Four players the Colts could pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft
By Rhys Knott
The Colts will pick at 14 in the first round of the 2025 draft. Defensive linemen should dominate the 2025 draft. There is a multitude of elite prospects, and many of them are underrated by draft experts. That’s good news for Chris Ballard.
On paper, the Colts have some very good defensive linemen. However, only six teams recorded fewer sacks than Shane Steichen’s team in 2024.
It’s important to remember that context is key when analysing defensive stats. Teams with successful offenses can string long drives together, allowing their defense to spend more time on the sideline. A well-rested defense should, therefore, put up better defensive numbers.
14.9% of the Colts’ offense’s drives ended in turnovers last season! As a result, they ranked last in the league when it came to average drive time, giving their defense an uphill task. They’ll be hoping for better offense in 2025, but they still need some defensive reinforcements.
The Colts currently have 68 players on their roster and around $21 million in cap space. Signing their draft class should cost them less than $9.7 million. They will look to fill out the 90-man roster with undrafted free agents.
New signing Daniel Jones is either going to kick start the offense or provide more evidence that the coaching staff is clueless when it comes to coaching quarterbacks. And for all the Danny Dimes skeptics, it’s important to remember he’s a better passer than Josh Allen.
After four seasons in Indianapolis, Dayo Odeyingbo is now a Bear. That leaves six defensive ends on the roster, and those six combined for just 13.5 sacks last year.
Ballard and Steichen haven’t made big moves in free agency. They have added five new defenders, but none of them play at the EDGE position. They obviously rate this draft class.
The Colts’ struggles weren’t limited to rushing the passer. They ranked 29th for net yards allowed per passing attempt last season. Adding Cam Bynum, Charvarius Ward, and Corey Ballentine to their defensive backfield will help fix that. They could still use an off-ball linebacker.
Prior to the 2024 season, PFF ranked the Colts’ linebacking corps 26th in the league. They described their issues by saying, “Both Zaire Franklin and E.J. Speed are better in run defense than coverage.” E.J. Speed is now a Texan (another linebacker, Grant Stuard, is a Lion), and they haven’t signed any replacements.
Donovan Ezeiruaku. EDGE, Boston College
Ezeiruaku’s ability to target a ball carrier’s hands makes him a fumble-forcing machine. He’s ripped the ball away eight times in his last three seasons.
The 21-year-old led the ACC with 16.5 sacks in his senior year. But that’s a bit of a double-edged sword. Playing in the ACC, Ezeiruaku only faced one playoff team in 2024. When his Boston College team met SMU, Ezeiruaku rode the struggle bus. He would record just five tackles and no sacks.
Despite that, Ezeirauku is still ranked among the top seven in this EDGE defender class. He would give the Colts some extra thunder to go with Laiatu Latu’s lightning.
Latu had a disappointing rookie year on a defense that had a very frustrating season. After 23.5 sacks in two years at UCLA, the Colts first-round pick only sacked the quarterback four times.
Ezeiruaku is more adept at the Jared Verse-type bull rush. He’ll go straight through a blocker’s chest, while Latu prefers to keep them off balance. He just steps around blocks.
Even if he didn’t always face elite opponents in college, Ezeiruaka’s core strength will translate against any standard of opponent. It’s especially evident when he’s tackling. He just gets guys on the ground. Even if it looks like he’s over-pursued or is diving through the air, he drags them to the floor like a lion with an antelope in its jaws.
The New Jersey native turned plenty of heads at the combine. His 4.62-second 40-yard time ranks in the 91st percentile of the class (and the same time Boogie Basham clocked in 2021). His 3-cone drill is in the 90th percentile, and his 35.5-inch vertical jump is in the 76th percentile of this class.
However, Ezeiruaku’s measurements are less impressive than his tests. At 6-foot-2, he is only in the 16th percentile, and he’s only in the 9th percentile for weight, as he weighs only 248 pounds. But he does have freakishly long arms. His 82 and 3/8-inch span is in the 80th percentile of this sizeable EDGE class.
Some project the 2024 ACC defensive player of the year to be the Lions’ first pick at 28. But some believe he could go as high as 18. The Colts will pick at 14, so he will be in play.
Donovan Ezeiruaku (6) with a very smooth and technical cross chop Precise hand placement + body control to turn the corner, then the slight bend to lean & flatten to the QB
— Anthony (game script enthusiast) (@proant.bsky.social) March 5, 2025 at 6:33 PM
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Sai’vion Jones. EDGE, LSU
Prefer Sai'vion Jones playing inside. Beats Zabel inside for the TFL
— Billy (@billym91.bsky.social) February 1, 2025 at 7:43 PM
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Former Colts defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo is 6-feet-6 and weighs 286 pounds, while Jones is 6-feet-6 and 280 pounds. Jones would be an ideal Odeyingbo replacement. Jones isn’t expected to be a first-round pick, though. Some expect he could still be available in the fourth round!
