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Indianapolis Colts rookies who could crack starting lineup | Sporting News
The Indianapolis Colts rookie class will have an uphill battle trying to find starting roles on both sides of the ball, but there are a few who could crack the lineup.
With nine selections in the 2024 NFL Draft, most of the picks came on Day 3. It’s unfair to expect Day 3 picks to come into starting roles, especially in their first season.
As it currently stands, the starting lineups for the Colts on either side of the ball don’t feature any rookies, but that’s not to say they won’t eventually capture those roles.
COLTS DEPTH CHART: Offense | Defense
With the offseason training program over, here are three rookies who could crack the starting lineup.
Colts rookies who could crack the starting lineup in 2024
EDGE Laiatu Latu
Though Latu was the team’s first-round pick, he’s not expected to have a starting role right away. The polished UCLA is expected to begin the season as the backup LEO to Samson Ebukam. There is a world where Latu simply performs well enough to earn a starting role by the end of the season, but it’s more likely to come if Ebukam deals with an injury.
The Colts defensive line is expected to be one of the team’s major strengths throughout the entire roster, the addition of Latu this offseason should help with that. Realistically, though, Latu is headed more for a rotational role in Year 1.
WR Adonai Mitchell
Probably the rookie with the best chance of securing a starting role, Mitchell simply has to win the competition at X-receiver against third-year receiver Alec Pierce. Mitchell was one of the stars throughout the offseason workout program, and it helped his case that Pierce missed most of OTAs and minicamp due to a foot injury.
The Colts have some big plans for Mitchell if he can put it all together. There’s a clear path for him to take over as the starting X-receiver by the midpoint of the season and maybe earlier if he proves to be a better option than Pierce during training camp.
WR/KR Anthony Gould
This is a bit of a cop-out, but there are technically starters on special teams. Gould likely isn’t going to have much of a role on offense with Josh Downs in front of him in the slot so his best shot at making an impact will be as a return man on special teams.
With the new kickoff rules being implemented in the NFL, Gould will have a role as a return man right away. His production in college on punt and kick returns has led to some increased optimism that the Colts can have some explosive plays on the return team.
For more Colts coverage, check out Kevin Hickey’s work on Sporting News.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — This Memorial Day, you can honor United States service members who made the ultimate sacrifice. Crown Hill National Cemetery is hosting a service at 11 a.m. on Monday.
In a Facebook post, the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs said, “Never forgotten. Always remembered,” encouraging people to attend the ceremony. Crown Hill is the final resting place for nearly 1,000 veterans and eligible dependents.
According to Crown Hill, the keynote speaker will be Michael Hershman, the director of Veteran Health Indiana. Music will be provided by the 38th Infantry Division Band, Indiana National Guard, and the Indiana National Guard Ceremonial Unit will provide military honors.
The service will be in the open area adjacent to the Crown Hill Columbarium Annex.
Parking Information
Guests displaying a valid disability license plate or placard may enter the cemetery’s main gate for on-site parking.
General parking will be available at Butler University Lot 45 (near the intersection of West 42nd Street and Haughey Avenue), with shuttle service provided to and from the grounds of Crown Hill National Cemetery.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A man and a woman died Sunday night when their motorcycle collided with a small SUV, police say.
The names and ages of the two who died were not immediately available, an Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Capt. Don Weilhammer said from the crash scene.
IMPD was called to the collision just after 9:20 p.m. Sunday in the 7500 block of North Keystone Avenue. That’s just south of the White River bridge.
Investigators think the SUV was southbound and had a green light as it turned east toward 75th Street. That’s when the northbound motorcycle hit the SUV near its rear passenger door.
A witness at a nearby Walmart told IMPD that the motorcycle had passed the shopping area, which is south of the intersection, at a high rate of speed.
The driver and passenger of the motorcycle died at the crash scene.
A man and a woman were in the SUV. The man in the SUV received minor injuries, and the woman was unhurt. They remained at the scene. The IMPD captain said no one in the SUV was intoxicated. Their names were not immediately shared publicly.
No one witnessed the crash, the captain said. IMPD’s Kevin Winks was seeking anyone with information or video footage to contact the officer at 317-327-6549.
INDIANAPOLIS — The man helping lead one of Indianapolis’ biggest race weekend traditions still had to pay 10 bucks to park.
As downtown filled Saturday morning for the 70th annual Lucas Oil 500 Festival Parade ahead of the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500, Pascal Siakam pulled up to a parking lot expecting a little Grand Marshal treatment.
Instead, the four-time NBA All-Star found himself in a friendly standoff with a vendor charging $10 for parking.
In a video posted to his social media accounts, the Pacers forward laughed as he rolled into the lot.
“I ain’t trying to pay for real,” Siakam joked from the car. “I ain’t even got 10 bucks.”
When Siakam rolled down his window to face the vendor he asked half-jokingly, “The Grand Marshal don’t get to park for free?”
The woman wasn’t buying it.
“You’re not the Grand Marshal,” she told him. “Caitlin Clark is.”
Siakam, alongside teammate Andrew Nembhard, served as co-Grand Marshal for this year’s parade. Clark, of course, was named Grand Marshal for Sunday’s race festivities — not the parade itself.
Even after Siakam explained the mix-up, the vendor still wasn’t convinced. The video shows her eventually looking it up herself before realizing the 6-foot-8 Pacers star was telling the truth the entire time.
Still, no special treatment
After all the back-and-forth, Siakam paid the $10 anyway.
The exchange quickly became a humorously relatable race weekend moment — even basketball royalty isn’t safe from negotiating for parking in downtown Indianapolis.
Saturday’s parade wound through downtown as one of the city’s signature traditions leading into race day, featuring marching bands, floats, giant balloons, celebrities and all 33 IndyCar drivers competing in Sunday’s Indy 500.
Jessica Garcete is an IndyStar sports reporter. Get IndyStar’s motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to theYouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
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