INDIANAPOLIS – With playoff elimination here, the Colts keep on moving up in the 2023 draft order.
One more week brought the Colts (4-10-1) one spot higher in the draft standings, moving up to 5th.
With another loss for Indianapolis—the 5th straight and 8th in their past 9 games—the Colts are now 5th in the draft order with 2 games left this season.
Monday’s loss also clinched the Colts having at least a top-10 pick in 2023.
Had the Colts won on Saturday, their draft position would have fallen to 7th.
Current 2023 Draft Order
1. Texans: 2-12-1
2. Bears: 3-12
3. Seahawks (from Broncos): 4-11
4. Cardinals: 4-11
5. Colts: 4-10-1
6. Falcons: 5-9
7. Lions (from Rams): 5-10
8. Panthers: 6-9
9. Raiders: 6-9
10. Eagles (from Saints): 6-9
Looking ahead to Week 17, the Colts will have their eyes on the Cardinals/Falcons facing off, wanting to see the Cardinals win that one.
For many Colts fans, this is all that matters the rest of 2022.
They’ve been eliminated from the playoffs for the 6th time in the last 8 years, so they want to see the 2023 draft order and where the Colts will fall.
With that unanswered QB of the future question looming large, many want to see the Colts in the top-10, and climbing as close as they can to the top-5.
As of now, with non-QB needy teams in the Bears and (potentially the) Cardinals above the Colts, that’s further good news in the hope of having a quarterback fall to Indianapolis.
Colts fans also will want to keep an eye on Washington’s record, with the Colts getting their 3rd round pick in 2023 (the Colts do not have their own 2023 third-round pick due last April’s draft trade for Nick Cross).
Currently, these are the Colts draft picks for 2023: Round 1-5, Round 2-37, Round 3-85 (from Washington), Round 4-107, Round 5-141, Round 6-181, Round 6-207 (from Buffalo), Round 7-223.
The Colts will end the season with 2 more games: at Giants, Texans.
Even with playoff elimination, Jeff Saturday has given no indication the Colts will be resting any starters or playing more to the youth down the stretch.
But fans have all but completely moved on to focus on the draft order for this team in 2023, knowing how important that quarterback question is for the future of the franchise.
