentially malpractice to put a quarterback behind a line as bad as Indy’s was, especially a QB that is Young’s size.

Colts move back with the Falcons and draft EDGE Andre Carter II in the second round (39th overall)

This is not the move that you thought would be happening when you hear a trade alert in the early rounds of the draft. Here, the Colts moved back a few spots by sending pick No. 35 and their 7th-round pick (No. 195) to the Falcons for pick No. 39 and the Falcons’ 4th-round pick (No. 103).

The Colts select Andre Carter II after Army waives his service requirement so that he is able to enter the draft. This is very seldomly done by one of the branches, so Carter II must be a special talent to move straight into the draft.

Carter II is projected to be a top-50 pick in the draft and has already accepted his Reese’s Senior Bowl invitation for this year. He is projected to be the Black Knight’s highest draft prospect in the modern-draft era that started in 1967.

Andre finished his college career with 20 sacks, two interceptions, five forced fumbles, and two blocked kicks. Those are solid numbers for the edge rusher who played in 31 games at Army over the course of three seasons. Carter also has great size and athleticism for the edge-rushing position.

He’s listed at 6-foot-7 and weighs 265 pounds. With his frame, length, and skill set, his ability should translate perfectly to the next level, and should be able to help the Colts get after the quarterback consistently.

This could be a pick by Ballard that is well-liked by fans to lineup opposite of the emerging Kwity Paye and could actually help both the pass and rush defense.

Colts draft OT Dawand Jones in the third round (79th overall)

He might not be the offensive guard that the Colts need desperately, but Dawand Jones is certainly one of the most athletic offensive linemen in the draft. Standing at 6-foot-8, 360 pounds, Jones is as athletic as you can get drawing comparisons to Hall of Fame tackle Jonathan Ogden. He’s a tackle that can get in the face of just about anyone and control the offensive line.

Mostly lining up at right tackle, this is a spot that can build if the Colts decide to move on from Braden Smith. Likely too large to line up at right guard, selecting Jones allows the ability for Indianapolis to move the line around a bit to put him at a wing position.

A little-known fact about Dawand Jones is that he’s a former Ben Davis High School basketball player who played varsity his first three years in high school before focusing on football. Being selected by the Colts would give Jones the opportunity to return home and play for his city’s team.

Jones could be a key piece to building up the offensive line, which was one of the worst-rated units in 2022. He doesn’t need to be a day-one starter, as you would think the Colts continue to start highly rated Braden Smith and Bernhard Raimann.

Colts draft WR Zay Flowers in the fourth round (99th overall)

If Zay Flowers had an elite quarterback at Boston College, he’d be much higher on the draft board. In fact, Flowers was rumored to go into the 2022 NFL Draft and would’ve been selected but he decided to return for one last season and continue building his collegiate resume.

Indianapolis is looking for its next T.Y. Hilton, and Flowers could be that missing piece. The weapons that are in the wide receiver room are no jokes, but there is no one that just stands out in the national spotlight just yet. Jones won’t be the receiver that is going to be a top-five weapon every single year, but he has the ability to be a really good pass catcher for the Colts.

Depending on what happens with Parris Campbell this offseason, there is a chance the Colts are going to be looking for a speedster that can create his own space vertically. Chances are the Colts do bring back Campbell this offseason after a breakout year, but maybe he decides to move on in free agency and go to another team that can compete right away.

If it is just Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce, Indianapolis will need another receiving weapon to give Bryce Young. The only thing more important for a young quarterback than an offensive line is weapons. Maybe Young-Flowers will be the new Luck-Hilton?

Colts draft QB Hendon Hooker in the fourth round (103rd overall)

This is the pick that we received in the trade with the Atlanta Falcons earlier in the draft. Having parity in the quarterback position is not necessarily a bad thing in the NFL anymore. There was once a time when if you had an elite quarterback, there was no need to have an elite backup. You just needed someone to carry the clipboard and look good doing it.

With Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck, that was all that was needed. The Colts found out the hard way when Luck started getting injured that this was not necessarily the case. In fact, the Colts started three different quarterbacks in 2022.

In this year’s playoffs, fans didn’t see Lamar Jackson or Tua Tagovailoa with both out dealing with injuries. Without a succession plan for both, the Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins were ultimately limited.

Drafting Hooker later in the fourth round provides Indianapolis with the ability to have a backup plan. He’s a little older and dealing with an ACL injury, but he doesn’t need to start this season or maybe even ever. Peyton is a huge fan of the Tennessee quarterback and before his injury late in the season, Hooker was looking to be a Heisman finalist.

Looking around the league, there are starting quarterbacks that were not drafted with the intent to start. Kirk Cousins is the most notable quarterback that is doing a great job for what he has put up with. He was drafted in the fourth round in the same draft Washington took Robert Griffin III. Which one is in the playoffs this year?

Colts draft CB Riley Moss in the 5th round (131st overall)

A bit late in the draft, but the Colts do find their cornerback selection with Iowa’s Riley Moss. Moss is a bit of a standout in the Iowa defense and could play a few different positions, but he will likely fill in the slot and on special teams. A true team-first-oriented player, Moss could slide back to safety in time of need.

He probably won’t get much playing time with the starting unit, but he will be a serviceable backup, especially if Stephon Gilmore does stay in Indianapolis for another season.

The Colts don’t need a flashy guy at the corner in the late rounds, but finding a player you can put on the roster and do what you need out of him is good enough. After all, Isaiah Rodgers Sr. was drafted in the late rounds and was supposed to just be a special teams player.

Riley won’t be Isaiah Rodgers, but the comparisons could be made in that sense.

Colts double up with WR Rakim Jarrett in the sixth round (163rd overall)

The Colts may need to double up and provide weapons for rookie quarterback Bryce Young. Adding Maryland standout Rakim Jarrett in the late rounds provides depth to the position that Indy could use. In just 28 games for the Maryland Terps, Jarrett caught 119 passes for 1,552 yards which averaged 13 yards per reception. He added 10 touchdowns to that in his three-year span as well.

Jarrett is athletic and can make the most impossible catches with the passes he’s given. Since Bryce can put the ball just about anywhere on the field, this could be a potential match that exploits defenses down the road.

If the Colts go with a second receiver late in the draft, it’s going to be interesting during camp to see how things shake out. He could end up being a kick returner to start and earn his way up the depth chart sitting behind Pittman, Pierce, and Flowers.

Overall, the Colts have a solid draft from where they were picking. I would not be surprised if Ballard finds himself with two or three picks in the seventh round as well.

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