Numerous Predictions Have Colts Making Bold Move in Draft

The 2025 NFL Draft begins Thursday night, and it is already shaping up to be an unpredictable affair.

While there is a quarterback slated to go No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans (Cam Ward), there are a few other elite non-quarterbacks who teams may be clamoring for. One of these teams is the Indianapolis Colts, who have a clear and obvious hole at the tight end position and have the opportunity to land either of two of the draft's best players in tight end Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland.

"Everyone is connecting the Colts to the tight ends," ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. wrote this week. "As such, I've heard that a few teams might even be trying to trade ahead of Indianapolis to get Loveland, though it's unclear which ones."

It is a bit out of character for the Colts to pull off a trade to move up in the first round of the draft, but they missed the opportunity last year, and it cost them offensive firepower, as tight end Brock Bowers went on to rewrite rookie record books for the Las Vegas Raiders. Will the Colts allow that to happen to them again already? Many in the national media don't think so.

This week, six national mock drafts have featured the Colts trading up in the draft to go get either of Warren or Loveland, and five of the six include the Colts moving into the top 10:

Connor Orr, Sports Illustrated: Las Vegas Raiders, 6th pick -- TE Tyler Ward
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: New Orleans Saints, 9th pick -- TE Colston Loveland
Diante Lee, The Ringer: New Orleans Saints, 9th pick -- TE Tyler Warren
Austin Mock, The Athletic: New Orleans Saints, 9th pick -- TE Tyler Warren
Peter Schrager, ESPN: Chicago Bears, 10th pick -- TE Colston Loveland
Chad Reuter, NFL.com: Miami Dolphins, 13th pick -- TE Tyler Warren

Not for nothin', but I've seen six national mock drafts this week project the #Colts to trade up to grab either Tyler Warren or Colston Loveland, most of them being a move into the top 10.
— Jake Arthur (@JakeArthurNFL) April 24, 2025

The Colts often don't pull off moves like this early in the draft because of how expensive it can be to compensate with draft capital. However, it has been said many times over across the league in the last few months that this is not viewed as a top-heavy, superstar draft, which likely drives down the price of moving up.

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Along with the 14th overall pick in the first round, the Colts also still own all of their six other picks in Rounds 2-7, as well as all seven picks in next year's draft. They have the capital to move up if they want to.

The Colts' need for a tight end goes beyond the surface-level evaluation of the fact that they don't have any studs at the position. They are also about to embark on a quarterback battle between Anthony Richardson and Daniel Jones. Surrounding their quarterback with as much talent as possible is paramount, not only to help determine who can best utilize the weapons around them, but also to consistently move the offense during the season.

Regardless of whether the Colts can pull off a trade up the boards, several national draft experts suggesting they will feels like a little bit too much of a coincidence to be a coincidence.

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