Indianapolis Colts 2023 NFL Draft Analysis

The 2023 NFL Draft is finally over, and now we wait 4 months for the regular season to start. This draft was the most exciting in recent memory, since we had the highest pick at #4 since we drafted a certain QB from Stanford with the first overall pick in the draft. Beyond that, I’m excited for all the draft picks overall and the season cannot come any sooner. Here’s a recap of the Colts’ selections:

– Round 1, Pick 4 – Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida

– Round 2, Pick 44 (From ATL) – Julius Brents, CB, Kansas State

– Round 3, Pick 79 (From WAS) – Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina

– Round 4, Pick 106- Blake Freeland, OT, BYU

– Round 4, Pick 110 (From ATL via TEN) – Adetomiwa Adebawore, DT, Northwestern

– Round 5, Pick 138 – Darius Rush, CB, South Carolina

– Round 5, Pick 158 (From MIN) – Daniel Scott, S, California

– Round 5, Pick 162 (From BUF)- Will Mallory, TE, Miami (FL)

– Round 5, Pick 176* (From DAL) -Evan Hull, RB, Northwestern

– Round 7, Pick 211* (from MIN) – Titus Leo, LB, Wagner

– Round 7, Pick 221 – Jaylon Jones, CB, Texas A&M

– Round 7, Pick 236 (From TB) – Jake Witt, OT, Northern Michigan

What a promising class. Chris Ballard stuck to his draft strategy and drafted players with high athletic traits (RAS of only 9 and above please), and came out of the draft with a great haul. Leading the pack is, of course, Anthony Richardson, who had a perfect RAS of 10:

1. Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida – Richardson is the type of gamble we need. I previously mentioned Young and Stroud had higher floors, but a high ceiling is what we need in order to be in the upper echelon of QBs in the AFC, and that’s what Richardson has. Accuracy issues and footwork are his main concerns, and if Steichen fixes that, I can see Richardson as a top 10 QB in the league. His ability to escape the pocket and create plays will make our offensive line look much better as well.
2. Julius Brents, CB, Kansas State – Ballard loves that athleticism in Brents. He’s definitely a Day 1 starter, as he fills a large need at CB after Gilmore was traded Dallas. Kenny Moore should not be covering wideouts on the outside, so we need the CBs in this draft class to step up. I hope we go after Griffin in free agency as well, but after drafting Darius Rush and Jaylon Jones, Ballard might be confident in moving forward with this group.
3. Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina – I didn’t have Josh Downs on my radar (I only researched Flowers and Smith-Njigba honestly) as I thought Ballard was confident in our WR group, but alas. After watching the highlights (lol), this guy is going to be a great security blanket for Richardson if he is able to beat McKenzie for the slot role. He’s shifty and runs QB-friendly routes.
4. Blake Freeland, OT, BYU – Oof. Ringo was picked one spot ahead of Freeland, and I believe Ballard would have grabbed Ringo if the Eagles didn’t. I had Dawand Jones as the best available OT here, but I don’t get paid for my evaluation. Freeland has a 9.83 RAS, and has the flexibility to play Guard. Based on the 0 scouting I did on Freeland, I like the pick.
5. Adetomiwa Adebawore, DT, Northwestern – He is 6’2”, 282 pounds (with a 33 7’8” arms), disruptive, explosive, and has a high motor. He’ll be a great rotational player for Stewart/Buckner in the middle of the line. The 9.72 RAS helps.
6. Darius Rush, CB, South Carolina – Doubling down on cornerback in a semi-deep draft in the secondary. RAS of 9.81 and he is a bit quicker than Brents, so he could cover the X receiver from time to time. Ballard loves that he is an aggressive corner who’s willing to defend the run too.
7. Daniel Scott, S, California – Scott has a RAS of 9.8 and is also a physical run defender. He fits the Colts’ history of great run defending safeties, but I hope he doesn’t turn out as injury prone as they are (Sanders, Gaethers, etc.). I’m loving the young safety room with Cross, Blackmon, Rodney Thomas II.
8. Will Mallory, TE, Miami (FL) – Is he the next Jimmy Graham? He has a high RAS (9.05), but I was willing to forego the tight end position in this draft as we just drafted Woods and we still have Granson and Cox on the roster. Either way, if we had a Gronk-Aaron Hernandez combo in terms of 2TE receiving threat (and not the other stuff), that would be deadly.
9. Evan Hull, RB, Northwestern – With a RAS of 9.32, he can replace Hines as our pass-catching back. He’ll be a good checkdown option for Richardson if needed.
10. Titus Leo, LB, Wagner – My favorite draft pick here, and that is 100% because he is a Leo and coincidentally also lives in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. He is a small school sleeper (from Wagner College), and I hope he steps in and succeeds, as we definitely need rotational pass rushers. With that said, I have been planning a surprise for my wife, and here’s the surprise video. Speaking of percentages, I am 100% confident she does not read my posts.
11. Jaylon Jones, CB, Texas A&M – Adding another athletic corner into the pot. Jones has a RAS of ONLY 8.79, and he’s another big long cornerback like Brents. His weakness is in man coverage but should fit well in Gus Bradley’s Cover 3 system.
12. Jake Witt, OT, Northern Michigan – This guy played basketball in high school apparently and used to be a tight end. His RAS is 9.8. Can’t really get any better than that as a 7th rounder. Looking forward to seeing him compete.

In conclusion, I love what Chris Ballard has done in this draft class, but of course this is just on paper and we’ll have to see how it plays out on the field. For now, I’ll just be dreaming of Richardson evading a rush and throwing a jump ball to Woods or dropping a long go route to Pierce. I think Richardson will start the pre-season backing up Minshew, but I don’t see him sitting on the bench for too long. There is a great chance he starts opening day with the major upside that he has.

The cornerback position was a major need, and we drafted three cornerbacks and will potentially add another one in free agency. Right guard was a position of need also, and a big undrafted signing was Emil Ekiyor Jr., a Guard from Alabama. He’ll compete with Fries, and I’d think Ballard will look to sign another guard in free agency to compete.

My preliminary grade for this draft is an A. We filled the top 2 biggest needs with athletic players with high ceilings, while drafting depth at other positions. My concern is we did not take a linebacker until we drafted Titus, and even he is more of a traditional edge rusher. With the departure of Okereke, we still need a MLB, and that is why this draft wasn’t an A+. That being said, I’m excited for the season to start, and even if there are growing pains to start, it will at least be exciting to see Steichen’s mastermind offense and to see Richardson improvise and pull off amazing plays when the pocket breaks down.