After seeing how the season played out, how would things have gone differently for the Indianapolis Colts in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL draft knowing what we know now?
ESPN recently tried to figure that out. Each of their 32 beat reporters recreated the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL draft.
For the Colts, in the first round, they passed on Laiatu Latu and instead drafted a cornerback.
In Round 2, rather than trading down from pick 46 to eventually take wide receiver AD Mitchell, Stephen Holder who made the pick, stayed put and ended up selecting safety Kamren Kinchens.
Kinchens was actually a third round pick by the LA Rams at 100th overall.
In his rookie season, Kinchens primarily played the deep safety role and had very good ball production, totaling four interceptions and two pass breakups. He would also hold opponents to under 12.0 yards per catch.
The secondary, of course, is a unit that, as GM Chris Ballard said after the season, has to improve. The Colts finished in the bottom 10 of the NFL last season in completion rate, yards per pass attempt, passer rating, and pass deflections.
Mitchell, meanwhile, had an inconsistent rookie year. While he showed the ability to get open, he caught just 45% of his targets and at times was the fifth receiver on the depth chart from a playing time standpoint.