The Indianapolis Colts have enjoyed quite a busy offseason following their big moves in free agency, and they have always been a team that moves around the NFL draft order since Chris Ballard took over as general manager.
The draft is unpredictable and even teams don’t know if and when they will be moving up the draft board, but the Colts have shown they don’t mind trading up for a player if they truly value him at a certain spot.
Without a first-round pick in the draft, there is a chance the Colts will be looking to move up into Day 1 if their type of prospect falls to a certain range. Even outside of the quarterback position, there are some options the Colts could target for a trade-up opportunity in the first round.
Here are five players the Colts could trade up for in the first round of the draft:
Jordan Love | QB | Utah State
Love has become somewhat of a polarizing prospect among the draft community. On one side, Love is viewed as this raw prospect with untapped potential who just needs the right fit and the right coach. On the other side, there are analysts who simply don’t understand why there is so much love for Love as a Day 1 prospect.
Regardless, teams often feel different than pundits on certain players. The Colts may feel pretty highly about Love, especially given their reported interest this offseason. Love’s volatile range of outcomes could certainly cause him to drop in the draft, which means he could enter a range where the Colts feel comfortable trading up for their potential future at the quarterback position.
The ideal spot would be for Love to fall to the late 20s, where the Colts wouldn’t have to give up too much to move up but still get that fifth-year option. But they may have to be cautious as both the Patriots (No. 23) and the Saints (No. 24) have been listed as potential destinations for Love.
There is a lot of concern for Love’s career projection, but one of the best landing spots for him would be the Colts. If he gets in the range, Love might be worth pulling the trigger to move up.
Jacob Eason | QB | Washington
Another quarterback but one the Colts could likely wait on until the No. 31 or No. 32 picks. Getting that fifth-year option on the end of the rookie contract is vital and it would be the only reason the Colts would move up for a prospect like Eason. Otherwise, there is still a high chance they could take him with on their Day 2 picks.
Eason has the size and arm strength to be intriguing for teams as a developmental quarterback prospect. He possesses elite velocity while having the ability to make every throw on the field. He is fond of looking for downfield targets. But he also struggles with pressure and has to improve his anticipation.
Eason is also a prospect that likely needs to work on his footwork at the next level. Improving his pocket mobility would be a major area of stress for the Colts as Eason develops. But the bright side is he would have time to work under a potential Hall of Famer in Philip Rivers and one of the brightest quarterback minds in the game today in head coach Frank Reich.
Eason is certainly a risky pick in the draft and far from a guarantee that he will pan out, but it might be worth it to snag him with one of the final picks in the first round, especially since the Colts wouldn’t have to give up anything for him.
Denzel Mims | WR | Baylor
Trading up for a wide receiver seems odd, especially for the Colts—a team that typically doesn’t overvalue the position. But they are in a desperate position to add some premier talent to the room no matter how much faith the coaching staff has in the players currently there.
This wide receiver class is getting compared to the studly group of 2014. With a big three likely going in the top-15, the talented Mims is getting pushed back as a late Day 1 prospect. If he gets into a certain range, the Colts would be fine pulling the trigger to grab a prospect that could develop into the WR1 of the offense.
Mims brings size, athleticism and length to the wide receiver position. He’s an X-receiver who finds success on the boundary and would be a wonderful fit for Philip Rivers. We know Rivers likes to target his bigger wide receivers downfield—an area where Mims could thrive.
There are some questions about how diverse his route tree will be upon arrival, but having his skill set added to the room would be an incredible addition. Mims would provide the Colts with a future after the eventual departure of T.Y. Hilton, who enters a contract year.
CeeDee Lamb | WR | Oklahoma
This is a stretch and highly unlikely to happen. Lamb is arguably WR1 in this draft and should have no business leaving the top 15. However, the draft is always unpredictable and this year’s draft should be even more so given the fact that it will be fully virtual and done in the homes of each decision-maker. Players fall for no reason sometimes and if it happens this year, teams will be much more hesitant to take a risk.
If Lamb somehow gets into the range that the Colts can move up, it would be difficult for them to not consider it. Lamb brings everything needed to carry an offense from the wide receiver position. He’s an X-receiver who has often been compared to DeAndre Hopkins. Not only does he win with a diverse route tree, but he is also electric with the ball in his hands and one of the best receivers after the catch.
Moving up for Lamb would certainly take a haul. The Colts wouldn’t be able to wait until the mid-late 20s for Lamb. He’d be gone by then. But with a win-now mentality and a quarterback who likes to sling it, it has to be in consideration for the Colts.
Yetur Gross-Matos | EDGE| Penn State
This edge class is certainly interesting. Outside of Chase Young, who is likely to go No. 2 overall, there are a lot of question marks with the prospects in this class. Some have athletic tools but raw games while others aren’t great athletes but their tape shows a productive prospect.
Gross-Matos is expected to be a late-Day 1 prospect who has a combination of production and intriguing athleticism on the edge. He has the size, length and athleticism to be a force on the edge of an even front while kicking inside if needed. He sets a strong edge against the run and flashes plenty of potential as a pass rusher.
However, there are questions about his pass rush plan and the development needed to diversify his moves coming off the edge. He has good size but could benefit from adding some weight to his tall and long frame, which would help consistently set the edge.
Gross-Matos is extremely intriguing and given the Colts’ affinity for building up the trenches, he is a target for a late-Day 1 trade. With Justin Houston in a contract year and Ben Banogu and Kemoko Turay still developing, there is a chance he could be worth moving up for in the late 20s.
Kristian Fulton | CB | LSU
Another late-Day 1 prospect, Fulton would be a wonderful addition to the cornerback room and the future of the secondary. The Colts made some moves at the position in free agency: releasing Pierre Desir and signing both Xavier Rhodes and T.J. Carrie. But the Colts covet cornerbacks and Fulton would be an ideal addition to the unit.
Trading up for a cornerback probably wouldn’t sit all that well with the fanbase at first but Fulton would be worth it. He excels in press man despite his arm length and has plenty of experience and success working in a Cover 2 defense, which is what the Colts ran mostly in 2019.
With Fulton, the Colts would have a strong duo on the boundary with Rock Ya-Sin while Kenny Moore works in the slot.
Trading up for a cornerback is an unlikely scenario given what the Colts have done to the position this offseason, but it’s always a possibility that Chris Ballard will be looking to make the defense better. It’s more likely that they target the position on Day 2, but a trade-up for Fulton wouldn’t be completely out of the question.
