NEWSLETTER
The Indianapolis Colts are a team in transition, sometimes wandering aimlessly in their search for a quarterback to replace Andrew Luck.
Over the past few years, they’ve tried several veterans, including Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan in an attempt to right the ship. Unfortunately, all have failed to turn the team around. As the team looks to the future and assesses its team needs, there’s no doubt they’re evaluating all of this year’s top quarterback prospects with little doubt they’ll use the No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft to select their quarterback of the future.
With that being said, the 2023 Draft is as important to them as anyone, as the Colts are in desperate need of a new direction.
Colts Draft Selections
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2023 NFL Mock Draft: Latest Colts Mock Draft Preview (Seven-Round)
In this exercise, we completed a seven-round mock draft with the Colts in the crosshairs. With a new head coach in town, this draft class is going to be key to their short and long-term success. The Colts have draft capital that includes a whopping nine picks, including the fourth overall selection, their own second-round pick, their own third-round selection, and a ton of picks on day three.
Let’s run through our latest Indianapolis Colts 2023 NFL Mock Draft.
Indianapolis Colts 7-Round Mock Draft
Round 1 (No. 4 overall with Anthony Richardson still on the board)
Pick: Will Levis, QB Kentucky
In this mock draft, Bryce Young (Panthers) and CJ Stroud (Texans) were off the board at 1-2. The Cardinals took Will Anderson with the third overall selection, leaving Colts General Manager Chris Ballard the difficult decision between Kentucky’s Will Levis and Florida’s Anthony Richardson in the first round.
They simply need to come out of the draft with a franchise quarterback and there seems to be some real steam behind the Levis to Indianapolis narrative of late. The NFL readiness of Richardson is clearly a factor as there may be no more talented player in the draft, but he’s also the rawer of the two quarterbacks and likely not ready to start.
The Colts could turn to Gardner Minshew this season as a starter and sit Richardson, but it makes too much sense to take Levis and pair him with Michael Pittman Jr, Jonathan Taylor, Alec Pierce, and the rest of the skill players in an attempt to win earlier. It’s possible someone decides to deal with Arizona to trade up to get a quarterback and that would make the Colts’ decision pretty easy. In this draft, they didn’t, so Colts GM Chris Ballard takes the upside of Levis, and he instantly becomes their most important player in this draft.
Steichen got it to work with Jalen Hurts, and the Colts will hope he can do the same with Levis.
Round 2 (No. 35 overall)
Pick: Jalin Hyatt, WR Tennessee
The Colts added Isaiah McKenzie this offseason but clearly need more help for Pittman and Pierce. Hyatt could fit the bill here as the Colts get a wide receiver who is an absolute burner and ran a 4.40 40-yard dash at this year’s NFL Combine.
Hyatt is a major boom-or-bust player, but the value you could get here in the second round would be hard to pass up. The Colts could go with a pass rusher, an offensive lineman, a defensive tackle, or cornerback here, as well. In this mock draft, the Colts would get a talented receiver with plus athleticism who could work with Levis and grow together. The Colts have been super active during the draft process, and they really can’t leave the draft without upgrading at this position.
Round 3 (No. 79 overall from WAS)
Pick: Matthew Bergeron, OT Syracuse
The Colts go with Bergeron here. While he needs time to develop his game and likely will move to guard eventually, Bergeron is worthy of a third-round pick and would help the front line of Indianapolis become too undersized in the process.
He likely wouldn’t be available on day three and the Colts need to add some beef to their offensive line.
Round 4 (No. 106 overall)
Pick: Andre Carter, EDGE Army
The Colts could certainly use another edge rusher as they may not have found all the answers they needed in free agency. Carter finished the 2021 season with 15.5 sacks, and while last season wasn’t quite as productive for him as a defender, scouts still like his upside.
There are other edge rushers who offer more versatility and Carter may end up being more of a rush linebacker, but he has talent and can get after the passer as one of the top draft edge rushers or hybrid linebackers.
Round 5 (No. 138 overall)
Pick: Owen Pappoe, LB AUB
Pappoe weighed in at 224 at his Pro Day and teams would like to see him closer to 244 pounds than 224. Still, Pappoe has room in his frame to add 5-10 more pounds and offers a lot as a linebacker. While his sack numbers aren’t that impressive, he has good athleticism and posted 92 tackles last season.
In addition, his production came in the SEC, where the competition is at its best. The Colts could use a hard hitter after losing Bobby Okereke in free agency.
Round 5 (No. 162 overall)
Pick: Kei’Trel Clark, CB Louisville
The Colts are clearly in need of cornerback help as well and Clark would be a good get here. He’s small, but fast. Clark also ranked in the top 12 in overall athleticism at the position at this year’s NFL Draft Combine, which makes him a pretty solid get in round five. Clark needs to work on his tackling and covering shorter routes, but he has some very good traits that translate to the next level.
Round 5 (No. 176 overall from DAL)
Pick: Colby Wooden, LB AUB
If you get one defender from Auburn, why not get the other?
Wooden is different than Pappoe as he comes in at 6’4″ and 273 pounds. He’s also more of an in-line rusher and could be used as a versatile defender in the NFL both on and off the line of scrimmage. He’s not the fastest or the greatest athlete at the position, but Wooden is a tough kid with a solid draft pedigree.
Round 7 (No. 221 overall)
Pick: Jake Haener, QB Fresno St
It’s not out the question that the Colts decide to “double dip” in this year’s quarterback class and Haener could be a late-round flyer for them. His stock is on the rise after being the MVP of this year’s Senior Bowl, and while the Colts could still look at less sexy positions like right tackle or tight end in the later rounds, the former Washington Husky and Fresno State Bulldog would make some sense as a backup. If Levis was to fail miserably, they could at least have another dart throw at the NFL’s most important position.
Round 7 (No. 236 overall from TB)
Pick: Rashad Torrence, S FLA
The Colts end this mock draft with one more shot at addressing their secondary. If Torrence falls all the way to the seventh round, it’s going to be tough for teams to pass on him. The challenge with him isn’t the level of play, it’s his perceived lack of top-end athleticism.
His NFL Draft Combine performance was a disaster, as he scored just a 57 on his athleticism score, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Torrence is a project, but he has a nose for the football and is certainly worth a late-round selection.
Indianapolis Colts NFL Draft, Colts 2023 NFL Mock Draft, and Positional (Edge Rusher, QB, Defensive Tackle) FAQs
When is the NFL Draft?
April 27th-April 29th
Do the Colts need an Edge Rusher, QB or Defensive Tackle the most?
Indianapolis has several needs beyond these listed, but quarterback is clearly the area where they need to improve the most.
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