Todd McShay released his second mock draft of the offseason on Wednesday, and the Indianapolis Colts went in a different direction than that of the first version of his first-round mock.
While the Colts stood pat at No. 21 and took Alabama quarterback Mac Jones in the first iteration of McShay’s mock draft, they switched to the defensive side of the ball in his second mock, selecting Michigan defensive end Kwity Paye.
The Colts are playoff contenders right now, so I’d expect them to look for a more veteran option at QB — Wentz or Darnold jumps to mind. Maybe Virginia Tech offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw is the play, replacing Anthony Castonzo. Perhaps cornerback is a focus. But with three of the team’s top defensive ends out of contract — Justin Houston, Denico Autry and Al-Quadin Muhammad — I think replenishing the edge is going to be critical. Drafting Paye gives the Colts a playmaker (he had 8.5 sacks over his last 16 college games) and simultaneously blocks a division rival with a big need in that place set to pick next.
What’s interesting about this mock draft is that trades were allowed. That’s not typical for an ESPN mock draft. So the Colts had the option to move up to No. 7 or so. However, four quarterbacks went in the first four picks of the mock.
So while the San Francisco 49ers traded up for Mac Jones at No. 12 overall, the Colts saw five quarterbacks go off the board before the first half of the round was over. It’s hard to say if that’s a realistic scenario but with so many quarterback-needy teams in picking early, nothing is off the table.
So the Colts went with Paye, who has been a popular selection for the Colts in mock drafts thus far through the offseason.
The Colts could have also taken the aforementioned Darrisaw, cornerback Jaycee Horn or another tackle in Jalen Mayfield.
