The Indianapolis Colts are officially one week away from being on the clock for the 2020 NFL draft, which is going into a completely virtual format on April 23.
There are so many ways the Colts can go about the draft that it’s nearly impossible to predict perfectly what their draft haul will look like. Still, we can conduct some mock drafts with certain scenarios to see how it might shake out for the Colts.
Using the No. 34 pick on a quarterback and using Pro Football Network’s mock draft simulator, here’s a seven-round mock draft a week out:
No. 34 | Jacob Eason | QB | Washington
In this mock draft, we went with the early quarterback to see what the rest of the haul might look like. With four quarterbacks gone in the first round, we went with Eason, who is a high-upside prospect that needs some work done during his first season.
Being able to sit behind Philip Rivers for a season and learn under Frank Reich will do wonders for Eason. He has a big arm, a great frame and the arm talent to make every throw in the book. But he needs to work on handling pressure and hone his instincts, which would be possible with the minds of Reich and Rives.
Eason is far from a perfect prospect and work would have to be done, but he has a high ceiling and with enough push from the quarterback room, he could turn into a solid quarterback.
*No. 55 (from BAL) | Michael Pittman Jr. | WR | USC
It is highly likely the Colts will trade back at some point during the draft. With seven picks, Chris Ballard is going to want to add more. So in this mock, we traded back from No. 44 to No. 55 while also adding the No. 106 from Baltimore. Even so, Pittman was still available making this a win-win.
Pittman is the perfect fit for the Colts. He’s a boundary wide receiver working from as an X. He’s not going to win with long speed but he’s a very strong high-point wide receiver and will win contested catches constantly. He has pluck hands that never fail and would be a perfect target for Rivers.
Pittman has the ability to fit immediately into the Colts’ offense as the X-receiver and should be high on their priority list.
No. 75 | Matt Peart | OT | Connecticut
The Colts are going to have Anthony Castonzo holding down the left tackle position for the next two seasons but finding his replacement will be necessary soon. Peart needs some work with his consistency in pass sets, but he’s a wonderful prospect to grab in the third round as Castonzo’s eventual successor.
Peart brings athleticism, elite length and a mauler attitude while moving people in the run game with consistency. Peart has to clean up some of his technique with his pass sets, but he fits the Colts perfectly and as a third-round pick would be perfect to develop behind Castonzo.
The Colts need to add depth and future talent to the offensive line room, and Peart should be one of their top targets.
No. 106 (from BAL) | Adam Trautman | TE | Dayton
In the trade back with the Ravens, we were able to net a fourth-round pick. This would be an absolute steal to get Trautman here in the fourth round. He may have been playing against some lesser talent at Dayton, but he’s an exciting move tight end who would fit perfectly into the Colts tight end room.
With Jack Doyle working on nearly every down and Mo Alie-Cox still developing, Trautman would be able to fill the role as the flex tight end. That’s a huge need for the Colts and given how much Frank Reich loves to use the tight end position, this was an easy pick.
It might be odd and even a bit unlikely that Chris Ballard uses the first four picks on offensive players, but these values were simply too good to pass up.
No. 122 | Khalid Kareem | EDGE | Notre Dame
After adding DeForest Buckner to the three-technique and Sheldon Day to the one-technique, the interior defensive line is strong enough that the Colts don’t have to take one in the draft. However, they should be keeping an eye on the edge class, and Kareem is one of the sleepers on Day 3.
Kareem might not be as athletic as his counterpart in Julian Okwara, but he sets a strong edge and would be a perfect fit for the Colts. He can line up on the edge in their even front and potentially kick inside if they needed him to.
He was productive at Notre Damn and while he needs to continue developing his pass rush moves and plan, he would fit right into the defensive line rotation on the edge.
No. 160 | Michael Ojemudia | CB | Iowa
Another huge value for the Colts here as they get a long press cornerback who thrives in man coverage. After adding Xavier Rhodes and T.J. Carrie to the secondary, Ojemudia would give the Colts another future asset for the cornerback room.
Because the Colts essentially have their starters set for the season, they can afford to use a later pick on a cornerback. Ojemudia meets the arm length threshold (32.25″) and the ability to press wide receivers at the line.
The Colts still have a need to add some future talent to the room and Ojemudia is a fantastic prospect for the Colts to target on Day 3, even if it will likely have to be earlier than this pick.
No. 193 | Tyrie Cleveland | WR | Florida
There is no denying the Colts need more competition in the wide receiver room. Even after adding Pittman in the second round, the Colts need to add some competition. Cleveland is a fantastic late-round wide receiver to target.
He’s an extremely explosive and downfield threat that the Colts could use over the top while competing for one of the depth spots in the room with Daurice Fountain and Ashton Dulin.
No. 197 | Tanner Muse | S | Clemson
The Colts have to add some depth at the safety position and while they might do so during free agency over the summer, Muse would be an intriguing addition late on Day 3. He fits more of a strong safety, linebacker mix. The Colts would use him as a depth piece in the room behind their starters, but Muse would also be able to add some help on special teams.
Though K’Von Wallace is the Clemson safety getting a lot of love, Muse has shown to be an effective box safety with some strong athleticism he showed off at the combine.
