Colts Draft Superlatives: Biggest Surprise, Best Value, and More

The NFL draft commotion is finally at a conclusion. Now that the dust has settled after a wild three days, the Indianapolis Colts have added an unprecedented 12 new players through the selections.

With so many at hand, there are many questions. Some of those will be answered in this piece. For starters, the answer for the best pick of the group is in.

Who’s name kicks it off?

Best Pick: QB Anthony Richardson (Florida)

This one is a default due to the abysmal quarterback storm that was going on in 2022. There’s no need to dive into how bad it was, as it’s been documented repeatedly. Rather, let’s look into why the sky-high ceiling of quarterback Anthony Richardson can be grasped in this Colts’ new offense.

To get this out of the way, the Colts are finally off the QB carousel they’ve ridden since 2019. That was quick. Now, onto Richardson.

While incredibly raw, Richardson is also highly teachable, humble, skilled, and aware of how much he has to climb to get the starting position. Mix his will to succeed with QB coach Cam Turner, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter, and new head coach Shane Steichen, and you have the best-case scenario for Richardson’s development.

Turner has worked with mobile passers like Cam Newton with the Carolina Panthers and Kyler Murray with the Arizona Cardinals. JBC has been an offensive coordinator and mentor, coaching the likes of both Matthew Stafford with the Detroit Lions and Trevor Lawrence with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Lastly, Steichen has helped develop and smoothed mechanics for Philip Rivers and Justin Herbert with the Los Angeles Chargers, as well as Jalen Hurts with the Philadelphia Eagles.

There’s also a young and talented offensive roster around Richardson.

Add these factors up, and it’s hard to envision a better fit for the rookie QB than Indianapolis.

Best Value: CB Darius Rush (South Carolina)

Cornerback was a significant need for the Colts, even after selecting Julius Brents out of Kansas State in Round 2. There was thinking across the Colts community that it could happen again in the second round or potentially, Round 3.

However, general manager Chris Ballard found the third-round prospect, Darius Rush, in the fifth round with the 138th pick.

With the need for a defensive back and the potential Rush can provide, this had to be the best value pick. Wide receiver Josh Downs from North Carolina, falling to the Colts in the third, was a hair shy of this category. Speaking of that.

Biggest Early Impact: WR Josh Downs (North Carolina)

Similar to corner, the wide receiver position was running thin after the departure of Parris Campbell to the New York Giants via free agency.

While the Colts added former Buffalo Bills playmaker Isaiah McKenzie to the slot, it still lacked another bolt of energy to help ignite Steichen’s game plan. Enter Downs.

The man who will have the earliest impact produced at a buzz-saw rate while a Tarheel. Below is his production from 2021 and 2022 alone.

2021: 13 games; 101 catches; 1,335 receiving yards; eight touchdowns.
2022: 11 games; 94 catches; 1,029 receiving yards; 11 touchdowns.

Through a mere 24 games, Downs displayed traits of a great NFL slot receiver, compiling 195 catches for 2,364 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns.

With a raw QB like Richardson having a chance to start, Downs will be the safety blanket he needs to improve his short passes. Downs also has adhesive-like hands, seemingly pulling in passes from all around his catch radius.

Most Surprising: TE Will Mallory (Miami)

This pick was a bit confusing but intriguing. When it comes to the Colts’ tight end room, there were a total of seven names on a contract. The depth chart showed:

Jelani Woods
Kylen Granson
Andrew Ogletree
Mo Alie-Cox
Pharaoh Brown
Nikola Kalinic
Jalen Wydermyer

With so many spots, and the potential of Alie-Cox not staying on the roster, that still leaves a total of six. Adding an eighth piece to the room with Miami’s Will Mallory is a curious plus.

A stronger blocker like Purdue’s Payne Durham could have been the better fit, but this is Steichen’s offense.

Could there be an interesting plan in place for Mallory? He did test as the fastest tight end in the draft, running a blistering 4.54. He did that standing at 6’4” and 239 pounds, too.

If he gets playing time, look for Mallory to be a move-tight end that can exploit mismatches.

Biggest Wild-Card: DE Titus Leo (Wagner)

This was the quintessential small-school pick on day three for the Colts. Coming from Wagner University, Titus Leo was a productive player.

Through a total of five seasons, he totaled 13 sacks and 234 total tackles. While these aren’t heart-stopping numbers, the mystery of this pick is in the air.

Leo is highly athletic and 6’3” and 245 pounds. Could he be in store for a switch to linebacker? This was a position the Colts curiously abandoned in the draft (outside of the undrafted free agents). With all those tackles through 38 games, that’s 6.16 per contest.

It will be fun to see why Ballard decided to snag Leo, and in the sixth round nonetheless, when there could have potentially been a more secure option taken and at a position of greater need.

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