Since waiting for 47 picks wasn't stressful enough, the Indianapolis Colts moved down six spots to acquire more draft capital in the latter rounds. That was a risky gamble by general manager Chris Ballard, but it surely paid off.
The Colts used their newly acquired No. 53 pick to land Georgia standout linebacker CJ Allen, who was projected to be either the first or one of the first linebackers off the board. That's great value at a position of need, and one fewer thing to cross off the priority list.
Now, with the Colts set to make their second selection of the night at No. 73, it's unclear how much value they might find by then. However, one thing's for sure: They must add more firepower to the defensive line.
The Indianapolis Colts must double down on defense with their next selection
With more than 20 picks to go before they're back on the clock and most of the blue-chip pass rushers already gone, the Colts can only pray that Ole Miss' Zxavian is still up for grabs. He's an absolute unit of a human being who stands at 6-foot-8 and 330 pounds, and, more importantly, he played all over the defensive line in his 52 appearances for the Rebels.
Otherwise, they could target Auburn edge rusher Keyron Crawford or Iowa State DT Domonique Orange. Whatever the case, they must get stronger in the trenches and make sure to find someone who can put pressure on the quarterback.
Replacing Zaire Franklin was the first order of business and a much-needed move at that point in the draft, but it won't be enough.
The Colts can't be tempted to take a wide receiver -- even though they need a Michael Pittman Jr. replacement -- after most of the prime pass catchers are already off the board, and they shouldn't talk themselves into taking Jermod McCoy -- he's slipped that much for a reason.
The Colts defense needs to step up in the second year of the Lou Anarumo defense, and after such a major offseason turnaround, they still need to find players who fit his complex defensive schemes and his vision. Giving him that much power might backfire, but if they've already committed to him, they might as well go all-in.
It's almost impossible to predict who's going to be there by the time Ballard picks up the phone again. Still, the board seems to be doing the Colts some favors, and with more draft capital than they started the event, there should be plenty of options to revamp the defense.
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