We recently wrote about a CBS Sports ranking of the best young players in the NFL. It was not particularly encouraging for fans of the Indianapolis Colts. That reality seems to have been confirmed by a similar ranking, this time conducted by ESPN.
Aaron Schatz did not look at individual players. Instead, he rated rosters in the league based entirely on their under-25 talent. The Colts did not fare well. They were rated 26th in the NFL, down from 20th last season. Digging a little deeper into the numbers does not improve the picture. If anything, it looks even worse.
General manager Chris Ballard’s very poor recent track record with his premium draft picks is the main culprit here. Ballard had first- and second-round picks between 2023 and 2025.
Those players should all still be on their rookie contracts and should form the young core of the squad. Two have indeed lived up to expectations. Two others have been major disappointments. And the other two – they are not even with the club anymore.
Indianapolis Colts under-25 roster ranking is cause for major concern
There is a bit of arbitrariness to Schatz’s ratings. After all, 25 is not a magic number. One of the reasons the Colts fare so poorly is that two of its best young players – Sauce Gardner and Laiatu Latu – are just a little too old to be counted. Gardner turns 25 just before the 2026 season kicks off, so even though he is still quite young, he doesn’t count.
Tyler Warren is the only blue chipper under 25 according to the grades. In a perfect world, Anthony Richardson and Adonai Mitchell would also rate as blue chippers. Obviously, neither does.
There are several ways to view this data. None are encouraging. In the AFC South, every team besides the Colts ranks in the top half of the league. That includes defending division champs Jacksonville, who have Travis Hunter and Brian Thomas, Jr. counted as blue chippers.
Even if you point out that neither has proven to be a reliable performer in the pros as yet, the Jags have plenty of other young players who rate just behind them. That is especially true on offense, where coach Liam Coen appears to be building something special.
The recent divisional doormats, Tennessee, finish fifth in Schatz’s rankings. In addition to “blue chippers” Cam Ward and Carnell Tate, the Titans have plenty of young talent on both sides of the ball. And then there is Houston.
The Texans ranked second on the list, down from first in 2025. With Will Anderson, Kamari Lassiter, Aireontae Ersery and CJ Stroud, Houston is one of just two clubs with four blue chippers. Calen Bullock easily could have raised their number to five.
So, the Colts will have a difficult time catching up to Houston and Jacksonville in the years to come, and they may also find it difficult to hold off the Titans.
Having a lot of good young players yields fruit in multiple ways. Given the salary cap, all teams need a few solid performers on rookie deals to allow for a collection of higher-priced veterans.
Beyond that, those veterans have most likely topped out. The Colts have great veterans in Jonathan Taylor, Quenton Nelson, and DeForest Buckner. Chances are good that none of them will be exceeding their production in the years to come. If they can simply maintain their level, that will be quite good for the Colts.
But with younger players, improvement is expected. The Colts can legitimately expect more from Tyler Warren over the next few years. But who else can you say that about?
Here’s the most troubling thing about these new rankings. With the Colts at 26, there are still six teams ranked lower: San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Green Bay, Denver, and the Rams.
Notice anything about those clubs?
They all made the playoffs in 2025. Thus, the Colts are the worst-rated team that did not make the playoffs last year. Those other six teams are reaping some benefit from investing in an older roster. They may well have to pay the piper at some point, although the Rams' Les Snead and the 49ers’ John Lynch seem to shrug off such issues with ease.
The Colts are in the worst of both worlds right now. They do not have the young talent to paint a bright future, nor have they enjoyed recent postseason success. They did not have a first-round draft pick this year. They currently are without one for next year. Chris Ballard has to figure out a way to break out of this cycle, or this could well be his final season in Indianapolis.
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