Colts' Draft Haul in 2027, 2028 After Huge Trades

The Indianapolis Colts sent shockwaves through the NFL on Tuesday after trading away left guard Quenton Nelson and defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who have a combined 11 Pro Bowls and eight All-Pro nods.

The trades netted the Colts three draft picks over the next two years: Nelson went to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder, and Buckner went to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2027 fourth-round pick.

The 49ers and Seahawks are both considered favorites to reach the NFC Championship Game, so their 2027 picks will almost certainly come late in their respective rounds.

After what is shaping up to be a sixth consecutive year without a playoff berth, the Colts fired general manager Chris Ballard on Oct. 19 and have now begun offloading some of their most valuable players: a rebuild is on the horizon.

While the Colts still do not have a first-round pick in next year's draft, they are projected to have 10 selections after compensatory picks are awarded next spring. Offloading Nelson and Buckner's contracts also created about $17.6 million in salary cap space, giving them an NFL-high $37 million in current cap space.

The extra money and draft picks are expected to help springboard the Colts through the early stages of the rebuild.

Here is where the Colts currently stand with picks in the next two drafts:

The Colts do not have a 2027 first-round pick because they traded for former New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner last season, sending their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks and wide receiver AD Mitchell in exchange.

With no first-round pick, but potentially three picks still inside the top 100, the Colts have enough ammo to move up into the first round if the situation arises.

They Colts received an extra third- and fourth-round pick from their Nelson and Buckner trades.

The Colts are projected to receive a fifth-round compensatory pick for their loss of defensive end Kwity Paye in free agency this offseason, and a sixth-rounder for the loss of safety Nick Cross.

The Colts traded their original 2027 sixth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills this summer for center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and a seventh-round pick.

The Colts have an extra fifth-round pick in the 2028 draft from the Nelson trade.