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Indianapolis Colts draft grades: What Mel Kiper Jr. thinks of the Colts’ picks in 2025

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Indianapolis Colts draft grades: What Mel Kiper Jr. thinks of the Colts’ picks in 2025


The Indianapolis Colts came away from the 2025 NFL Draft with eight picks, one more than their original allotment. They made just one trade, moving down in the fourth round and gaining an extra pick in the sixth.

Every team loves their picks on draft weekend, though no one truly knows whether a team succeeded for three years. But that doesn’t stop the flood of instant grades, and here’s what national experts think of the Colts’ haul.

If you can’t get enough Colts coverage, Nate Atkins and Joel A. Erickson have a mountain of it. And sign up for IndyStar’s Colts newsletter.

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Round 1, 14th overall: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State

Round 2, 45th: J.T. Tuimoloau, edge, Ohio State

Round 3, 80th: Justin Walley, CB, Minnesota

Round 4, 127th: Jalen Travis, T, Iowa State

Round 5, 151st: D.J. Giddens, RB, Kansas State

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Round 6, 189th: Riley Leonard, QB, Notre Dame

Round 6, 190th: Tim Smith, DT, Alabama

Round 7, 232nd: Hunter Wohler, S, Wisconsin

Indianapolis Colts draft grades: What Mel Kiper Jr. thinks of the Colts’ picks

Warren: Tyler Warren is everything NFL offenses look for at tight end: a do-it-all player with day-one impact in the run and pass games. The Penn State standout earned an impressive 93.4 PFF receiving grade this past season with incredible efficiency, having averaged 2.78 yards per route run (97th percentile). Anthony Richardson now has a full complement of playmakers to roll with into the 2025 campaign.

Tuimoloau: After losing Dayo Odeyingbo in free agency, the Colts had a void to fill off the edge. Tuimoloau profiles as a high-floor defender with strong leg drive and a fearless approach to playing the run. His 87.3 PFF run-defense grade will fit in well with a Colts defense that produced the third-highest team run-defense grade (75.8) in the NFL last season.

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Walley: Walley brings good experience and profiles best as a zone-coverage cornerback. He forced 10 incompletions in 2024 and posted a 71.3 PFF coverage grade. He also allowed just one touchdown and a 57.8 passer rating when targeted.

Travis: Travis is a huge offensive tackle at 6-foot-8 and 339 pounds. He was the starting left tackle for Iowa State last season after transferring from Princeton. He was excellent in pass protection, never allowing three or more pressures, but he earned only a 58.5 run-blocking grade. He will compete for the backup spot behind established veterans Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith.

Giddens: Giddens was the No. 96-ranked player on the PFF Big Board. He posted a PFF rushing grade of 84.0 or higher in each of the past two seasons and a grade above 80.0 on both zone and gap runs in 2024. He will look to carve out a role behind Jonathan Taylor in the Colts’ backfield.

Leonard: Leonard will need to improve his throw-to-throw consistency to develop into an NFL starter, but he does provide value as a dual threat and earned a 91.6 deep PFF passing grade in 2024.

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Smith: Smith will provide depth and versatility for the Colts’ defensive line. His lack of explosion suggests he won’t be a plus pass rusher, as his pass-rush win rate was never above 8.0% in a season.

Wohler: Wohler boasted an elite 90.0 coverage grade over the past two seasons. He is a sound tackler, with three straight seasons of 77.0-plus PFF tackling grades. Wohler also logged 452 career special teams snaps.

Warren and Tuimoloau were two of my favorite picks early in the draft. Their combination of strength and playmaking ability will help the franchise on both sides of the ball. Walley should provide depth in the secondary.

Travis is a powerful blocker who could step up, with both starters (Bernhard Raimann and Braden Smith) entering a contract year. Giddens was the reserve back they needed behind Jonathan Taylor. I projected Leonard as a Day 3 Colts pick because he’s a gamer who looks to improve his consistency as a passer.

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I wasn’t as enamored with Tyler Warren as the masses, although I do acknowledge he could become the focal point of the offense in Indy like he was at Penn State.

Tuimoloau raises the floor of the defensive end position, and Travis has All-Pro upside at tackle. He’s enormous, athletic and balanced. Giddens will be a fun complement to Jonathan Taylor because of his lateral cutting skill. Those were my favorite picks from the Colts.

