Time to dig that trench, baby!
The 2025 NFL Draft is nearly halfway through and the Indianapolis Colts have made three selections through three rounds. Those picks are:
14. Tyler Warren, Tight End, Penn State
44. JT Tuimoloau, Defensive End, Ohio State
80. Justin Walley, Cornerback, Minnesota
The third day of the draft is typically where teams are built. If you can find solid contributors on day three, chances are you will be building a solid team over time. And Indy still has several holes to fill so now is the time to shine for Chris Ballard and his staff.
Offensive Line
The Colts lost multiple starters upfront at both center and right guard. Second year players Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves seem poised to step into larger roles this season but if the team fails to address offensive line depth, the team is one injury away from protecting their quarterback with the equivalent of a football helmet wearing traffic cone. A turnstile. A guy who specializes in a technique known as the “look-out block” (the ball is snapped, the guy turns his head and yells “look out” at the quarterback and does nothing else). Chris Ballard just cares too much about the strength of his line to fail to add players up front. So day three we will see one and possibly multiple picks up front. Before the draft Ballard told the world that he believed there would be a lot of offensive line depth in this class from rounds three through five. I expect the Colts to look that way in both of the next two rounds.
A few names to watch:
Marcus Mbow Purdue- Mbow has a lot of experience at RG and RT, but is expected to move inside in the NFL. Despite not doing any pre-draft testing, every report indicates Mbow is a high level athlete on tape, a fluid mover who won’t have trouble with high level athletes at the next level. My concerns with Mbow and the Colts are centered around his ability as a gap scheme blocker. The Colts have had a lot of success with gap schemes and Mbow might do better in a heavy zone system. That said he is a smart player and would no doubt upgrade the RG spot in Indy early in his career. I’m just not completely sold the Colts will think he’s a great fit.
Miles Frazier LSU– Frazier is another guy who checks a lot of boxes for the Colts. He has the size and athleticism Indy so often looks for. He started his career at FIU before transferring to LSU. He is dependable and very experienced having started 49 games in his career. Logging starts at left tackle, left guard, right tackle and 27 starts at right guard, he has experience everywhere but center. He’s the kind of run blocker that the Colts like at that right guard spot. His shortcomings in pass pro might be able to be overcome in time.
Logan Brown Kansas- Brown transferred from Chris Ballard’s Alma Mater, Wisconsin (after being kicked off the team) and missed 2023 with an injury. Brown is a former five star recruit with elite athleticism and the size the Colts love. He isn’t even close to reaching his potential and assuming the off-the-field questions and medical checks are all answered I could see the Colts turning in his card with their fourth round pick.
Bryce Cabeldue Kansas- Cabledue doesn’t have the size or untapped potential that Brown does but his scouting report reads similar to Mark Glowinski’s. His athleticism and strength will allow him to play in the league and his more than 40 starts hint at someone dependable and tested. Cabledue is 6’4” and 306. Glowinski is listed as 6’4” and 311. I mean, he even looks like Glowinski. If you slap number 64 on him and send him in the game at right guard, people on social media are all going to be confused and asking “When did they re-sign Glow again?”
Connor Colby Iowa- Colby checks off several boxes for the Chris Ballard Colts. He’s nearly 6’6”, has very high level athleticism for the position. From his true freshman year at Iowa he started 10+ games a year, 50 in total, 37 at RG, 7 at LG and 6 at RT. His senior year he was first team All-Big Ten. He seems to need to add some strength, something that might be hard to do given that he went to Iowa, a Big Ten school with a seemingly good strength and conditioning program. His other shortcomings might be able to be overcome via his elite athleticism and coaching. For these reasons he’s a name to watch either late on day three or as a priority UDFA.
Jalen Travis Iowa State– Travis is a name to know for the Colts for a few reasons. First, Chris Ballard seems to have a thing for massive offensive linemen and Travis clocks in at nearly 6’8” 340 pounds. The last time Ballard drafted a prospect built in a similar way was 2017 and Zach Banner never panned out for Indy. The difference between Banner and Travis is that Banner’s RAS score was an astounding 1.45 with Travis, Ballard, has the opportunity to draft a massive human who is also a very good relative athlete. He started his college career at Princeton before transferring to Iowa State as a fifth year senior (I presume as a graduate transfer). He also won the 2024 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, an award that athletes from across all sports were nominated for. Interestingly his cousin is former Colts tight end Ross Travis, whom Chris Ballard brought to Indy from the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. He is absolutely massive, has ties to Ballard, an RAS score over 9, very smart, very good person by all accounts. Look, I don’t know where he fits on the 2025 Indianapolis Colts, I just know there are a lot of arrows pointing at this guy.
