ESPN's iconic Mel Kiper Jr. has released his latest mock draft for 2026, but the Indianapolis Colts weren't a part of it. Kiper only did a first-round mock, you see. Indy isn't a part of that. It is because of general manager Chris Ballard.
As Colts fans will remember, Ballard, after not making a true trade deadline move in his previous eight seasons with the team, decided to go all-in in year nine. He gave the New York Jets two first-round selections and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell in exchange for cornerback Sauce Gardner.
Gardner is a great player, but he isn't a quarterback, top edge rusher, left tackle, or WR1. Ballard gave up too much to get him. No matter that the cornerback was injured after being acquired, he was good when he played and will almost certainly be good in the future. But not good enough to deal two first-round picks for him.
Mel Kiper's recent mock might leave Indianapolis Colts fans feeling blue
Assuming that Indianapolis would have picked at the same slot had they not made the move for Gardner (and the cornerback wasn't able to help the team much; he played in four games, and the team went 1-3 in those games), the Colts would have chosen at number 16.
Even if Kiper is correct on his first 15 picks, Indy would have been able to choose from many players who play positions of need for Indianapolis. The ESPN pundit has the Jets choosing defensive tackle Peter Woods at 16, for instance. The Colts have to rebuild their defensive front this offseason, and Woods would have been a good run-stopper with the ability to supply interior quarterback pressure.
Edge rusher Zion Young goes off the board at 17. Indy must find a play to pair with Laiatu Latu to have a more sustained pass rush. The raw pass-rushing statistics for the Colts in 2025 are misleading. Fans could see that the pressure the team got on opposing quarterbacks was inconsistent. It has to improve.
Another painful pick that won't find Indy, should Kiper be correct, is edge rusher R Mason Thomas going to the New England Patriots at pick 31. Thomas has been mocked to the Indianapolis Colts this offseason, and not getting him in the second round would have been a correctable issue had Chris Ballard not given up too much for Sauce Gardner.
Maybe Ballard can find a way to trade back into the first round, but that only compounds the original issue. Indianapolis wasn't having a problem in the secondary that needed to be fixed when the Gardner trade happened. Instead, Ballard might have dealt for an edge rusher. He didn't, and the Colts will keep paying the price for two years.