Colts Go Route of Trenches in Mock Draft

The Indianapolis Colts have a highly important first-round draft upcoming. While many assumed that a Tyler Warren or Colston Loveland would be an immediate lock at tight end, the Colts now have more areas that opened up on the roster with immense need for talent.

While the tight end group isn't good, the Colts now need a guard after the departure of Will Fries to the Minnesota Vikings. In a mock draft from Pete Prisco at CBS Sports, this is exactly what the Colts fixed by drafting Tyler Booker from Alabama.

"They have a hole at right guard and Booker might be the best offensive lineman in this class. The Colts could pair him with Quenton Nelson to give them a power set of guards. It's not sexy, but he will be a 10-year starter."

Booker was a stalwart in 2024 for the Alabama Crimson Tide, putting up the following metrics per Pro Football Focus on 778 snaps.

-66.5 overall

-63.9 run-blocking

-86.5 pass-blocking (led team)

-10 pressures allowed

Some stand out traits about #Alabama iOL Tyler Booker. He projects as an early starter at guard for teams that specialize in man/gap/power run schemes. pic.twitter.com/THLQyEDupq
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) March 21, 2025

Booker is ranked as the top guard in the draft per NFL Draft Buzz, with plenty of upside and potential to walk right into a starting role. While the pick isn't exciting as Prisco mentions, it's a sure selection that continues the trend of younger linemen for Indy.

Booker would join left tackle Bernhard Raimann (27) and center Tanor Bortolini (22), which gives the Colts a youthful injection of talent to join left guard Quenton Nelson and right tackle Braden Smith.

The Colts don't want anything to fall through with their offensive line given how much Anthony Richardson will depend on efficient protection to have the best chance at improving to beat out current backup QB Daniel Jones.

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This squad also runs the football a lot given Shane Steichen's scheme, plus Jonathan Taylor needs space to run and punish defenses. If the Colts short the offensive line to any degree, it will show eventually throughout a 17-game season.

One factor to note is Matt Goncalves, who played 230 snaps at left tackle and 333 at right. The thought was that he would move inside to right guard. If Booker is drafted at 14th overall, he's starting as soon as possible, which fits Goncalves back into a backup role.

Matt Goncalves impressed a good bit as a run blocker in the final month of the season for the Colts.

In those final four games, the Colts rushed for 787 yards (5.2 yards per carry). Goncalves was particularly standout as a puller in the final month pic.twitter.com/Y14UqpDka1
— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) February 15, 2025

It's unknown what the Colts see Goncalves as, but they traded up to snag him in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft, so they clearly have interest and belief that the former Pittsburgh Panther can turn into a legitimate starter.

Perhaps if they draft Booker and place him at right guard, Goncalves will be the heir to Smith once he hits 2026 free agency. If Smith doesn't re-sign, expect Goncalves to be the new man in the seat unless he's already planned to fill the void Fries left.

The offensive line is critical to the success of Steichen's offense. All five players must operate as a cohesive unit to amplify the ground attack and give Richardson and Taylor the best chance to shine in the backfield.

It will be very interesting to see where the Colts go in the first round after adding players like Charvarius Ward and Camryn Bynum. Indianapolis and Chris Ballard value the trenches, so it's not a shocking prediction for the Colts to snag Booker at fourteenth overall.

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