Defensive Line
On day two the Colts added a defensive end in JT Tuimoloau but their defensive line isn’t done yet. This offseason the Colts lost a ton of snaps at defensive tackle when they cut Raekwon Davis and thus far have failed to resign Tavin Bryan. They replaced those players with Neville Galimore and should look to add additional depth behind DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. I tend to believe the team will be looking for more of a run stuffer to rotate in behind Stewart when he needs to take a series off, so we’ll focus on guys who can potentially come in and provide quality play at the 1-tech DT spot:
Joshua Farmer Florida State– Farmer is about 30 pounds lighter but still might be in play for the role as Big Grove’s backup. His athletic testing is very good for a block eater but ultimately he might not be a fit for either 1 or 3 tech in the Colts defense as he isn’t as explosive as what Indy has looked for at 3-tech and might not have the anchor the team wants when Grove needs to take a series off. All the same Farmer provides excellent value on day three of the draft and might be worth a flier even if the fit isn’t completely perfect.
Deone Walker Kentucky- Walker is another example of a good player coming from a seemingly poorly run program. The questions surrounding Walker are many. There are many reasons to believe he will be a better pro than college player with consistent coaching if the motivation is there for this massive DT.
Jamaree Caldwell Oregon-at 6’2” and 332, Caldwell has the girth to anchor at the point of attack in Anarumo’s defense. His athletic testing was poor but the scouting reports note that he is a fluid mover and has some position flexibility up front. He is a high motor player who started out at Independence Community College before transferring to Houston and then on to Oregon. He has multiple blocked kicks in his career and had 3 PBU’s in 2024 despite his average height and length. Caldwell might not be a perfect fit but his availability on day three and personal grit might be enough for Ballard to turn in his draft card and slide into the rotation on West 56th Street.
Nazir Stackhouse Georgia- Stackhouse is a much different as a prospect than Raekwon Davis was but their athletic testing is similar enough for me to include Stackhouse on this list. Davis isn’t much of a pass rusher but has a ton of experience against high level SEC opponents and has made big plays in big moments (including a blocked FG against LSU in the 2022 SEC Championship game). Stackhouse might be as good as he’s going to get but if Indy is looking for a run stuffer in the middle or back end of day three, Nazir is a great option.
Cam Horsley Boston College- Here’s a guy with the sort of high level traits Chris Ballard loves to take a chance on, during the last couple of rounds of the draft. Horsley has rare explosion numbers for a potential 1-tech and his 10 yard split is faster than Big Grove’s. He’s also about 20 pounds lighter but is noted for playing with quickness and a solid anchor. Most of his noted weaknesses can be coached up at the next level. I don’t know that they rely on someone like Horsley to step into the rotation in his first year but if they want to double up at the position, I think he very well could be an option.
Yahya Black Iowa- Yahya Black is nearly 6’6” tall, weighs 336 pounds and has 35” arms. His athletic testing isn’t great but he might end up being a very effective 1-tech in the NFL. Black is another guy who should be available late that fills a limited role who has completely unteachable traits, most notably, size. Black isn’t my favorite prospect but if he’s there in the sixth, he could absolutely be an option.
CJ West Indiana- Hoosier fans, I’m really sorry. CJ West is a really fun player, he might even become a really good pro. The problem for West and where I see him with the Colts is 100%, completely, his size. He’s 6’1” 316 pounds. The weight is fine, good even. The height is shorter than what Ballard has typically gone after but I hesitate to say it’s a dealbreaker… but the 31.5” arms coupled with the 6’1” frame are where I see the issue. And look, I get it. What’s an inch here or there? The fact of the matter is, Chris Ballard believes that football is a big man’s game and I’m betting that Ballard believes West’s size means to be successful he’s going to have to be an outlier. So the question Ballard will have to answer is, is CJ West special enough to be that kind of outlier? His athletic testing says maybe. That 33” vertical jump is wild at 316 pounds. But in a draft that has an abundance of options in all shapes and sizes at the position, being an inch too short with shorter than ideal arms might be enough for the Colts to pass West up.
Linebacker
A season ago EJ Speed played 1010 defensive snaps or 98% of the teams total defensive snaps. Speed left in free agency and he’ll spend 2025 playing for the Houston Texans. Second year linebacker Jaylon Carlies played 242 snaps or 36% of the teams total defensive snaps. He also missed seven games during his rookie year. Carlies showed flashes but spent a lot of time on the injured list. But the Colts likely feel good about leaning on Carlies for a larger role going forward. Chris Ballard said as much in his pre-draft press conference.
