Colts' Most Dire Needs Identified Ahead of NFL Draft

The Indianapolis Colts have been aggressive this offseason, identifying who they really want on the open market and closing the deals to reinforce their roster.

Still, the Colts have needs to address that are sometimes just better suited to be solved with young, ascending players in the draft rather than veterans in free agency.

Gilberto Manzano of SI.com has identified five areas the Colts should try to address entering the 2025 NFL Draft:

Draft needs: TE, OL, edge, LB, CB

Maybe quarterback should be a draft need, but the Colts seem set on taking their chances with Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones this season. Richardson has struggled to the point where it’s difficult to remember that the Colts actually have a talented receiving corps. Richardson and/or Jones would benefit from a pass-catching tight end who could help them see the field better and get more receivers involved in the offense. Indianapolis has at least one playmaker in all three phases of the defense, but the unit lacks depth and the 2024 stats show that. They need edge rusher Laiatu Latu, last year’s first-round pick, to make the leap this season.

TIGHT END

As has been discussed ad nauseum, tight end is the most barren position group for the Colts. A highly unproductive bunch in 2024 lost its two starters -- Kylen Granson signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Mo Alie-Cox is a free agent -- leaving Drew Ogletree and Will Mallory as the primary players.

The Colts are going to have a quarterback competition this summer between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones, meaning they don't have a QB that they're confident can carry the offense. With that being the case, the QB's supporting cast is critical, and having a security blanket at tight end could be the best gift the Colts could provide.

OFFENSIVE LINE

The Colts lost starters Ryan Kelly and Will Fries in free agency to the Minnesota Vikings this March. Indy did have the foresight to see this as a possibility, drafting Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves last spring. While those two are currently slated to replace Kelly and Fries, the Colts now need to add competition for the two second-year players as well as replace the depth they provided as backups.

Bortolini was the first player to start at center when Kelly was injured last year, but he can also play guard. The Colts do have Danny Pinter as the backup center, but he, Dalton Tucker, Wesley French, Atonio Mafi, and Josh Sills are not enough interior depth.

Goncalves was the Colts' third tackle last year, as well as insurance on the interior, so his role will be critical to replace. Blake Freeland was formerly the Colts' swing tackle, but he's not shown the development the Colts hoped for. After Freeland, Luke Tenuta and Jack Wilson are the only other depth tackles. The Colts need more.

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EDGE

This doesn't appear dire, but it's a big one when you start to dig in. The Colts currently have Kwity Paye, Laiatu Latu, Samson Ebukam, Tyquan Lewis, and Isaiah Land as the primary players on the edges, but leaving the group as is would be playing with fire.

Paye, Ebukam, and Lewis have all been solid veterans during their careers but have had injury concerns (Ebukam is 30, coming off an Achilles tear). Latu was a rookie first-round pick last year but has yet to ascend to star status. Land is an intriguing young player but has only been active for 17 of a possible 34 games in his career.

These have been player-based reasons so far, but the stats show that the Colts need to address the edges as well. In 2023, the Colts set an Indianapolis-era record of 51 team sacks, which was the fifth-most in the NFL. That number fell to 36 last season, which was near the bottom of the league, tied for 25th.

And, oh yeah, Paye, Ebukam, Lewis, and Land are all entering the final year of their contracts.

LINEBACKER

The Colts have a startable lineup at linebacker between Zaire Franklin at MIKE, Jaylon Carlies at WILL, and Segun Olubi at SAM, but it needs more competition and depth. The group could be better.

Linebackers are also critical to any defensive scheme, so there's a good possibility that Anarumo would like a couple of his own preferred type of player at the position.

There are very few perfect glove fits at linebacker for the Colts in this draft, but there are several that check most of the boxes.

CORNERBACK

Cornerback really isn't much of a need anymore, at least not as much as depth at running back, defensive tackle, or safety.

The Colts signed Charvarius Ward in free agency to top the corner depth chart, and he's joined by Kenny Moore II in the nickel, and Jaylon Jones, JuJu Brents, and Samuel Womack III. That's a pretty good group after the addition of Ward. The Colts also signed Corey Ballentine as a depth cornerback. He's got 11 starts in his career, so the Colts could do much worse than him as their sixth corner.

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