Major Shakeup Ahead of Colts in NFL Draft
The NFL offseason is moving fast and furious as the Carolina Panthers and ex-Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich decided to jump the Colts and Houston Texans by trading with the Chicago Bears for the number-one pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The first report of the move came from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, and the package would later be reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN.
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How does this affect the Colts?
The offseason's first domino has fallen, and the Panthers are officially on the clock come draft day. At least two teams will be taking quarterbacks before the Colts' selection, with the Panthers now at one and the Texans sitting at two.
This year's class, headlined by C.J. Stoud, Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis, seems to have many fans across the league, as all four seem likely to be taken among the top 10 picks. The question now is which quarterbacks will be available when the Colts are on the clock.
One variable still in play is the Arizona Cardinals are currently slated to select at three, and QB-needy teams drafting behind the Colts have only one shot at jumping Indianapolis. So the Colts must choose whether to let the cards fall as they may and stay pat at pick four, risking another team jumping them by making a trade with Arizona, or doing it themselves and preventing that reality.
So, what would a trade look like for the Colts to move up one spot? According to Drafttek.com, the Cardinals' third pick is valued at 2200 points, and the Colts' fourth pick is valued at 1800. That 400-point difference is equal to a mid-second-round pick.
The Colts may have an advantage over the rest of the interested teams as new head coach Shane Steichen and new Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon are coming off a two-year working relationship with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Colts should lean on that relationship and try and get a deal done as soon as possible to prevent selecting the fourth QB in the 2023 class.
What the Colts choose to do next is yet to be known, but the importance of their choice will play dividends for the years to come.