On linebacker pic.twitter.com/goGE3ByFRE
— Not Chris Shepherd’s Burner Account (@NotShepsBurner) April 21, 2025
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Either way the depth behind Carlies leaves a lot to be desired. Behind Zaire Franklin and Carlies are Cameron McGrone, Segun Olubi, Liam Anderson, Austin Ajike and Jacob Phillips. McGrone and Olubi are borderline rosterable players. For a guy hellbent on creating competition all over the roster, he hasn’t done it yet.
Here are some of the names who could be in play on day three:
Smael Mondon Jr. Georgia- Mondon Jr. might be the best all around fit the Colts will find at linebacker this draft cycle. He is an elite athlete who excels in coverage and can run and hit at a high level. He does tend to get washed out some in the ground game (the two games of his I watched more or less confirmed what Lance Zierlein wrote about him in his scouting report) but his ability in both man and zone coverage more than make up for any run game shortcomings there might be. Mondon was a top 30 recruit coming out of high school and started 32 games for a Georgia program that won two national championships during his four years on campus. In his final two seasons he logged 8.5 TFL’s, 6 sacks and 4 PBU’s. Now it all sounds wonderful for Mondon, but there are a couple of ways he doesn’t exactly fit. First are his arms. Chris Ballard loves long-armed ‘backers but I keep looking for one and there aren’t too many players worth taking in this draft who have 33”+ arms. Mondon’s 31.75” arms are the same length of Zaire Franklin’s so there is some precedent there. The other concern is the surgery he had on the stress fracture he suffered in his foot.
Jeffery Bassa Oregon- Bassa has a lot working against him. His athletic profile isn’t great, he isn’t a great prospect overall, his arms are too short and his broad jump is two inches below the 10’ standard the Colts have seemingly had since 2018. Bassa does have two things going for him and those are: 1. I’m desperately trying to find guys who fit what the Colts need and I’m struggling to do it. 2. his ability in coverage. Bassa is noted as being proficient in coverage and for a guy going on day three, that wouldn’t be the worst pick to make.
Kain Medrano UCLA- Medrano is not the instant impact player the Colts might need. He is however, a great candidate if the Colts take a linebacker late on day three. His athletic profile is nearly as good as it gets in this draft. He ran a 4.48 40 and had a 38” vertical jump and 10’5” broad jump. He did it at 6’2” and 222 pounds, which is light, but heavier than Shaq Leonard. Medrano isn’t a guy that could start but if the Colts were looking for rotational help on passing downs and a guy to develop and play special teams in the process, Medrano would be a great option. And what if Lou Anarumo was that the UCLA pro day for Medrano… I mean I doubt it, but it’s not like he closed his eyes when Kain worked out.
Quarterback
When the Colts added Daniel Jones it did a few things. Most importantly it took the need at the position from a fairly large one to one that can most likely be addressed on day three. It also showed us that the team wants it’s quarterbacks to be able to run the same stye of offense. In the past with Gardner Minshew and Joe Flacco, the team essentially had two different offenses in place, one for Richardson and one for a far worse athlete at QB. No, I’m not saying Daniel Jones is the same level of athlete as Richardson (few QB’s are) but compared to Joe Flacco, Jones might as well be Mike Vick. Daniel Jones can run the Anthony Richardson offense and I expect the QB3 they add will be cut from the same cloth.
Some names to know:
Will Howard Ohio State- Howard is such an obvious choice for the Colts’ QB3 role. At K-State he was used in a similar way to how the Colts look to use their QB’s on the ground. He was a tough and productive runner, especially near the goal line. In his final season at Ohio State, Brian Kelly used him more as a passer than ever before and he showed that he could produce with the best of them leading his team to a national championship victory over Texas. Howard isn’t a good NFL quarterback prospect, he doesn’t have a big arm, he doesn’t process the field that well, what he is, is a guy that in an emergency situation can be counted on to execute the run game at a similar level to the top two options, make good decisions on RPO and quick hitting passes and with his experience across various offensive systems, he is likely to be valuable in the QB meeting room helping prepare the QB1 week in and week out.
Riley Leonard Notre Dame– you can copy and paste most of what I said about Will Howard, right here under Leonard. The biggest difference are that Leonard is 216 pounds to Howards 238. Howard is also, seemingly, a much better athlete. Leonard did have 17 rushing touchdowns in 2024, so it’s not like he isn’t productive but if you’re down to your QB3, maybe you think twice before calling QB power for your sub 220 passer on the goal line. Ultimately, as is true for anyone drafted to fill this role, his ability in meeting rooms and at practice are going to determine his value more than what he’ll give you on Sunday. He should be available on day three, how late he’s available will tell the tale.
