Horseshoe Huddle

3 Colts Who Could Be Superstars in the Making

These three young Indianapolis Colts players have sky-high potential with superstar trajectories.
Drake Wally|
Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu (97) walks onto the field Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, ahead of the game against the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu (97) walks onto the field Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, ahead of the game against the Denver Broncos at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts may have unceremoniously ended their 2025 season, but some young players showed out in big ways.

Promising talent is the cornerstone to any NFL team's future success, and for Indianapolis, this trio gave the franchise reason to believe they could become superstars.

We'll start with one of the most promising defensive players in Lou Anarumo's ranks.

Laiatu Latu | Defensive End

Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu (blue and white uniform) celebrates after making a play with teammate Kenny Moore II.
Nov 23, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Laiatu Latu (97) celebrates after an interception against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The consensus was that Laiatu Latu didn't live up to expectations during his rookie season. This was due to Indianapolis making him the first defensive player off the board with the 15th-overall selection in the 2024 NFL draft.

Latu played more than expected after the 2023 sack leader, Samson Ebukam, didn't see the field due to an Achilles tear. Instead of being more situational like Indy had planned, Latu was far more of an every-down player.

He'd finish with 4.0 sacks, 32 tackles, and 38 pressures. Latu also showed room for improvement in run defense. However, 2025 was a different story.

Latu appeared to be on an island when it came to providing Anarumo's defense with sacks and consistent pressure. Latu led the way in sacks with 8.5, and ranked 15th out of 115 defensive ends in pressures with 61, per Pro Football Focus.

Latu also hauled in an impressive three interceptions and added 12 tackles for loss to his second-year numbers, showing improvement as a run defender.

If Indianapolis can find a way to get Latu some help, there's a real chance that he eclipses 10 sacks and starts to hit a superstar stride in year three.

Don't expect Kwity Paye, Ebukam, or Tyquan Lewis back this year, as each is a free agent and Indianapolis truly needs a reset in the edge room. Regardless, Latu looks to be on track for stardom with the Colts.

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Tanor Bortolini | Center

Colts center Tanor Bortolini (blue and white uniform) greets a camera during training camp.
Indianapolis Colts center Tanor Bortolini (60) warms up Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, at a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers during training camp at Grand Park in Westfield. | Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While it's hard to see now, Colts center Tanor Bortolini wasn't always viewed as a future pillar of the Colts' offensive line.

Bortolini was taken as a low-risk fourth-round selection (117th overall) in the same draft as Latu. At first, Bortolini was to be a backup in some capacity to former Colts leader, Ryan Kelly.

After Kelly sustained injuries that limited him to 10 games in 2024, Bortolini earned the chance to put his abilities on the gridiron as the starter at center.

Bortolini played well given his draft position and circumstances, allowing no sacks and just two QB hits over 351 snaps (211 passing). While this was encouraging, Bortolini took himself through the atmosphere in 2025.

He'd play in 16 games and looked like one of the best centers in football. To show how good he was, below are his Pro Football Focus numbers, along with rank out of 40 centers.

  • 82.6 overall grade (3rd)
  • 88.2 run blocking (3rd)
  • 66.2 pass blocking (19th)
  • 0 sacks allowed (1st)
  • 4 penalties (18th)
  • 17 pressures allowed (22nd)

Bortolini still has areas to improve, but he's only 23 with a lot of football ahead. If he's already hitting this type of stride, it's hard to tell how high he can rise.

Bortolini helped the Colts seamlessly transition from a franchise legend like Kelly to not miss a beat at arguably the most important position on the offensive line. In short, he has superstar vibes heading into the 2026 season.

Tyler Warren | Tight End

Colts tight end Tyler Warren (blue and white uniform) tries to keep away a defender in pursuit.
Dec 28, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren (84) runs against Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker safety Andrew Wingard (42) during the first half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

The inspiration behind this list: Colts tight end Tyler Warren hit the ground running day one and never looked back in 2025.

His debut against the Miami Dolphins in Week 1 showed what was to come. Warren secured seven of nine targets for 78 receiving yards and a blistering 77.8 catch percentage.

Warren would continue to be one of the go-to targets for Daniel Jones in Shane Steichen's offense. While Warren's numbers dipped after Jones' Achilles injury, it's understandable, given that 44-year-old Philip Rivers and rookie sixth-rounder Riley Leonard were throwing him the pill.

Warren finished his debut year with a rookie franchise record of 76 catches, as well as 817 receiving yards and five total scores.

The outlook for Warren is the brightest on this list, and with Bortolini and Latu occupying it, that's saying something.

After earning a Pro Bowl as a rookie, it will be fun to see how Steichen unfolds the incredibly gifted tight end in 2026 to help Indianapolis resume what made the offense unstoppable through the first 10 games.

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Drake Wally
DRAKE WALLY

Drake Wally is a co-deputy editor of Indianapolis Colts on SI. His works have also appeared on Bleacher Report, MSN, Yahoo, and SBNation. He also co-hosts the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast.

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