Colts Midseason Mock Draft

While the 2024 Colts fight for a playoff spot, it is also important to look to the future for more reinforcements as they try to take the next step in 2025.

The Colts are currently at 5-6 and are ranked 8th in the AFC, just a game outside of the projected playoff picture from the Denver Broncos. As of this week, they are projected to pick at 15th overall in Round 1, the same spot they were in the year prior.

What can the Colts do to finally move up the NFL totem poll, get into the playoffs, and take the next step to try to assemble an eventual contender? Outside of the obvious “Anthony Richardson develops to reach his Superstar potential”, it is to finish rounding out the roster with more depth & talent by addressing various needs. Those needs are (in no particular order):

• Starting Tight End: dynamic playmaker who can impact the game as a receiving weapon and as a blocker in the run game. Both Granson and Alie-Cox are Free Agents, leaving Ogletree, Mallory, and Woods coming off of 2 injury plagued seasons.
• Free Safety: especially if starter Julian Blackmon leaves in Free Agency.
• Coverage Linebacker: Biggest weakness of starters Franklin and Speed as well as depth LBs outside of Carlies, who has dealt with injury.
• Boundary Cornerback: either a true shutdown CB1 or depth in case of injury.
• Running Back: Injury insurance for Jonathan Taylor, can be a change of pace to give Taylor a breather and can pass protect on 3rd Downs.
• Defensive Tackle Depth: Both Buckner and Stewart are on the wrong side of 30, depth questionable in event of either absence as shown in 2023 for Stewart (suspension) and 2024 for Buckner (injury).
• Offensive Line Depth: The Colts have taken at least 1 Offensive Lineman in every single draft under Chris Ballard. With starters Center Ryan Kelly and Right Guard Will Fries set to hit Free Agency and not guaranteed to return as well as injuries to starting Tackles Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith at various points in 2024, almost any spot could be addressed with further competition and depth.
• Backup QB: Joe Flacco’s 1 year deal will expire, leaving the Colts QB room with Anthony Richardson and Sam Ehlinger. Most likely will addressed with another veteran QB signing for stability in case Richardson gets injured.

With the Colts currently having all 7 of their assigned draft picks, lets see how they could go about addressing some of those needs.

Round 1, Pick 15 | Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan

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The Colts offense is already littered with talented passing weapons to play alongside Richardson himself. Michael Pittman Jr. when healthy has been an effective WR1, Josh Downs is a highly efficient slot WR who is rapidly emerging. Alec Pierce is one of the more dangerous deep threats in the NFL and has huge explosive potential with Richardson’s arm. AD Mitchell has been a fantastic separator as a rookie and has flashed high upside as the 4th Wide Receiver. However with the abundance of 2-3 WR sets in this offense, at least one of those playmakers has to be on the bench for a good portion of the game for usually at least 1 Tight End to take the field.

Since Jack Doyle retired, the Colts have employed a Tight End by Committee approach, with not a single Tight End having over 51% snap% or 600+ snaps (closest was 2022 Mo Alie-Cox with 50.9% and 586) and gradually getting more and more committee based. So far in 2024, the 4 man TE room of Mo Alie-Cox, Kylen Granson, Andrew Ogletree, and Will Mallory has combined for just 45 targets, 26 catches, 299 yards, 11.5 Yards per Catch, and 2 TDs through 11 games.

Enter Colston Loveland, possibly the top Tight End prospect of the 2025 draft. While Loveland might not be quite the same level of prospect as Brock Bowers, the top TE of the 2024 Draft who was taken at pick 13 just before the Colts (who reportedly stopped calling teams looking to trade up in Round 1 after he was taken), Loveland isn’t that far off.

Loveland is an advanced route runner at the Tight End position, with suddenness and explosiveness in his breaks and cuts. He is a strong athlete at the TE position, with vertical speed and quickness to be a nightmare assignment at multiple levels. At a reported 6’5 and 245lbs, he has a large frame and the explosion to use his basketball background to full advantage in jump balls.

