10 Takeaways From Colts 2026 Draft
- Colts drafted 2 linebackers early, raising questions about positional value
- Colts lacked high-quality picks, starting draft late in 2nd round
- Colts did not prioritize edge rush, relying on Tuimoloau's development
INDIANAPOLIS – With that, another NFL Draft is in the books.
The Colts ended up having 8 picks in the 2026 Draft, trading back just once.
Here are 10 takeaways from the Colts 2026 Draft:
-Green Dot for Rookie?: Did the Colts draft their new quarterback of the defense in 2026? Zaire Franklin has been the “green dot” guy for the Colts defense since 2021. But that sideline to on-field communication is going to have to go somewhere else in Lou Anarumo’s second season in Indy. Of course, is Anarumo going to give those duties to a rookie linebacker? Allen was the green dot guy for the Georgia Bulldogs each of the last two seasons. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart lauds the leadership of Allen, so we’ll see if he’s that for the Colts, perhaps as early as this September.
-Positional Importance Doesn’t Meet Colts Premium Picks: Do certain positions matter more than others in the NFL? I would argue they do, i.e. quarterback, wide receiver, offensive tackle, defensive end, cornerback. Well, the Colts spent their first 4 picks in 2026 on an off-ball linebacker, a safety, an offensive guard and another off ball linebacker. Should there have been more of an early-pick focus on some of those other positions? Is such a draft emphasis overblown? A positional mock draft this offseason likely would have had defensive end, wide receiver or even cornerback near the top of the Colts needs list. But the Colts didn’t feel the need to apply a higher positional focus with their more premium picks.
-Trade Request Guys Still Here (Kind Of): While we saw some trade activity around the NFL this draft, the Colts did not make any trades, despite the requests to leave Indy from Anthony Richardson Sr. and Kenny Moore II. Historically, the third day of the NFL can lead to some trades. And we saw Tyree Wilson, the 7th overall pick in the same draft as Richardson, go from the Raiders to the Saints. But the Colts have now gone through the bulk of the off-season roster activity without moving Richardson or Moore. Is it going to get to a point where either shows up to the Colts voluntary offseason program? Is it going to get to a point where the Colts decide to cut any player? Chris Ballard didn’t add much on either situation following the draft.
-Hardly Any Wide Receiver Attention: Entering the draft, there was plenty of debate on how the Colts should handle wide receiver. Well, they didn’t take one until Pick No. 254 and that was a 5-9 speedster in Deion Burks, a far cry from Michael Pittman Jr.’s skillset. Even with the trade of MPJ, I never got the vibe the Colts were too, too worried about going outside of their building for a notable receiver investment this offseason. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was added in free agency. And then nothing in the draft. So making up for Pittman’s consistent catch frequency will be more on the plates of Alec Pierce, Josh Downs and Tyler Warren. Plus, a name or two emerging from the group of Westbrook-Ikhine, Ashton Dulin and LaQuon Treadwell. The Colts need pristine health from Pierce and Downs this year.
-Not Just A Starting Strong Safety: On paper, the pick penciling into an open starting job seems pretty obvious. Starting strong safety Nick Cross is no longer in Indy. So a 220-pound A.J. Haulcy seems to be the obvious new starting fit there, especially given the blah nature to the Colts in-house options there. But Chris Ballard made sure to stress he doesn’t think Haulcy is “just” a strong safety. The Colts GM sees Haulcy also capable of playing in the deeper parts of the field. So maybe some sub package flexibility is there for a guy who did have 12 career interceptions in his 4 years of starting.
-Hello, Curt Cignetti: Production over Potential. Channeling my inner Curt Cignetti there, the Colts could have very well found a pair of Day 1 starters in linebacker CJ Allen (2nd round) and safety A.J. Haulcy (3rd round). You are talking about two All-SEC defenders walking into a defense where multi-year starters are no longer here in Zaire Franklin (Green Bay) and Nick Cross (Washington). In prior drafts, we’ve seen Chris Ballard opting more for traits over collegiate production with some picks. But I don’t think Allen or Haulcy would be slotted into that group. You have some serious college production in the SEC. Allen was a 2.5 year starter in the SEC. Haulcy was a 4-year starter in college (final 3 years in the Big 12 + SEC). Fourth-round pick Jalen Gardner was a 2-year starter in the SEC. Fourth-round pick Bryce Boettcher was a 2-year starter in the Big Ten. This draft was more about on-field production compared to eye-popping relative athletic scores (RAS). Chris Ballard admitted that after the draft, with 6 SEC selections, a Ohio State product and an Oregon product making up the 8-man class.
-Edge Rush Attention Lacking: All those eggs in the Trey Hendrickson basket led to the Colts hardly doing anything at edge rusher this offseason (assuming no lingering vet free agent signing is coming later this spring). The Colts retooled some defensive end depth in free agency, and then waited some 150 spots in the draft before taking a traits-y shot at George Gumbs Jr, followed by local product Caden Curry in Round Six. There might not be a bigger off-season winner for the Colts than Jaylahn Tuimoloau. Despite having a minimal role as a 2nd round rookie last year, Tuimoloau continues to earn praise via the Colts words and actions. In the draft, the Colts didn’t make an edge rush pick until Round 5. This comes after an initial wave of free agency in which the Colts missed on a big swing at edge rusher. Tuimoloau might just be the starting defensive end opposite Laiatu Latu come September.
-Who Is The 3rd Quarterback?: The Colts did not take a quarterback with any of their 8 selections, and Anthony Richardson Sr. remains on the football team. If/when the Colts add another quarterback this offseason will continue to be a storyline. Riley Leonard remains the starer this spring as Daniel Jones furthers his rehab. Seth Henigan, an undrafted free agent from 2025, is the other healthy (and present) QB on the roster. Come September, the expectation is a healthy Daniel Jones will start and Leonard will be the backup. But who is in that 3rd QB spot is a definite question, and one that can’t be overlooked given the injury histories for Jones and Leonard.
-No High-Quality Picks: In not having a 1st round pick, and then trading back in Round 2, the Colts didn’t make their initial selection of the 2026 Draft until No. 53 overall. It’s one of the latest the Colts have ever begun a draft with their first selection. It’s the first draft of Ballard’s 10 in Indy with only two selections in the first 100 picks. Ballard is more in the camp of “give me more quantity” vs. “a few high quality” selections. And it’s largely been a Colts roster missing enough of those high-end talented guys, particularly at the most important positions on the roster. Granted, if you look at the selections of CJ Allen and A.J. Haulcy, both were often pegged higher than where the Colts actually took them (Allen at 53rd overall, Haulcy at 78th overall).
-Major Linebacker Attention: In the 9 years of Chris Ballard, I’m not sure we’ve seen a position with more turnover from one year to another than linebacker this year. The Colts lost more than 2,000 linebacker snaps from last year’s team, returning just 159 (157 from Austin Ajiake and 2 from Jaylon Carlies). So the Colts needed some serious linebacker attention in this draft. And they definitely gave the position that with CJ Allen (Georgia) in the middle of Round 2 and Bryce Boettcher (Oregon) in the middle of Round 4. Now, within the linebacker position, Allen and Boettcher appear to have a lot of similarities. Given positional value, was taking 2 (middle?) linebackers really necessary in the team’s first four picks?
