The Indianapolis Colts drafted 12 players in 2023.
Coming up on three years later, the group has been a colossal disaster, highlighted by Indy’s recent decision to waive cornerback JuJu Brents, their second-round pick.
It was a class which offered tons of optimism, starting with the selection of Anthony Richardson Sr. with the No. 4 overall pick to be the franchise quarterback.
But Richardson lost his starting job to Daniel Jones. Brents is no longer with the organization. Only one player is slated to be a starter in 2025— third-round pick wide receiver Josh Downs.
Fourth-rounder Adetomiwa Adebawore and fifth-rounders Will Mallory and Daniel Scott remain with the team, but all are in depth roles and aren’t expected to play significant roles in 2025. Another fourth-round pick, Blake Freeland, is on season-ending injured reserve.
You could argue that only Downs and seventh-round pick Jaylon Jones have been successful in their times in Indianapolis. Downs is emerging as a top receiving target in the Colts offense and is in prime position to have a big breakout with Jones being his throwing partner.
Jones is in firm contention to be the second perimeter starting cornerback opposite Charvarius Ward when the Colts open their season on Sept. 7 against the Dolphins.
But that’s 2-for-12 on draft choices. A 16% hit rate. Keep in mind, the Colts were once given high praise for this draft class.
For general manager Chris Ballard, who’s widely regarded as a solid talent evaluator and a GM whose team building philosophy is to rely on the draft and develop players from within, that’s a highly concerning conversion rate.
Especially worrisome is how Ballard is on the hot seat entering the season. A poor draft like this will not help his case to stay.
