2024 NFL Draft Grades: Indianapolis Colts

The 2024 NFL Draft is now in the rearview mirror, and we have compiled a consensus ranking using NFL draft grades from a variety of sites.

What draft grades have the media given to the Indianapolis Colts? What are they saying about the Colts' 2024 draft haul?

NFL.com - Grade: B+

Day 1 grade: B+
Day 2 grade: B
Day 3 grade: A-

Analysis: Latu was the most consistent pass rusher in the draft class and will be productive if the neck injury he suffered while at Washington is not an issue moving forward. The team found a potential steal in Mitchell, provided his game matures, while trading down for two Day 3 picks. Trading up for Gonclaves seemed unnecessary, though he should be at least a solid swing tackle; he's been recovering from a foot injury but said after the draft that he feels 100%.

Bortolini looks like Ryan Kelly's heir apparent; he also has the experience, strength and athleticism to play guard until needed in the middle. Gould brings real value as a returner, especially with the new kickoff rules. Carlies moves from safety to linebacker for the Colts. Simpson could man corner or safety; the athletic defender played both spots in college. Abraham is the son of former NFL player Donnie Abraham and a tough-minded corner in his own right, but the team is still looking for depth at edge.

ESPN - Grade: B

Top needs entering the draft: Cornerback, wide receiver, safety, edge defender

The Colts were one of the teams coming into Round 1 with a clearly defined biggest need. They really had to get a cornerback who could step in and start as a rookie for a defense that struggled to stop No. 1 wide receivers last season. While I thought they might also target a pass-catcher to give second-year quarterback Anthony Richardson more help, corner was the biggest hole for GM Chris Ballard & Co. So color me surprised when not only did Ballard pass on a corner in Round 1 -- when he had his choice of the entire class -- but he didn't take one until Round 6.

Indianapolis instead went with edge rusher Laiatu Latu (15), who will help this team as a rookie. I love the player but don't quite understand what Ballard sees in his defensive back room that I don't. He could have gone with Cooper DeJean, Terrion Arnold or Quinyon Mitchell and upgraded at corner.

Outside of that move? I like the majority of Ballard's class. Wide receiver Adonai Mitchell (52) could be a steal if he lives up to his potential. He was uncoverable at times at both Georgia and Texas. Matt Goncalves is a good offensive tackle with interesting tools. Tanor Bortolini (117) is a solid sixth offensive lineman option. Safety Jaylin Simpson (164) is a safety/nickel hybrid who tested extremely well at the combine. As ESPN's Matt Miller said on the broadcast Saturday, Jonah Laulu (234) got rave reviews at his pro day and is a Round 7 flier worth taking.

I like the players in Ballard's class, but I'm still curious about why he didn't take a corner earlier. That's a miss ... unless there's some sort of trade for a veteran coming down in the weeks after the draft.

MORE: Indianapolis Colts 2024 NFL Draft Roundup

Indianapolis Colts Mock Draft Roundup 3.0

Throughout the year and leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft, we will update our Indianapolis Colts Mock Draft Roundup showing picks for the Indianapolis Colts from several prominent sites and draft analysts.

The following are picks in recent mock drafts for the Indianapolis Colts:

ESPN - Mel Kiper (2/28)

15. Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama

Indianapolis got solid cornerback play from rookies JuJu Brents (Round 2) and Jaylon Jones (Round 7) last season, but it has to keep improving there. Frankly, the Colts need a talent injection on their entire defense, which is why I could see them picking the best available defender here.

Six-foot Arnold picked off five passes and allowed just four catches of 20-plus yards as the nearest defender in coverage last season. Minnesota has a clear void at the position, and he could be a day one starter.

The Athletic - CFB Writers (2/27)

15. Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson

I don't think anybody would be upset with the addition of a receiver to further support Anthony Richardson, but with their AFC South competition now featuring not only Trevor Lawrence but Offensive Rookie of the Year C.J. Stroud, the Colts may be more interested in secondary help. Wiggins is lean but has good speed and ball skills. The Colts could get their shutdown corner here. — Cameron Teague Robinson

MORE: Continue reading our 2024 Indianapolis Colts Mock Draft Roundup

2023 NFL Power Rankings: Indianapolis Colts

Throughout the 2023 NFL season, we will compile a consensus NFL Power Rankings that averages the rankings of all 32 NFL teams.

Below you will find a Week 18 roundup for the Indianapolis Colts in our consensus 2023 NFL Power Rankings.

ESPN -- Rank: 14

Biggest offseason contract to watch: WR Michael Pittman Jr.