Walley went early for my liking, and I didn’t see an NFL future for Riley Leonard, although the quarterback spot is far from secured on this team. The middle of this class was better than the beginning and the end.

The Colts had to be thrilled in the first round when Warren fell to them at No. 14. Coming out of Penn State, he gives Indianapolis someone who caught 104 passes for 1,233 yards last season, and slots in as an immediate weapon alongside receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce. In the second round, Tuimoloau is a nice value as well, as some thought he was a first-round talent entering the 2024 campaign. He should get plenty of snaps opposite last year’s first-rounder in Laiatu Latu.

The Colts have to figure out if Anthony Richardson (or even Daniel Jones) is their true franchise quarterback this season. But it’s really hard to do that if the quarterback’s supporting cast isn’t up to snuff.

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Step 1 is getting playmakers. Tight end Tyler Warren will move all over this offense and dominate no matter where offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter puts him. Penn State used him as a traditional in-line tight end, an H-back, a fullback, out of the slot and lined up out wide. The Colts’ tight end room, led by Kylen Granson, managed 39 catches (last) for 467 yards (second to last) and two TDs (tied for second to last) in 2024. But drafting Warren should change everything there. He had 700 receiving yards after the catch last season.

Suddenly, Richardson has a reliable outlet who can haul in anything and stretch the seams, and Indy didn’t have to move up to get my No. 7 prospect. It was really the best-case scenario for GM Chris Ballard on Thursday.

Step 2 is addressing the protection. Remember, the Colts lost Will Fries and Ryan Kelly in free agency. They were 25th in pass block win rate last season (56.4%), and Richardson was one of the worst QBs in the NFL when pressured (20.2 QBR, 24th in the league). I think they fell a little short here. They waited until Day 3 and reached a bit even at that point in the draft, taking offensive tackle Jalen Travis at No. 127. I would have loved guard Marcus Mbow in that spot.

Two more picks to call out. JT Tuimoloau had 12 sacks last season, and the Colts ranked 31st in the NFL with a 26.2% pressure rate in 2024. He has a lot of upside as a second-rounder. And running back DJ Giddens will be a good backup to Jonathan Taylor. Giddens broke 1,200 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons.



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Indianapolis Colts schedule 2025: Predictions, picks ahead of NFL schedule release

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Indianapolis Colts schedule 2025: Predictions, picks ahead of NFL schedule release


The Indianapolis Colts will learn their 2025 schedule with Wednesday night’s release from the NFL. The complete 18-week, 272-game regular season schedule along with all preseason dates will be set.

The Colts, who finished 8-9 last season, added defensive backs Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum, and quarterback Daniel Jones in free agency. They picked tight end Tyler Warren in the first round of the NFL Draft. Indianapolis lost offensive linemen Will Fries and Ryan Kelly, and edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo in free agency.

Here’s what you should know about the NFL schedule release.

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AFC South opponents, home and away: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans

Home games: Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons.

Road games: Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers.

Colts strength of schedule

The Colts’ 2025 opponents had a .464 winning percentage the previous season, 24th in the 32-team league. Four of those games come against struggling AFC South foes Jacksonville and Tennessee.

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Even with unsteady play under center last season, the Colts tied for the league lead with five wins in games decided by three or fewer points. Better quarterback play could yield more wins and perhaps a playoff berth.

Colts prime-time games

Without a premier quarterback, the Colts haven’t been a popular pick for night games. The vast majority of their games last season were 1 p.m. Sunday starts, though a November game against the Minnesota Vikings was flexed to a Monday night.

Only the Jaguars (6) have played fewer prime-time games at home over the last 10 years than the Colts (9). The Colts have played the 20th most total prime-time games in the last 10 years.