Loveland can flash fantastic ball skills, catching several tough throws with acrobatic grace. He did suffer concentration drops on tape in 2022-2023, but in 2024 he has cut them out, with only a 3.6 drop rate.

Overall his Yards per Route Run have been 5th in College in both 2023 and 2024 (2.38 and 2.84) and he ranked in the 97th percentile with an 88.7% open target rate in 2023. He can has a good football IQ, helping to find the soft spots in zone coverage on option routes to make it easier on his QB in short-intermediate depths.

He is no slouch as a blocker, showing aggressiveness and willingness in the run game to punish defenders and open holes. With his taller frame he can sometimes have issues with pad level, and he could stand to grow into his frame with a bit more muscle for added power against bigger defensive ends.

He might not be the tackle breaking force that Brock Bowers was coming out, but he still has really good Yards after the Catch and has added size and power compared to Bowers. If he can emerge as a good starting Tight End in the Colts Offense, it will add another dimension to a potentially very dangerous offense.

Round 2, Pick 47 | Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson

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With starting weakside LB EJ Speed and backup MIKE/SAM LBs Grant Stuard and Segun Olubi all potentially entering Free Agency, as well as Jaylon Carlies having only a limited sample size as a rookie due to injury, the Colts could look to address the Linebacker position in the 2025 Draft. Ballard has built a strong reputation during his tenure for LB draft evaluation (Ex: Anthony Walker Jr, Shaquille Leonard, Zaire Franklin, Bobby Okereke, EJ Speed). Adding to that legacy could be the first Linebacker taken in Day 2 of the Draft by Ballard since 2019.

Barrett Carter could inherit EJ Speed’s Weakside Linebacker spot in 2025 or later in the event the soon-to-be 30 year old linebacker is retained. The Clemson Tiger has been a chess piece for Dabo Swinney to use, and has exceptional versatility and athleticism on tape. A high energy 6’1 235lb. Linebacker who brings incredible speed, agility, and football IQ. He has a natural feel in coverage, being disciplined in his zone and eyes and able to pass coverage in crossers seamlessly to quickly diagnose underneath threats. His fluid hips are next level, helping him shadow receivers in coverage very well.

He explodes as a blitzer as well, terrorizing A and B gaps routinely. Carter has a very nice assortment of pass rush moves to befuddle interior blockers and has strong pursuit skills on mobile QBs. His sideline to sideline range is sensational, allowing him to stop outside runs in their tracks.

Carter’s biggest weaknesses are play strength (can have issues at times shedding blocks) and tackling technique consistency. If he can improve his power a bit while learning better tackling techniques, he could be a special Linebacker. In a new age of lighter linebackers with an emphasis on speed, coverage, and IQ, Barrett Carter can certainly make a name for himself.

Round 3, Pick 79 | Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame

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The Colts add a smart playmaker in Round 3 with Xavier Watts, who’s film study shines on tape. A leader of Notre Dame’s defense, Watts has followed up his 7 INT-Bronko Nagurski Award Winning season with 4 more pick in 2024, routinely diagnosing plays quickly, reading QB’s eyes, jumping routes, and showing strong ball skills. He always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and it is certainly not a coincidence. There is little to no wasted movement in his drop backs or his pursuits, often snuffing out plays underneath before they have a chance to develop, beating blockers and runners to the spot.

He has aligned mostly as a free safety but does have a lot of box experience as well. He certainly has some speed in his game, but he isn’t the freakiest athlete at the Safety position (which might not make him fit the Ballard prototype at the position). While he can have issues vs twitchier runners in space in coverage, he has a strong sense of leverage and angles to still win plenty of reps vs players either size or speed advantages. He is a sound tackler and well polished prospect who can be an immediate starter.

While Watts might not be the freakiest athlete, his high IQ and understanding of football + film study could be a huge boon not just to himself, but to other young secondary teammates like Nick Cross, Jaylon Jones, and JuJu Brents. If he can help further the development of these fellow players while also being a very instinctive playmaker in his own right, the impact on the Colts defense could be phenomenal with this pick up.

