4 dream scenarios for Colts entering 2023 NFL Draft

We've officially hit draft week and in just a few days, the future of the Indianapolis Colts will be a bit more clear under new head coach Shane Steichen.

Many teams do hit big in the NFL Draft each year and are among the best in the business. However, some teams fail year after year and are always picking in the top five picks of each draft. Some of the most historic franchises that frequently find themselves in the top five every season include the Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and often one of the two New York teams.

Since the 1998 draft, where the Colts selected Peyton Manning first overall, the Colts have not regularly been this high in the draft. In fact, since then, the Colts have drafted first just once (Andrew Luck '12), third (traded back to No. 6 to draft Quenton Nelson), and now fourth overall in this year's draft.

Now you could say this is Chris Ballard's fault because we've been bad enough to be top five twice during his tenure. This is the first chance he will get at drafting his quarterback, so I will give him a break.

The trade back from three to six was a dream scenario for the Colts. The New York Jets gave a plethora of picks away to move up three spots to draft Sam Darnold in that draft. In hindsight, I imagine they wish they would have stayed at six considering Josh Allen was selected 7th overall.

In that trade, Ballard was able to get an additional three second-round picks in the 2018 and 2019 NFL drafts. With one of the second-round picks in 2018, the Colts selected Braden Smith and then traded the other to the Philadelphia Eagles. In return from the Eagles, they received the 52nd and 169th overall picks where they selected Kemoko Turay and Jordan Wilkins. In 2019, the extra second round pick was used to select Rock Ya-Sin, who was later traded for Yannick Ngakoue.

So what is the dream scenario in this year's NFL Draft? Is it moving up or back in the first round for a franchise changing amount of picks in the draft to build a dynasty? Is it as simple as making the perfect picks that results in championships? Let’s take a look.

Dream scenario No. 1: Bryce Young is selected first-overall and no one trades with the Texans and Cardinals

It's almost a gurantee that the Carolina Panthers are going to draft Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the first-overall pick in this year's draft. That's what the reports tell us anyways.

Unless there is a crazy Draft Day event where they draft a linebacker and follow it up by trading up into the early rounds again to swindle another team out of their picks, it's a lock that they will be selecting a quarterback— likely Young.

The next two picks are trickier though because it is believed that the Houston Texans, at No. 2, only want Bryce Young in this draft and don't really have any interest in other quarterbacks. The Arizona Cardinals, who are picking third, already have their quarterback locked up, so they will be looking at defense.

If no one decides to match the price that it will take to get to No. 2 or No. 3, then the two teams could likely go with a defensive player like Will Anderson Jr., Jalen Carter, or Devon Witherspoon. If that were to happen, Chris Ballard and company have the opportunity to select the quarterback they want and not just whoever is left over.

You'd have to imagine that if the Texans do not draft a quarterback, they are going to do whatever it takes to get rid of the pick and trade back so their divisional rival doesn't have the choice of whoever they want, though. It would be a dream, though, for Indy to select the second quarterback of the draft without even having to trade up.

Dream scenario No. 2: Colts move back in the first round and still get their dream QB

I would like to imagine that Chris Ballard is not going to risk his entire career by moving out of the fourth spot just to gain some draft capital. But for the sake of argument, lets picture that one quarterback is off the board by pick No. 4 and the Colts like all three remaining.

Seeing that the Detroit Lions at No. 6, the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 7, and the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8 could potentially go quarterback, does that warrant a trade back to a safe spot like pick No. 7?

For this to work out, the Raiders would move up to No. 4 and give the Colts picks No. 7 and No. 70 as well as the 2024 first-round pick to move up three spots. This would secure the Colts an additional pick this year and a first round pick next year.

If the Raiders were to take C.J. Stroud and the Lions take Will Levis, this could still land the Colts Anthony Richardson. If they are truly fine with any quarterback in the top four, it wouldn't matter who is available, so long as the Seahawks don't sneak in and draft a quarterback, too!

This is a bit risky, but would gain quite a bit of draft capital. If all of the quarterbacks are taken by pick No. 7, then Chris Ballard better be selling to Colts owner Jim Irsay that they are going for the big fish next season and trading both first-round picks for the top pick in the draft.

Dream scenario No. 3: Colts move back in the second-round to build an offense around their new quarterback

It could end up taking quite a bit to overhaul this Colts offense for Shane Steichen. There is a good foundation already there, but they will need to retool and build up with more young talent to really have a shot at doing something in the AFC.

Moving back in the second round just a few picks makes the most sense here. With a trade involving the New Orleans Saints, the Colts could acquire several picks including the No. 40, No 115, and then 2024 fourth and fifth round picks.

With the 40th pick in the draft, the Colts can go out and get either the cornerback they need for the secondary or select a high-end wide receiver that can be a speedy guy down the field. The Colts will need someone quick in the slot after losing Parris Campbell in free agency, so this could be an easy pick in the second round.

With a later pick, this allows the Colts to build depth on the offensive line as well. Ideally, the No. 35 pick is moved to another team for more picks. The team will need a bit of an overhaul heading into this year so that it will match up with what Steichen and Gus Bradley want.

Dream scenario No. 4: Texans move up to No. 1 and the Panthers take the new Carson Wentz

This one is going to be very controversial for many Colts fans that have become a big fan of the product down in Kentucky. So if you bleed the Kentucky-blue, go ahead and stop reading this.

Imagine the Panthers getting to the first-overall pick in the draft and then realizing they like two quarterbacks. What if they value both Bryce Young and Will Levis equally and decide to trade back with the Texans? Ultimately, I don't think they'd move back one spot, but what they'd get in return from Houston would allow them to recoup some picks they lost in the trade with the Chicago Bears to get there in the first place

This would be a dream for the Colts, because Houston would be giving up a lot of capital to get the quarterback they wanted, so they wouldn't be able to surround him with a winning team for a while unless they built iin free agency.

Meanwhile, the Panthers select Will Levis, leaving the Colts their pick at No. 4 of either C.J. Stroud or Anthony Richardson, who many have decided it has come down to those two players.

The Colts would be in a dream scenario here for a few reasons. First, they'd be able to get one of the two quarterbacks they wanted all along, even if another team jumps up to No. 3. Second, the Texans are giving up capital to get to No. 1 hurting them in the long run.

What would be even more beautiful is if the Titans managed to jump all the way to three and have to give up way too much just to draft either remaining players. Yes, the division would then include Trevor Lawrence, Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, and Anthony Richardson.

Look at it this way though, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. If you are constantly playing against some of the best quarterbacks in the league, you're going to be golden in the playoffs.

READ MORE: 6 potential late-round steals for the Colts