NFL prime-time results from 2015-24

Rk Team G W L T
1 GNB 55 32 23 0
2 DAL 53 32 21 0
3 KAN 49 34 15 0
4 PHI 48 29 19 0
5 PIT 44 27 17 0
6 NWE 43 25 18 0
7 SEA 42 23 18 1
8 DEN 39 16 23 0
9 NYG 39 9 30 0
10 SFO 39 20 19 0
11 LAR 38 21 17 0
12 MIN 37 17 20 0
13 BAL 36 26 10 0
14 CHI 35 13 22 0
15 LAC 35 13 22 0
16 NOR 34 15 19 0
17 BUF 32 20 12 0
18 LVR 31 14 17 0
19 CIN 28 12 16 0
20 IND 28 10 18 0
21 TAM 28 10 18 0
22 NYJ 27 8 19 0
23 WAS 27 11 16 0
24 MIA 26 9 17 0
25 ARI 25 11 13 1
26 DET 25 15 10 0
27 HOU 25 12 13 0
28 TEN 24 12 12 0
29 ATL 23 13 10 0
30 CLE 21 11 10 0
31 CAR 18 7 11 0
32 JAX 12 5 7 0

NFL home prime-time results from 2015-24

Rk Team G W L T
1 GNB 28 20 8 0
2 PHI 27 17 10 0
3 SFO 27 14 13 0
4 DAL 26 17 9 0
5 KAN 26 19 7 0
6 SEA 25 16 9 0
7 PIT 23 16 7 0
8 LVR 21 13 8 0
9 LAR 20 14 6 0
10 ARI 19 7 11 1
11 NWE 19 12 7 0
12 LAC 19 8 11 0
13 DEN 18 9 9 0
14 MIN 17 11 6 0
15 NOR 17 8 9 0
16 NYG 16 5 11 0
17 CHI 15 7 8 0
18 NYJ 15 4 11 0
19 BAL 15 13 2 0
20 HOU 14 8 6 0
21 TAM 14 3 11 0
22 BUF 12 8 4 0
23 CIN 12 8 4 0
24 DET 12 7 5 0
25 WAS 12 6 6 0
26 CAR 11 5 6 0
27 CLE 11 8 3 0
28 ATL 9 6 3 0
29 IND 9 2 7 0
30 MIA 9 3 6 0
31 TEN 9 6 3 0
32 JAX 6 3 3 0

The early over-under, as set by Betmgm.com, has Indianapolis winning 7.5 games, two games behind the Houston Texans, even with the Jacksonville Jaguars and two ahead of the Tennessee Titans.

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The Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles are 11.5 wins. The Cleveland Browns trail the league at 4.5 wins.

What do Colts want to see on 2025 schedule?

There’s no way to take a game at Jacksonville — where they haven’t won since 2014 — off the schedule. And they have to play Week 1, which hasn’t treated them well, either. They haven’t won a season opener since 2013, though they tied the Houston Texans in 2022.

They’re going to host a game in Germany and make three trips to the West Coast (both Los Angeles teams and Seattle). At least they will pile up frequent flyer miles.

Looking to buy Colts tickets for 2025? We’ve got you covered. Season tickets, group tickets and single-game tickets are available at Colts.com.

Buy Indianapolis Colts tickets for 2025

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When is Colts schedule release?

8 p.m. ET Wednesday, May 14, 2025



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Former Orange Bowl opponents now Colts teammates

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Former Orange Bowl opponents now Colts teammates


INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Colts are in the middle of rookie minicamp at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.

Former Penn State tight end Tyler Warren was drafted by the Colts in the first round of last month’s NFL Draft, while former Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard was drafted by the Colts in the sixth round of the draft.

The two played each other this past January in the Orange Bowl down in Miami Gardens, Fla. Leonard’s Fighting Irish beat Warren’s Nittany Lions 27-24 in that College Football Playoff matchup.

News 8 Sports’ Andrew Chernoff asked Warren on Friday if Leonard and him have discussed that game at all.

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“Hadn’t been long talks, but it came up here and there,” Warren said.

Notre Dame may have beaten Penn State this past January, but Warren had a huge impact for the Nittany Lions in the game. He finished with 6 receptions for 75 yards in the contest, while also rushing for 21 yards on two carries.

“I didn’t talk to J.T. (Tuimoloau) about the natty, but I went straight up to Tyler Warren,” Leonard said. “That’s for sure. I went straight up to him. But then again, he probably had like 150 yards on us too at the same time.”

The duo may have been on opposite sidelines in that game this past January, but now they are looking forward to being teammates in Indy.

“He (Leonard) was a great player,” Warren said. “So playing him in college and now being teammates is really cool. And just to kind of share teams with guys that had great success all through college. Now being on the same team is really cool.”

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Leonard shares the same sentiment as he now is throwing passes to a player in Warren who made life miserable for defenses all across the college football world last season.