Size isn’t the only trait Odeyingbo and Jones share. Odeyingbo ran a 4.77 40-yard time, which compares favourably to Jones’s 4.72. And they both have similar pass-rush win percentages, although Jones’ is slightly higher.
According to Rob Staton of Seahawks Draft Blog (who studies data from the last two seasons), Odeyingbo wins 12.6% of the time compared to Jones’s 15.1% (Jones has been beating SEC linemen, though).
Unsurprisingly, man mountain Jones is a disruptive force at the line of scrimmage. He can push linemen into the backfield or use his hands to beat their blocks. Jones would seriously improve the Colts’ run defense, setting the edge and compressing running lanes as he makes life difficult for blockers.
He isn’t the fastest or most agile lineman in the class, but Jones’ effort stands out above any of his deficiencies. It’s something he learned as a child. The Louisiana native is used to struggling, having been diagnosed with a rare breathing disorder.
Jones underwent a tracheotomy and had a breathing tube placed in his neck when he was just three months old. He managed to pull the breathing tube out and “coded”. If he had not been revived by medical staff, he would not have been here to tell the tale, let alone to enter the draft.
The 21-year-old says that experience inspires him. While recovering from a serious health issue and playing football share absolutely no similarities, both require plenty of heart. Jones always plays like someone who is making the most of their second chance. Don’t be surprised if he’s drafted before the fourth round; it won’t be a shock if he goes on the first day.
Jordan Burch. EDGE, Oregon
look at Jordan Burch (EDGE #1) on this play
— Cristian (@cristiannfelipe.bsky.social) January 23, 2025 at 4:37 AM
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Burch isn’t quite as enormous as Jones. But at 6-foot-4 and 279 pounds, he’s still a very large human being. In fact, he’s in the 81st percentile of the 2025 defensive end class when it comes to size. But he’s incredibly mobile for such a large human. The former South Carolina Gamecock ran a 4.67-second 40-yard dash, ranking him in the 85th percentile of this class.
Burch’s 40-yard time is exactly the same as Carl Lawson’s back in 2017. Lawson has 32 sacks and 32 tackles for a loss in his seven years in the league. Burch isn’t a replica of Lawson, though. The 23-year-old is two inches taller and weighs 20 pounds more than the former Cowboy!
The former 5-star recruit explodes out of his stance, often taking linemen by surprise as he gets off the ball so quickly. Even if linemen are in a position to block him, Burch is so light on his feet that he wrong-foots potential blockers and can even squeeze through the B gap.
Burch projects as anywhere between the 19th overall pick and a third-round selection. It would be a very strange draft if Burch dropped all the way to the third round, though. Chris Ballard should take Burch at 13, if only to prevent Dan Campbell from pairing him with Aidan Hutchinson.
Danny Stutsman. LB, Oklahoma
If Stutsman had been eligible for the 2024 draft, he would have been a high first-round pick. But in 2025, he divides opinion. Some mock drafts have him as a fifth-round pick, while others see him as the 18th overall pick! Either way, he’ll be in play when the Colts are on the clock.
A former three-star recruit, Stutsman is in the 75th percentile of the 2025 linebacker class for height. However, his weight of only 233 pounds puts him in the 23rd percentile! His tests are all over the board, though.
His 78-inch span is in the 87th percentile. He clocked a 4.52-second 40-yard time, which is in the 92nd percentile of this loaded class!
He struggled with the vertical jump and bench press tests. A 34-inch jump only put him into the 49th percentile, and his 22 reps made the 51st percentile. But his ability to diagnose plays and understand where the play is going separates Stutsman from the rest.
The Florida native Stutsman has Luke Kuelchy-esque instincts. He rarely bites on play-action, and his speed allows him to cover wide receivers. His ability to meet the running back in the hole and dominate the collision will have defensive coordinators salivating.
Off the field, Stutsman is a natural leader. In his senior year at Oklahoma, he donated $50,000 of his NIL money to be divided among 18 walk-on players who didn’t receive their own NIL deals.
Stutsman would immediately boost the Colts’ run defense and locker room. But even if he isn’t a regular starter in 2025 he can succeed either Zaire Franklin soon. There’s a team option in Franklin’s contract at the end of this season. If he doesn’t perform this season they shouldn’t hesitate to exercise that option.
Danny Stutsman: OU’s heart. From 3-star recruit to All-American LB. 376 career tackles, 3 straight 100+ tackle seasons. Led Sooners with fire—125 tackles in ‘22, 19 vs. Mizzou in ‘24. Loyal through the rebuild, a crimson legend.
— Boomer Backfield (@boomerbackfield.bsky.social) March 24, 2025 at 7:31 PM
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RHYS KNOTT
NFL/FANTASY FOOTBALL ANALYST
Rhys has been watching the NFL for 30 something years and still hasn’t managed to pick a team to support. When he’s not fixatED on pass rushers you can find him blithering on about most sports on Twitter @wrhys_writes