Quinn Ewers Texas- Chris Ballard seems to really like Steve Sarkisian and the program he’s built in Austin. I can’t give you a well reasoned breakdown of Ewers as a player, honestly I think this guy should have gotten a degree in something other than “Physical Culture in Sports” unless he plans to go into coaching and if that’s his plan, he should just jump right into that. He can’t even change positions and has very few, if any, redeeming qualities as a passer, even though he has enough experience at a major school in a major conference, with good coaching and if he was going to develop at all, it would have happened at least a little by now and it just hasn’t. But Chris Ballard seems to really like Steve Sarkisian’s program. So they might take him!
A Few Other Considerations
The Colts might look to add more help to their running back room and potentially some help on special teams. Here are some names to watch for there:
Wyett Ekeler, Safety, Wyoming- The brother of UDFA legend Austin Ekeler, Wyett is unlikely to be drafted, but this kid is going to be in someone’s camp. If not for his size 5’11” 199 pounds, his RAS score would have been well over 9, His nearly 42” vertical, almost 11’ broad jump and 6.8 second 3-cone are wild. Ekeler might not be a natural fit at safety but could potentially find a role coming downhill as a star defender eventually. But he will be able to help someone on teams from day one. In a draft that lacks star power, finding starters and contributors becomes the name of the game and with those athletic traits it would probably be a good idea for some team to nab him in the seventh so they don’t miss out on this kid.
Brandon George, Linebacker, Pittsburgh- it’s not often that a kid from a Power 4 conference, that is this athletic has a link that goes to his teams bio page rather than a scouting report, but here we are. George did get an invite to the Tropical Bowl (a postseason college all-star game held in tropical Daytona Beach) and was a team captain his senior season. He also played, a lot, on special teams during his time at Pittsburgh.
Dean Clark, Safety, Fresno State- Clark wore the helmet communication for Fresno his final season and was highly productive. He led the team in tackles in 2023. He transferred from Kent State where he was a team captain. Clark has the resume, the athleticism, the leadership, all of it. He is the kind of guy who can come in and be a core special teamer for someone. He falls in the same boat as Ekeler, someone should take this kid in the seventh just to make sure they get him.
Ollie Gordon II, Running Back, Oklahoma State- If the team wants to add a back to come in and compete for RB2, Gordon is my favorite name in this class. Bottom line is, he’s a big bruising back, the kind of guy they have liked to have behind Taylor and for short yardage situations. His RAS is generally not great but given the role I think they would want him for, I don’t think that will matter. If he can prove that he can excel in pass pro and the Colts want a back, I think Gordon has as good of a chance as anyone else to be the pick.
Donovan Edwards, Running Back, Michigan- Edwards played on teams early in his career at Michigan. His athletic testing, while incomplete, shows someone with good speed and strength. He was a highly productive runner who made big strides as a pass protector in Ann Arbor. He would compete for the RB3 spot from day one and could become a core special teamer given his experience and athleticism.
Montrell Johnson Jr, Running Back, Florida- the Colts typically look for violent, between the tackles runners to backup Jonathan Taylor and Johnson fits that bill. He was productive for Florida on offense and doesn’t have much experience on special teams or in pass pro- two major detractors. But if the team were looking for another kick returner, they could do a lot worse than a guy who runs 4.41 at 212 pounds, given the new(ish) kick return rules.
Note: There are simply too many good RB prospects left on the board to do the position justice. I expect there to be multiple runs on the position during day three and it’s possible the Colts get in on the action. Another name to watch for that I’m not going to take the time to write up is Kansas Jayhawks star Devin Neal. Ballard’s son, Cole attends KU and is a reserve quarterback in Lawrence, Kansas. Ballard has watched a lot of Devin Neal and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in Colts blue next fall.
Those are just some of the names that the Colts might add on day three. But if day three is anything like day two, well, we know very little of what the Colts are looking for. As an aside, Chris Ballard seems to be continuing to change his drafting stripes. Ironically, the Colts online fanbase, the one that desperately screeched for Ballard to change his philosophy, is once again screeching now that Ballard is, in fact, changing his philosophy. When you take a step back to observe the absurdity of it all, it is quite entertaining in a way I never expected.
Enjoy day three and remember it’s just 362 days until the start of the 2026 NFL Draft.