“Tyler, he’s a football player,” Leonard said. “He went out there yesterday and just very easily adapt(ed). He’s just a quarterback-friendly guy – catches, soft hands and things like that. But, ‘Tyler Warren’ Tyler Warren is like – you strap up them pads, that’s another version of the dude. Some guys are just football players and he’s definitely one of them. You can kind of tell. When he gets his hand in the dirt and straps it up, I’m excited to see it. Because I obviously saw it in person when we played him in the playoffs and it was fun to watch… kind of.”

Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren (84) runs after a catch during a rookie mini-camp practice at the NFL football team’s training facility in Indianapolis, Friday, May 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

The two players are ready for the challenge of playing in the NFL. Leonard credits playing at Notre Dame for helping prepare him for this next opportunity.

“You learn how to be a professional from the day you walk into the locker room,” Leonard said. “And you don’t learn it through the X’s and O’s and the playbook. You learn it from the environments around you. So if I went into Notre Dame’s facility at 10 p.m. at night, there’s guys in there constantly working because they’re all trying to make it to the NFL and win a national championship. That is our goal as a program. And everybody’s in there for the same purpose, rhyme and reason. So, I think Notre Dame teaches you the intangibles that just set you up perfectly for the next level.”

Colts rookie minicamp continues Sunday.

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Hauger Returns to Winning Ways in Indianapolis GP Race 2 – Speedway Digest – Home for NASCAR News

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Hauger Returns to Winning Ways in Indianapolis GP Race 2 – Speedway Digest – Home for NASCAR News


Dennis Hauger earned his third victory in four INDY NXT by Firestone races this season, passing Andretti Global teammate Lochie Hughes early and powering to victory in the second race of the Indianapolis Grand Prix doubleheader Saturday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Hauger drove his No. 28 Rental Group car to a 4.7739-second victory over the No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship machine of pole sitter Hughes, who earned his first career victory in the INDYCAR development series Friday evening in Race 1. Myles Rowe finished a career-best third for the second consecutive race in the No. 99 Abel/Force Indy entry.

SEE: Race Results

“It’s been a great start to the season,” Hauger said. “Yesterday wasn’t great, but we were able to come back and get a win today. Super-happy about that, and in a place like this, it’s awesome.”

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Salvador de Alba climbed one spot from his Friday finish to place fourth in the No. 27 Grupo Indi car as the third Andretti Global entry to finish in the top four today on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile circuit. Caio Collet rounded out the top five in the No. 76 HMD Motorsports car.

Norwegian driver Hauger became the first driver to win three of the first four INDY NXT by Firestone races of the season since current NTT INDYCAR SERIES star Pato O’Ward achieved the feat in 2018.

Hauger’s path to victory was created when he survived the first turn of the 35-lap race without contact, unlike Race 1. He was bumped off track in Turn 1 on the first lap Friday, falling to last in the 21-car field before recovering to finish eighth.

Hughes once again led into Turn 1 today, this time with fellow rookie teammate Hauger in pursuit. Hughes built a gap of 1.7 seconds by Lap 3 when the only caution period of the race was triggered when Jack William Miller in the No. 40 Abel/Miller/Vinatieri Motorsports car and Nolan Allaer in the No. 11 HMD Motorsports machine made side-by-side contact in Turn 1, forcing both cars to a stop in the grass.

On the restart at the end of Lap 5, Hughes and Hauger raced side by side toward Turn 1, with Hauger on the left and Hughes on the right at the start of Lap 6. Hauger edged ahead approaching Turn 2, with his left wheels on the dirt adjacent to the asphalt, and completed the pass for the lead in that corner.

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Hauger never trailed thereafter, but Hughes stayed close for a while. Hauger’s lead stayed around one second until about 10 laps to go, when he started to pull away. He padded his gap to 2.6718 seconds by Lap 29 and continued to drive away until the checkered flag.

“Yesterday was tough,” Hauger said. “I think we really didn’t have the balance, either, going through the field. But today we really nailed it. It was a warm day, and you had to judge it nicely with the rear tires.

“We managed well, and we had really good pace today. That’s a good way to bounce back.”

Hauger took a 15-point lead over Hughes in the series standings after four of 14 races this season. The next race is the INDY NXT by Firestone Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday, June 1 on the streets of downtown Detroit (10:30 a.m. ET, FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).

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