The Indianapolis Colts clearly want a lot if they give up running back Jonathan Taylor. Multiple draft picks, with a couple of them being at least on the second day of the NFL draft, are expected. But Indy might have already made that possibility moot and only has itself to blame.
The problem has little to do with Taylor. Instead, the Colts dealt left guard Quenton Nelson and defensive lineman DeForest Buckner for far too little. Nelson was dealt to the Seattle Seahawks for a third-round choice and a fifth-rounder. Buckner was traded to the San Francisco 49ers for only a fourth-rounder.
Nelson should have brought back a second-round pick. Buckner could have done the same. While both are set to be free agents after this season, both are playing at a high level. Indianapolis simply accepted too little for the players.
Indianapolis Colts might not be able to trade Jonathan Taylor
This is likely why no team has been able to pry Taylor from Indianapolis, either because Indy doesn't want to let their elite running back leave or because no team is giving the Colts anything close to what they would need from the deal. And why should a team offer more?
After all, teams saw what Indianapolis was willing to accept for Nelson, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer, and Buckner, still one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league, and might be willing to risk waiting Indy out.
Owner Carlie Iray-Gordon and acting general manager Ed Dodds might be hoping for a Christian McCaffrey-type trade. In 2022, the 49ers gave McCaffrey's former team, the Carolina Panthers, four draft picks, including one in the second round and one in the third round, for the running back. The deal turned out to be a win for all involved.
The Indianapolis Colts seem certain they won't get that much for Jonathan Taylor. To be fair, McCaffrey's versatile game was a perfect fit for the 49ers. Taylor is more of a pure running back and less of a threat as a receiver. He might not be able to help an offense in as many ways as McCaffrey.
To the right team, that might not matter. If a prospective buyer feels Taylor will be the last link in an ultimately fantastic offense, they could make a substantial offer to Indy. There are likely fewer of those kinds of teams that would have wanted McCaffrey, though, so the pool of teams wanting Taylor is probably smaller.
Either way, if a team wants to trade for Jonathan Taylor, after watching what the Colts got in return for Nelson and Buckner, the expectation shouldn't be that Indianapolis will get anything close to a McCaffrey deal. This probably means that once the trade deadline of November 10 passes, Taylor will still be a member of the Colts.
Add us as a preferred source on Google