Colts Linked as ‘Trade-Up’ Candidate in NFL Draft

The Indianapolis Colts at present have the No. 14 place within the 2023 NFL Draft based on Tankathon. They’re being listed by Bleacher Report (B/R) as a primary candidate to maneuver up within the 2023 NFL Draft to focus on one of many premier quarterbacks on this cycle.

B/R put collectively a listing of the highest tradeable gamers within the NFL, and No. 1 on the record is not a participant in any respect, however an early decide within the draft.

“It does not take an lively creativeness to ascertain a crew buying and selling up even earlier than the draft to attempt to land one of many prime QB prospects,” writes Kristopher Knox of B/R. 

“In 2021, for instance, the San Francisco 49ers traded 2022 and 2023 first-round picks and a 2022 third-rounder to maneuver from No. 12 to No. 3 within the first spherical. That was earlier than San Francisco even knew which quarterbacks can be obtainable at its decide.”

Quarterbacks Bryce Younger of Alabama, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State, and Will Levis of Kentucky are three quarterbacks who might go prime 10 this yr. In a mock draft earlier this week, the Colts hit the jackpot by getting Stroud at No. 14, however he is extra prone to go first general than drop into the teenagers. 

With a tricky sled of groups nonetheless on the schedule to complete the season, the Colts may not need to commerce as much as goal one of many draft’s top-three quarterbacks. The Colts shall be heavy underdogs in 4 of the final 5 video games with the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, LA Chargers, and New York Giants on the docket.

If the Colts really feel the necessity to transfer up within the draft to focus on a franchise quarterback, it may not take the haul the Dolphins obtained from the 49ers in 2021.

The Seattle Seahawks (through the Denver Broncos) and Chicago Bears appear to be they may have top-five picks, and B/R pegs them as attainable move-down candidates.

“The Bears would personal the No. 2 decide if the season ended at the moment, and so they seem to have a rising quarterback in Justin Fields,” writes Knox.

“The Seahawks would maintain the fourth decide—from Denver within the Wilson commerce—and so they might look to re-sign shocking breakout Geno Smith as a substitute of drafting a quarterback.”

“Groups projected to select in the course of Spherical 1 such because the Indianapolis Colts (14th) and Atlanta Falcons (fifteenth) might be real looking commerce companions on this situation.”

It has been a disappointing season for the Colts, and so they’ll have to lastly discover a quarterback of the longer term. The excellent news for Indianapolis is that there appears to be like to be a number of methods to make the occur subsequent yr together with a commerce if essential.