Colts get Pair of Freak Athletes in ESPN's 7-Round Mock Draft

The NFL Draft is roughly a month away and the mock drafts are getting more and more serious. The latest undertaking from ESPN's Jordan Reid is a seven-round behemoth that includes write ups on over 100 players.

Included in those seven rounds are nine picks from the Colts in which Reid injects a heavy dose of size and speed into the Colts roster.

The big-offseason question surrounding the Colts is the starting quarterback for next season. It's almost assumed at this point that Indianapolis will take a quarterback, but who will be there when they pick?

Reid has the Colts taking the über-athletic playmaker Anthony Richardson from the University of Florida.

Of all the first-round passers, Richardson fits new coach Shane Steichen's system the best. Steichen did a great job with Jalen Hurts as the Eagles' offensive coordinator. Richardson's combination of arm strength and mobility means he has plenty of upside to mold, even though he started just 13 games in college. The last Round 1 quarterback to have that few starts? Mitch Trubisky in 2017, who also had 13. Richardson needs polish, but he would enter a situation in Indianapolis with competent offensive targets and a strong running game to ease his transition. -- Jordan Reid, ESPN+

With C.J. Stroud gone to the Panthers at No. 1 and Bryce Young to the Texans at No. 2, Richardson seems to be favored over Kentucky's Will Levis at this point in the evaluation process.

The Colts will need to be careful though. The Arizona Cardinals look to be fully willing to trade out of the No. 3 spot to a quarterback-needy team, leaving the Colts with the fourth pick of quarterbacks.

Last week, Mel Kiper Jr. addressed this concern by having the Colts and Cardinals swap spots in a trade.

Richardson is considered to have the highest upside of the quarterbacks because of his physical tools. At 6'4 and 244 pounds he ripped off a 4.43-forty yard dash at the NFL Combine with a 40.5" vertical leap.

He put on a show at his pro day on Thursday including an athletic celebration after a long pass to put a cherry on top of his day.

And this is how Anthony Richardson closed his pro day throwing session. He’ll join us shortly on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/DVQVFzYQkg
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 30, 2023

In the second round, Reid has the Colts following a similar path in cornerback Kelee Ringo from the University of Georgia.

Ringo is considered one of the top athletes in the draft, but is a bit unrefined in his technique.

Indianapolis traded away veteran Stephon Gilmore, leaving a void at outside corner. Ringo could be a fit here -- he needs to play in a scheme that incorporates a mixture of zone and man coverage principles. He has some bad plays on film, but his physical tools are enticing. Ringo, who is 6-2, ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the combine. -- Jordan Reid, ESPN+

Ringo is another high-upside player that was seeing some top-10 discussions early in the evaluation process and would be well worth the risk in the second round.

After going high-potential athletes with the first two picks, Reid has the Colts getting bigger in the trenches before filling out the rest of the roster.

79. (from WASH) Tyler Steen, OT, Alabama
106. McClendon Curtis, IOL, Chattanooga
138. K.J. Henry, Edge, Clemson
162. (from BUF): Dontayvion Wicks, WR, Virginia
176. (from DAL): Starling Thomas V, CB, UAB
221. Sirvocea Dennis, LB Pittsburgh
236. (from TB): Gervarrius Owens, S, Houston

Richardson and Ringo would be considered risky picks, because their production in college didn't match their obvious physical tools.

But they'd be exciting picks while Reid has the Colts getting back to basics by fortifying the trenches with the next-three picks.

With just a little more than a month before the draft, expect the Colts to continue to be linked with every available quarterback in the draft and beyond.

But Reid has showed, there will be a lot of new faces in Indianapolis besides the quarterback in 2023.

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