Pittman is in the final year of his rookie contract and has clearly established his importance to the Colts' offense. He has missed two games in the past two seasons. The Colts were outscored 53-10 in those two contests and averaged 167 passing yards. The Colts are a different team when Pittman is on the field, and he'll be looking for a contract that reflects that reality. Are the Colts ready to offer it? -- Stephen Holder

NFL.com -- Rank: 13

Arguably the second-best game of Week 18: The contest between the Texans and Colts in Indianapolis, with a playoff spot -- and possibly the AFC South title -- hanging in the balance. It would have been fun to see two rookie QBs face off, but that has been off the table for months now, as Gardner Minshew just keeps chugging along for the Colts in Anthony Richardson's stead, making enough big plays to keep the offense afloat. Indianapolis' defensive numbers against the pass are fairly respectable, even if the Colts haven't exactly faced the league's toughest QB schedule of all time this season. C.J. Stroud stung them back in Week 2, and rookie Aidan O'Connell (299 yards, two TDs) carved them up a bit Sunday. Getting CB Kenny Moore (who missed the win over the Raiders) back and having a healthy RB Jonathan Taylor in Week 18 could do wonders. Taylor was in and out of the Raiders game, but he was effective when he played. Selfishly, I just want an all-hands-on-deck battle in this divisional showdown. It should be a doozy.

Continue reading Indianapolis Colts NFL Power Rankings Roundup

2023 NFL Predictions: AFC South

Before the start of the season, we will post NFL division-by-division predictions for the 2023 NFL regular season and postseason.

Instead of projecting an outright winner and loser in all 272 regular-season games, we've assigned a win probability to each team in every game and totaled them up.

The four AFC South teams are projected to win the fewest games combined among the four AFC divisions, and only the NFC West is projected to win fewer combined games than the AFC South in our full-season projections.

See where the Colts stand in our 2023 AFC South Predictions

2023 Fantasy Football Projections: Indianapolis Colts

Our Fantasy Football Projections will be viewable by both position and team.

Below you will find our 2023 fantasy football projections for the Indianapolis Colts.

MORE: Fantasy football projections for more NFL teams

QUARTERBACKS

Player	Att.	Comp.	Yards	TD	INT	Rush	Yards	TD	Points
Anthony Richardson	475.8	285	3354.4	18.56	14.51	119	690.2	4.64	276.26
Gardner Minshew	44.2	27.5	316	1.99	0.99	7.9	20.5	0.16	21.63

Anthony Richardson: Indianapolis was arguably the ideal landing spot for Richardson. After all, new coach Shane Steichen tailored Philadelphia's offense to best suit the skill set of Jalen Hurts. Ups and downs should be expected for Richardson, but his elite athletic profile gives him enormous rushing upside from the start.

MORE: Continue reading our 2023 Fantasy Football Projections: Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts: 2023 NFL Schedule

Below you will find the weekly NFL regular-season schedule for the Indianapolis Colts in 2023.

MORE: 2023 NFL Strength of Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Results
Week 1	Sun., Sep. 10	vs. Jacksonville Jaguars	L 31-21
Week 2	Sun., Sep. 17	at Houston Texans	W 31-20
Week 3	Sun., Sep. 24	at Baltimore Ravens	W 22-19 (OT)
Week 4	Sun., Oct. 1	vs. Los Angeles Rams	L 29-23 (OT)
Week 5	Sun., Oct. 8	vs. Tennessee Titans	W 23-16
Week 6	Sun., Oct. 15	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 37-20
Week 7	Sun., Oct. 22	vs. Cleveland Browns	L 39-38
Week 8	Sun., Oct. 29	vs. New Orleans Saints	L 38-27
Week 9	Sun., Nov. 5	at Carolina Panthers	W 27-13
Week 10	Sun., Nov. 12	at New England Patriots	W 10-6
Week 11		BYE
Week 12	Sun., Nov. 26	vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 27-20
Week 13	Sun., Dec. 3	at Tennessee Titans	W 31-28 (OT)
Week 14	Sun., Dec. 10	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 34-14
Week 15	Sat., Dec. 16	vs. Pittsburgh Steelers	W 30-13
Week 16	Sun., Dec. 24	at Atlanta Falcons	L 29-10
Week 17	Sun., Dec. 31	vs. Las Vegas Raiders	W 23-20
Week 18	Sat., Jan. 6	vs. Houston Texans	L 23-19

MORE: Indianapolis Colts historical W-L records - Indianapolis Colts historical head-to-head records

Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule (SOS)

How easy or difficult is the fantasy football schedule for Indianapolis Colts players?

Fantasy Football Strength of Schedule by position:

Indianapolis Colts - 2024 Draft Results

The table below are all of the 2024 NFL Draft picks selected by the Indianapolis Colts.

Round	Overall	Player	Position	School
1	15	Laiatu Latu	EDGE	UCLA
2	52	Adonai Mitchell	WR	Texas
3	79	Matt Goncalves	OT	Pittsburgh
4	117	Tanor Bortolini	C	Wisconsin
5	142	Anthony Gould	WR	Oregon State
5	151	Jaylon Carlies	S	Missouri
5	164	Jaylin Simpson	S	Auburn
6	201	Micah Abraham	CB	Marshall
7	234	Jonah Laulu	DT	Oklahoma

More: 2024 NFL Draft Results - Indianapolis Colts Draft History