According to ESPN’s longtime draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. (subscription), he believes the Indianapolis Colts earned a pretty good mark for their 2026 NFL Draft class, giving Colts general manager Chris Ballard and company a B+ grade overall:
Indianapolis Colts: B+
Top needs entering the draft: Edge rusher, wide receiver, linebacker, safety, offensive tackle
The Colts didn’t pick in Round 1, a product of their deadline deal with the Jets to land Sauce Gardner in November. They were 7-2 at that point with Daniel Jones playing great ball, but after an overtime win the following week in Berlin, they became the first NFL team to ever be six games over .500 and still finish with a losing record (per ESPN Research). Jones tore an Achilles in Week 14, and 44-year-old Phillip Rivers, signed out of retirement, was unsurprisingly unable to right the ship.
The CJ Allen pick is going to be huge for the defense. He was a steal at No. 53 — I had him 28th on the board. He has three-down attributes that allow him to impact the game in coverage, as a run stopper and as a blitzer. Just look at his stat line from 2025: 97 tackles, seven tackles for loss, nine run stops, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, 3.5 sacks. Paired with free agent signing Akeem Davis-Gaither and Day 3 pick Bryce Boettcher, the linebacker unit should take a step forward.
Despite tying for 14th with 39 sacks, this team was 30th in pass rush win rate (29.1%) last season. George Gumbs Jr. and Caden Curry chip in with Laiatu Latu (who is looking like a promising young pro after 8.5 sacks in 2025) to get after more AFC South quarterbacks, but Indy could have used a little more here. A.J. Haulcy enters as a potential Nick Cross replacement next to Cam Bynum, with eight interceptions and 12 pass breakups over the past two seasons. And Jalen Farmer was a strong value in Round 4, as I ranked the 6-foot-5, 312-pound guard at No. 81 overall. He didn’t allow any sacks last season.
Without the first-round pick, the Colts did pretty well here overall, getting a borderline first-round talent on Day 2.
Without a first round pick because of the Sauce Gardner trade, the Colts were still able to snag a borderline first round pick, Georgia linebacker CJ Allen, after trading down from the 47th to 53rd overall pick. Indianapolis then drafted a consecutive defensive player, selecting LSU safety AJ Haulcy at #78 overall. As former First-Team All-SEC honorees, both Allen and Haulcy look like immediate defensive starters in 2026 for Indy, even as rookies.
Advertisement
From that standpoint, the Colts will have at least two initial starters from this draft class, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Kentucky offensive guard Jalen Farmer (#113), seriously pushes at starting right guard, who Ballard said will compete for the role along with incumbent 3rd-year pro Matt Goncalves.
Otherwise, the Colts largely replenished their roster depth on ‘Day 3’ collectively, although Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher could earn immediate playing time as a rookie by being deployed as a sub-package coverage linebacker of sorts on obvious passing downs.
Overall, I would’ve provided the Colts the same grade as Kiper Jr., except for slightly differing reasons.
Read the full article here