Perfect Picks 2023: Indianapolis Colts

With the NFL Draft approaching we will be looking at each team and evaluating where they need to improve. In this particular series we will run a seven round mock using the Pro Football Network Mock Draft Simulator and find the ‘Perfect Picks’ for each franchise.

We will highlight four players that could help each team. This will feature picks 1 and 2, a mid round gem and a late round sleeper.

Round 1 - Anthony Richardson (Quarterback, Florida)

Entering a rebuild as the Colts are right now, an extremely high upside QB is a great place to start. While he is far from a ready to start player–he is being placed on a team with a bright future ahead. Good pieces across the offense, plus undeniably AR15 would be a fun watch in Steichen’s system. Indy’s new Head Coach has a good history of bringing great things out of formerly viewed as ‘project QB’s’. So to summarize: Super high upside athletic QB, combined with one of the best QB developers in football? Sounds like a good idea.

Round 2 - Eli Ricks (Cornerback, Alabama)

What a joy Ricks will be for whatever team gets him. His dominant days at LSU seem to have been quickly forgotten. While his very short time playing at Alabama was not great, there is no debating Ricks is a naturally talented athlete with fantastic skills to work with. After the departure of Gilmore, the Colts will need a replacement at CB1. The Colts are in their trough at the moment, let’s continue the trend of selecting high upside athletic players with Ricks.

Mid Round Gem - Dorian Williams (Linebacker, Tulane)

The Colts have a good bit of draft capital this year, and you can see the full mock below, but I decided to go in depth with Dorian Williams. While at this stage you are mostly looking for backups or future starters, Williams is a rare case where in this system and with the type of player he is, I believe he could start day 1 with Okereke heading to the Giants. Williams is not a fantastic athlete, he’s not great in run defense, and his pass coverage leaves something to be desired; yet I think he fits Bradley’s system well as he is a jack of all consistency. Bad at nothing, great at nothing. Yet, there is upside. A good place to start with rebranding the defense with younger players.

Late Round Sleeper - Brodric Martin (Defensive Tackle, Western Kentucky)

Rounding off Perfect Picks for Indianapolis, I really like Brodric Martin. Perhaps there isn’t starting upside there, but I do believe he would be perfect as a rotational 3rd and short body in the middle or even as an occasional NT. He is a big boy standing at 6’5’’, 330lbs. A simple pick, but one that will hopefully yield a useful selection for a player that could end up being a value pick for whoever takes Martin day 3. Not great upside but you are hopeful for what you think you’re getting.

Draft In Full:

Round 1 – Anthony Richardson (Quarterback, Florida)

Round 2 – Eli Ricks (Cornerback, Alabama)

Round 3 – Dorian Williams (Linebacker, Tulane)

Round 4 – Jammie Robinson (Safety, Florida State)

Round 5 – Mike Morris (Edge, Michigan)

Round 5 – Jalen Moreno-Cropper (Wide Receiver, Fresno State)

Round 5 – Jaxson Kirkland (Offensive Guard, Washington)

Round 7 – Darrell Luter Jr (Cornerback, South Alabama)

Round 7 – Brodric Martin (Defensive Tackle, Western Kentucky)

You can read more of Julian’s work over at his twitter handle @JayinCee05 and his youtube channel youtube.com/scuproductions.

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Perfect Picks 2023: Indianapolis Colts