The Indianapolis Colts go into the 2026 NFL draft without a first-round pick. GM Chris Ballard traded it to the New York Jets for Sauce Gardner. Just before the season, he had traded his 2026 sixth-round pick to Minnesota for Mekhi Blackmon. Hopefully, he will not feel the need to trade away any more draft picks for cornerbacks.
Despite not having that first-rounder, Ballard will have seven or eight picks, depending on compensatory awards and barring more trades. Most of them will come on Day Three, but Ballard has done a decent job of identifying talent in the later rounds.
Throughout his nine years, he has acquired the likes of Grover Stewart, Zaire Franklin, E.J. Speed, Will Fries, Tanor Bortolini, and Hunter Wohler in rounds four through seven. Hopefully, he will be able to work some of that magic this year. I’ll do my part to help.
Early 2026 mock draft with the Colts’ drafting order in place
Round 2, Pick 46: Kenyatta Jackson, Jr., Edge, Ohio State
Both Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam are pending free agents. Even if Ballard brings Paye back, he needs help on the edge. Jackson has all the tools to be a two-way edge, who can rush the passer as well as defend the run.
His run defense may be a little ahead of his pass rush at this point, but his physical tools – 6’6”, 265 pounds, with great speed and agility – scream “pass rusher.” He will need to refine his technique, but could rather quickly give the Colts two very rangy, active defenders on the edges.
Round 3, Pick 77: Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington
Indy desperately needs someone to spell Jonathan Taylor in the backfield. DJ Giddens showed the briefest of flashes in his rookie season, but I doubt Ballard and Shane Steichen are convinced Giddens is the man for the job.
Coleman can be a workhorse. At 5’9”, 228 pounds, he has NFL-level power and could be an immediate help in short-yardage situations. He will not run away from speedy defenders at the next level, but he shows surprising burst for a man of his size. He can also catch and, with additional work, could become a sturdy blocker.
Round 4, Pick 115: Fa’alili Fa’amoe, OT, Wake Forest
Fa’amoe is just scratching the surface of his potential at tackle. He entered college as a defensive lineman before switching to offense in his second college season. He has played on the right side in college, but seems to have the natural footwork to learn the left side as well.
With long-time right tackle Braden Smith potentially leaving via free agency and Jalen Travis in line to take a starting role, Fa’alili could slide into Travis' swing tackle role as a rookie and look to move up the depth chart with greater experience.
Round 5, Pick 154: Dontay Corleone, DT, Cincinnati
You’ve got to love Dontay Corleone, the 6’1”, 335-pounder who made Bruce Feldman’s popular Freaks List based on both his exceptional combination of speed and power. So why is he still on the draft board past the 150 mark?
First of all, interior defensive linemen are undervalued in the draft process because they don’t always pile up the stats. His short stature causes some concern about how effective he will be at corralling ball carriers. He will begin as a rotational piece who may work his way up to a starting tackle.
Both Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner are past 30, and Buckner is dealing with injuries that could lead to retirement. Ballard has picked up some promising interior defenders of late, and he should grab another one here.
Round 6, Pick 214: Arion Carter, LB, Tennessee
The Colts are woefully thin at linebacker. Even if they re-sign Germaine Pratt, he and Zaire Franklin are the only two reliable first-down linebackers on the roster. The others are special teamers or coverage specialists.
Carter is not flashy, but he does the thing that linebackers have to do first and foremost. He makes tackles. Despite dealing with turf toe for much of his 2025 season, the junior led the Vols in tackles with 76. He had six TFLs and 1.5 sacks.
He does not have the size or speed to climb up many draft boards, but some team will be getting a very good special teamer and developmental linebacker when they choose Carter. He would fit nicely on the linebacker-needy Colts.
Round 7, Pick 229: Collin Wright, CB, Stanford
Wright has the tools and experience to be a productive perimeter corner in the NFL. And if 2025 taught us anything, it’s that you can never have enough cornerbacks. Wright is similar to Johnathan Edwards, the only UDFA to make the Colts roster at the beginning of 2025.
He has good size to play on the outside. His stock is going to rise or fall depending on the numbers he hits at the combine or at Stanford’s Pro Day, but his tape shows someone with adequate speed who gets an extra step based on his ability to read the play. Wright has a wealth of experience and has been a leader in college. He will be ready to contribute immediately.
Round 7, Pick 249: DJ Campbell, OG, Texas
Campbell has been the classic “road grader” in college. He shows enormous power and durability. The question at the next level is whether he is nimble and agile enough to operate in space and deal with quicker interior linemen.
That is a legitimate question, but at the end of the draft, Campbell is well worth the gamble. He has played a lot of football for an elite program and shown NFL-level skills. With proper development, he can at least be a plus backup and perhaps more.
I should mention that the program I used to conduct this mock gave me one more pick, though I don’t believe that was correct. So, a couple of picks after Campbell, I took a flyer on Drew Allar, who might have been one of the top quarterback prospects this year had he not broken his ankle early in the season.