Should the Indianapolis Colts Trade Back?

by Tony Donohue

When free agency began earlier this week, the Colts immediately went after their own. The team immediately addressed the re-signing of their number one wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. He was the first of several players to receive a lucrative deal to remain in the blue and white. It’s not an accident either that his contract lines up precisely with quarterback Anthony Richardson’s rookie contract. This has been GM Chris Ballard’s approach over the years. Develop through the draft, endure competition at every position and pay your guys when the time is up. 

Several other needs were filled by signing their own. Kenny Moore III, Zaire Franklin and Rigoberto Sanchez were all locked up within the first 24 hours of free agency. The Colts still have needs at the cornerback position, defensive line and now a need for a backup QB with Gardner Minshew heading to Las Vegas. 

With the draft just a few weeks away, Chris Ballard will continue to be aggressive in trades to gain more picks in the 2024 draft and beyond. The first two picks in this year’s draft could go in several directions. The Colts could be sitting with the 15th pick with several options in front of them at cornerback, edge rusher and wide receiver—all needs for the 2024 season. 

The Colts could also head to the podium with the 15th pick, knowing their needs could be met by trading out of the 15th overall pick to gain a later first round selection and multiple picks in other rounds. The Colts' draft board inside the war room should be as full as it gets with option 1A all the way down to option 1Z. 

Here’s how the first round could fall for the Indianapolis Colts:

Option 1A: If any of the following players are available for the Colts at 15, the Colts will likely be obligated to select them. 

Brock Bowers -TE – Georgia

Bowers is all over the place in mock drafts going as high as number five to the Chargers and as low as 23rd. Bowers would be a powerful weapon for a young Anthony Richardson and he is a playmaker at the tight end spot. Colts fans, this Dallas Clark reborn. Ballard did say he likes the tight end room, but Bowers will be hard to pass up. 

Terrion Arnold – CB - Alabama 

Although the Colts have signed their own corners in the offseason including Kenny Moore III, Arnold could bolster the secondary immediately. The Colts need all the help they can get with a schedule in 2024 that faces high powered offenses in Trevor Lawrence and CJ Stroud twice, the Dolphins, Bills, Lions, Jets and Packers. Arnold could be the pick at fifteen if the Colts look in that direction. He is an elite pass defender and would add to a better than average Colts defense.

Rome Odunze – WR - Washington

Adding a young weapon to the offense for Anthony Richardson is never a bad thing. Odunze has big play making ability and could be a great #2 or #3 wide out behind Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs who emerged as a weapon for the Colts offense last season. More than likely, Odunze will be off the board by the time the Colts pick and it’s unlikely that Chris Ballard will trade up for anyone in this draft. But Troy Walters from Oregon in the second round could also be a good option for the future of the position for the Colts. 

Jared Verse – DE - Florida State

Verse is a game changer, or a better term would be game wrecker. Teams would be dumb to not take him inside the Top 12, but as mentioned before, with the possibility of two wide receivers and four quarterbacks going off the board inside the Top 10, Verse could fall to the Colts at 15. He is one of the best edge rusher prospects to emerge in quite some time. 

Option 1B: The Colts' second option is to trade the 15th overall pick in April’s NFL Draft. Chris Ballard loves to stockpile as many picks in the draft as possible as fans of the team know. The Colts could still fill a need in the first round by trading the 15th for a selection in the late 20’s with teams like the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys—all of whom have been rumored to want to move up in round one. 

If the Colts choose to do so, they can add a few more picks while still selecting a top 15 rated player in the draft such as cornerbacks Nate Wiggins of Clemson, Cooper DeJean of Iowa or Kamari Lassiter of Georgia. 

Draft Nation believes the Colts trade back if Bowers, Odunze, Arnold and Verse are all gone by pick fifteen. They can add draft capital while still finding talent enough to fill their void at receiver or corner. This draft is deep—very deep in fact, at each of these positions of need.