Now that the 2026 NFL draft is less than one month away, it is getting a little bit easier to hone in on exactly what individual teams may be thinking. A consensus is forming around where each player ranks. None of that means the myriad mock drafts that are hitting the internet every day are any more accurate. Disinformation is an age-old draft strategy.
For a team like the Indianapolis Colts, this year’s mocks have always been a bit of a dice roll. Most early mock drafts focus on round one. Chris Ballard traded his first-round pick – along with next year’s first-rounder – for Sauce Gardner last November. So the Colts were often ignored in early mock drafts.
Furthermore, without being able to make a guess as to what position they would address with the first round pick they did not have, uncertainty rippled down through the later rounds. Suffice to say that though we can make some broad guesses based on need and interviewing strategies, no one outside Indy’s war room knows exactly what Ballard is thinking.
Still, we’re going to try.
Indianapolis Colts trade down to address their undermanned defense
This is my “trade-down” draft. I go into it hoping to pick up additional assets. The Colts have a lot of holes, especially on defense, and filling them in through the draft is the best tried and true method of building.
But there’s a problem with a trade-back strategy and no first-round pick. You don’t have a valuable trading chip to begin with. How many teams are going to give up a king’s ransom for the 47th pick, which is Ballard’s highest one this year?
So I did agree to a couple of modest trades for some modest returns, but it was not as ambitious as I might have hoped. Still, I think we did pretty well.
Before we get to the picks, here were the two trades:
TRADE 1: I traded the 47th pick to Atlanta for the 48th pick and the Falcons’ fourth-rounder in 2027.
TRADE 2: I then traded the 48th pick to Minnesota for the 49th pick and the 196th pick.
Therefore, moving back two spots, I was able to gain a sixth-round pick this year and a 4th-rounder in 2027.
Now, the picks:
Round 2, pick 49: Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech
I would have drafted Hunter at 47, so I’m very happy with him at 49. He has bounced around of late between the late first round and the middle of the second. Many scouts view him as a scheme-dependent, run-stopping nose tackle, but I am betting that the 6’4”, 318-pounder can show a little more versatility than that in the pros.
He may never be an elite interior pass rusher, but his sheer size and power allow him to collapse pockets. The Colts desperately need to get younger in the middle, and Hunter can step in on day one as a valued rotational defender who should develop into a quality starter in short order.
Round 3, pick 78: Mike Washington, Jr. RB, Arkansas
I wasn’t exactly targeting a running back with this pick, but when Washington was available, I grabbed him. I am tired of trying to ease Jonathan Taylor’s burden through half measures. Washington is a genuine workhorse. He has the size – 6’1”, 223 pounds – and the speed – 4.33 40 – to be a lead back one day. But he doesn’t have to be for Shane Steichen.
He just has to give JT a breather so that he stays fresh all season. The fact that Washington has excellent running ability and is a decent option as a receiver will make him more than a token backup.
Round 4, pick 113: Derrick Moore, Edge, Michigan
Other than linebacker, no position is more in need of rejuvenation than edge rusher. In Moore, the Colts get a proven threat on the edge who consistently performed against the best that college football has to offer. He had ten sacks in 2025 along with 10.5 tackles for loss.
Moore may not be ready to excel as an every-down edge presence immediately, but he has the tools to get there in time. Until then, he will be a real asset for Lou Anarumo’s undermanned pass rush.
Round 5, pick 156: Anthony Lucas, Edge, USC
This is a bit of a flier, and I would not have chosen Lucas had I not been able to get a reliable edge like Moore earlier. Lucas’ ceiling is through the roof - 6’6”, with size, speed, and power. The fact that he has never consistently produced in college raises a lot of questions.
He transferred after his first season and was slowed by injuries at USC. He never really established himself, even when healthy. But the athleticism is obvious, and if he simply needed a few extra years to mature, the Colts could be getting a dynamic player with a modest fifth-round investment.
Round 6, pick 196: Jeff Caldwell, WR, Cincinnati
Caldwell is something like the Anthony Lucas of offensive prospects. The athleticism simply screams perimeter, deep receiving threat. As such, he could slide right into the role that Alec Pierce has been playing for the past several years as Pierce moves up. 6’5”, 216 pounds. Blistering straight line speed. His burst scores are astonishing.
Caldwell will pose matchup problems for even the most physical of NFL corners. The problem is that he remains a very raw prospect. He was OK, but nothing more, in his only season of FBS football. Whoever drafts him will need to show patience.
Caldwell could develop at a slower pace with the Colts. If he ever unlocks his physical potential, he will do some damage in the NFL. (NOTE: this was the pick acquired in the trade with Minnesota)
Round 6, pick 214: Bryce Boettcher, LB, Oregon
I have no clue what Lou Anarumo and the Colts are planning at linebacker this season. But I am reasonably certain they have no intention of chasing a traditional big, fast sideline-to-sideline player. They seem to be stocking the defense with quicker, tougher tackling machines. The 6’1”, 233-pound Boettcher is not going to blow anyone away with his athleticism.
That is not to say he does not possess adequate speed and power to play in the NFL. It simply acknowledges that he doesn’t profile to be a dominant presence. What he did against elite competition at Oregon was make himself invaluable by being very good at both aspects of his job – tackling and covering.
The former baseball standout began as a defensive back but grew into a legit linebacker, and he is still ascending.
Round 7, pick 249: DJ Rogers, TE, TCU
The Colts re-signed Mo Alie-Cox this offseason and then dove in on basketball-playing project Carson Towt. Not to mention phenom Tyler Warren, Drew Ogletree, and Will Mallory. Oh, and Sean McKeon. They need another tight end like the rest of the league needs another AJ Brown trade rumor. So why take one?
Rogers certainly doesn’t blow anyone away with his athletic profile or his pretty good college stats. I’m taking Rogers because I recently saw just how much a tight end like Eric Saubert meant to the Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks. Rogers reminds me a lot of Saubert. He has skills, size, and speed. Nothing elite, but up to pro standards.
And he does a little bit of everything pretty well. He can make a catch for you or throw a block. He is an old-school in-line tight end with some flex potential. Teams need players like that, and a seventh-round pick is a good gamble to find one.
Round 7, pick 254: Isaiah Nwokobia, S, SMU
I’m not as concerned about the safety position as others seem to be. Losing Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas certainly hurt, but Indianapolis has a lot of young players competing to step in, including several very promising ones. Still, it doesn’t hurt to add another to the mix.
After a stellar 2024 season, Nwokobia fell off a bit in his final season at SMU, but he still shows a lot. He has good size and plays very well in zone, where his instincts really shine. Nwokobia doesn’t have the elite traits of a game-changing safety, but he can move around, playing in the box or on the line, while also dropping deep on occasion.
Nwokobia reminds me of Kam Curl, a seventh-round pick of Washington in 2020. There were concerns about Curl’s ability to play deep and to lock up tackles. Playing close to the line, Curl has established himself as a key part of the Rams’ defense. Nwokobia could follow a similar trajectory.
So I went with potential in the middle rounds and took grinders late. Oh, yeah, and I got an extra 4th-rounder for next year. This is not a game-changing draft for the Colts. But it is a solid roster-builder.