Round 4, Pick 116 | Ephesians Prysock, CB, Washington

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If you want freaky athletes who need some development but have special traits that could make them stars later on, Prysock might be a prospect for you. At a 6’4 and 190lb frame, he certainly has an imposing figure at Corner. He has impressive short area quickness and twitch, which when combined with his length makes short area throws a likely non-starter for opposing WRs routes. His fluidity and flexibility to sink his hips is remarkable at his size, and he can match and redirect really well in man coverage. Combine that with a smooth backpedal and fast react times in zone coverage as well as the clear blockshedding advantage he has over most corners, and the upside and tools are there for a star Corner.

However, Prysock isn’t falling to Round 4 without good reason. He lacks longer speed, which can get him beat vertically, and he needs to be better at using his size to his advantage by not giving up inside leverage, avoiding over-extending on jams, and having more active feet vs press. He needs more time to develop those traits as well as ball tracking and ball skills to maximize his potential, and likely shouldn’t see the field much as a rookie.

However if the Colts are patient with him and he sits behind Jones, Womack III, Brents, and Moore II for a bit, he could have time to put it all together and turn into a huge threat on opposing WRs.

Round 5, Pick 153 | Kyle Monangai, RB, Rutgers

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This Scarlet Knight could be a really good fit for the Colts. The former backup to Isaiah Pacheco, he might not have quite the same level of speed or weight as Pacheco, but he has a very low center of gravity with a compact 5’9 and 210lb frame, a solid power profile on inside run concepts, elite contact balance, strong shiftiness and tremendous energy and effort that is a fun watch on tape. Combine that with good vision and feel for when to explode or when to be patient through a gap, with a knack for making tackles miss, and he certainly makes an impression.

Monangai is a team captain and it shows as he is the lifeblood of his offense. His aggression on every rep can be felt, and he dishes out punishment in particular in pass protection. Combining strong leverage, technique, and aggressive power, he might be the best pass protecting RB in the draft class. This is a very underrated trait for some in media, but it is crucial for a RB’s early career snap count viability.

Monangai would thrive when the Colts call inside Zone concept runs, Duo, Counter, and gap scheme. While he doesnt have an extensive Receiving portfolio, he has shown flashes of strong routes out of the backfield with crisp cuts and good separation. If he can work on his hands a bit, he could be a viable threat out of the backfield too.

For a 3rd down/change of pace back who can maximize the holes the Colts OL can open up and help keep Richardson clean in the pocket, a 5th round pick seems a worthy investment for a reliable RB2.

Round 6, Pick 191 | Jake Slaughter, C, Florida

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“Are you ready for the Slaughter?” – Jake Slaughter, probably at some point in his career.

Name awesomeness aside, this Center out of Gainesville has impressed in the last 2 seasons. Over the last 2 years he has had a 78.4 and an 81.9 Pass Blocking Grade as a starting Center for the Gators, with a 77.7 and a 77.8 overall Grade. He is a faster center, thriving in getting out in space quickly in pulls and showing smart hand placement, which the Colts both value. He has been adept in Zone and gap looks, but needs a bit more power overall in his sets and in the run game. Those limitations might keep him as a day 3 prospect, as well as only exclusively taking snaps at Center.

Still Slaughter could be a solid backup Center if the Colts look to move forward with Tanor Bortolini as the starter going forward.

Round 7, Pick 230 | Yahya Black, DT, Iowa

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Black gives the Colts a 6’5 300lb powerful interior run defender, with length and grip strength to redirect opposing Offensive Linemen or push them into the backfield. He can lineup at a both 3T and 1T or Nose Tackle. However he is a bit of a one trick pony. He doesn’t have the burst or speed to win quickly in a rush nor the counters to adjust to if his power bull rush stalls. Could offer a solid depth run stopper in case Grover Stewart has any absence.