10 Players to Watch for the Colts on Day Two of the Draft
The first round of the 2022 NFL Draft is officially in the books. It was a night that featured big trades, a few surprises, and an overall lack of stress for fans of the Indianapolis Colts. With day two starting up in just a few hours, the stress will certainly pick up once the Colts are finally on the clock.
The first round went almost perfectly for the Colts, as only six wide receivers heard their names called on Thursday night. With the Colts desperately needing to add more talent to that position group, they should have their choice of a few good options at pick 42.
With the Colts picking (potentially) twice tonight, I decided to lay out a few potential options to watch in both rounds for the team. Here are 10 players to keep an eye on for Colts' fans this evening:
Wide Receivers
Skyy Moore, Western Michigan
Skyy Moore has steadily rose in this draft class and he should be gone within the first 10-15 picks of the second round. Does he make it to 42? Maaaaybe. There are a few potential threats in front of the Colts, at the moment, but there is a realistic possibility that this stud receiver ends up in Indy.
The Colts are super high on his ability, despite his lack of size on the outside. His impressive blend of athleticism and quickness, along with his developed release game off of the line, would make him an excellent fit in the Colts' offense with Matt Ryan.
Chris Ballard has continually said that the team wants to add players with high upside in this draft class. It is hard to find a better combination of traits and pro-readiness in a receiver than Skyy Moore.
Christian Watson, North Dakota State
Going a little boom-or-bust now, Watson is another player that certainly fits the bill for the Colts. He is more of a traditional fit for what Ballard values at the position as well, which could lead to the team leaning him over Skyy Moore if both were to be available at 42.
Watson is extremely raw, but he is just oozing potential. He posted elite size, speed, and explosion numbers at the NFL Combine, and his agility scores were well above average as well. He will need time to improve his route running and his tendency to double catch passes, but his speed and size would be an outstanding addition to the Colts' offense.
Alec Pierce, Cincinnati
If a scenario arises where both Moore and Watson are gone by pick 42, I could see the team pivoting to Alec Pierce. While the Colts would rather trade back and select Pierce than take him at 42, he could be a dark horse selection for this spot.
Pierce may not have the potential as the other two receivers mentioned in this piece, but he is the Build-A-Ballard perfected receiver. He is a big-bodied player that can win down the field and on contested catches. He may never be anything more than an above average Z receiver, but that would still be a major addition to the Colts' offense.
Quarterback
Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
While I am firmly against the Colts taking a quarterback at pick 42, they do really like Desmond Ridder. How much? I'm not sure, but I certainly think it is in the realm of possibilities that they explore taking Ridder with their first pick.
Ridder is far from a perfect product, but he does have some tools that are easy to like for an NFL team. He has good eyes down the field and has shown time after time that he can make NFL-level throws. I have some major concerns with his accuracy and stiff hips, but I can kind of get the appeal.
To be honest though, the Colts taking a quarterback at 42 would be a disaster with Matt Ryan slated to start for (at least) the next two seasons.
Tight End
Trey McBride, Colorado State
Colts' fans have been dying for the team to bring in another tight end this offseason. While fans have been dreaming about adding another receiving tight end, it has always been more likely that the Colts add another blocker at the position. Why not get the best of both worlds?
McBride is the most productive tight end in this draft class and he is a talented blocker on top of that. He could effectively slide into the third tight end role for his rookie season and slowly gain playing time as the year progresses. Indy, like most of the NFL, is high on McBride and he could be in play for pick 42 tonight.
Offensive Tackles
Rasheed Walker, Penn State
I am very down on the Colts taking an offensive tackle high in this class, mostly because I don't see the value in taking one at pick 42. At pick 73, though, there are a few intriguing options that could come in and compete with Matt Pryor for the starting job.
First up is Penn State's Rasheed Walker. I wanted to be much higher on his game than I ended up being, but there are plenty of starter traits on his film. He is a strong player that is super developed in the passing game. He may not be a great athlete overall, but he can certainly hold his own off of the edge. If the Colts plan to go tackle with one of their picks tonight, Walker should be on the shortlist of players.
Abraham Lucas, Washington State
The other player to keep an eye on his Abraham Lucas. Lucas put together a phenomenal offseason that has helped his stock soar up draft boards. He is a well-developed pass protector that has shown the ability to improve in the run game in recent years.
He may not be ready to compete for the job in year one, but his traits are good enough to take a shot on developing in round three. He has long-time starter potential with the right coaching.
Edge Rusher
Boye Mafe, Minnesota
I highly doubt that the Colts will take another edge rusher with a premium pick, but I wouldn't put it past Chris Ballard to take a player that fits his mold. Mafe is an older player, but he certainly fits the high-upside type of player that Indy is looking for.
Mafe was a late bloomer in college, but he slowly began to put it together this past season. He tested out of this world at the NFL Combine, and he has the same personal trainer as Colts' 2021 first round pick Kwity Paye. I'm not saying that Mafe would be a great choice at 42, but keep an eye out for this being a potential surprise.
Cornerback
Zyon McCollum, Sam Houston State
McCollum has weirdly stayed way under the radar in this draft class. He is an historically great athlete that had a strong Senior Bowl (and is good on film). I don't know what there is to not like in his game.
Luckily, the Colts view it pretty similar to me. The absolute floor for McCollum tonight is pick 73, as Indy is very interested in this special athlete. He would be an outstanding developmental player to add to this secondary, as he can be a special teams ace in 2022 before taking a starting role in 2023.
Tariq Woolen, UTSA
The other historically great athlete for Indy fans to watch tonight is UTSA's Tariq Woolen. Woolen is a special mover, standing at 6'4" and running a 4.26 second forty yard dash. He is still fairly new to the position but he, like McCollum, would be an ideal CB5 to add to develop for 2023.
Overall Prediction
While Chris Ballard is known to throw some curveballs our watch every draft season, I feel fairly confident that the team will go wide receiver with their top pick tonight (depending on how the board falls obviously). Quarterback is certainly in play, but hopefully the Colts opt to take a player that will actually see the field in 2022.
For my predictions, I'll go with Skyy Moore at 42 and Zyon McCollum at 73 for Indy. This would be an incredible haul that would set up the team well for 2022 and beyond.
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