A new five-round mock draft finds a surprising, risky way to give the Indianapolis Colts some immediate contributors.
Without a first-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts must make every selection count.
While they still have seven picks — one each through Rounds 2 through 6, and then a pair in Round 7 — the Colts are entering a win-now season, so each draft player must be able to contribute immediately as a rookie.
Chad Reuter of NFL.com recently put together a five-round mock draft, and his haul for the Colts is bold but full of instant-impact players:
- Round 2, Pick 47: WR De'Zhaun Stribling, Ole Miss
- Round 3, Pick 78: DB Kamari Ramsey, USC
- Round 4, Pick 114: LB Josiah Trotter, Missouri
- Round 5, Pick 156: ED Caden Curry, Ohio State
This order goes to show you how much of a crapshoot the draft is. On the Locked On Colts podcast, all four of these players have been commonly mentioned as options for the Colts throughout the pre-draft process, but in a different order.
Stribling's draft stock is all over the map, ranging anywhere from the second round in the top 50 to the fourth round. Ramsey and Trotter have been firm Day 2 projections, ranging from the late second round into the third. Curry's spot seems about right, going early on Day 3, in either the fourth or the fifth round.
The Colts have traded away receivers AD Mitchell and Michael Pittman Jr. since November and have done very little to replace them. Newcomer Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and existing players Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Ashton Dulin, and Tyler Warren will help fill the void. However, the Colts need to take a receiver, probably relatively early, to be a significant contributor going forward.
Stribling's size (6'2", 207) and athleticism (4.36 forty-yard dash, 1.53 ten-yard split, 36" vertical, 10'7" broad jump) come together to form a dangerous receiver. He's got sure hands, can make contested catches, and he's explosive before and after the catch. He offers the Colts a bit of both of what they lost in Pittman and Mitchell.
Ramsey is the type of versatile defensive back the NFL has been all about in recent years. A safety in title but a Jack of all trades in practice, Ramsey has 728 snaps of experience at free safety, 556 in the slot, and 449 in the box. His instincts and football intelligence are top-notch, and his physical nature helps set the tone for the entire defense. He's also got ample special-teams experience, which will help him get on the field sooner.
The Colts have a somewhat crowded secondary, but there's room for a player like Ramsey to come in and find a role as a rookie, especially with how often defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo uses various packages.
Trotter is the type of MIKE linebacker the Colts could use to replace Zaire Franklin, whom they traded away this offseason. The 21-year-old redshirt sophomore is still a young player, but has developed ahead of schedule. Trotter has a throwback attacking linebacker mentality (13 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks last season), showing toughness and power snap-to-snap. He needs time to develop into a better coverage player as he gains more experience, but he's shown physical and athletic traits that will allow him to develop on the fly while playing immediately.
Completing this five-round draft is Curry, the local kid out of Center Grove on the south side of Indy. Curry replaced the Colts' second-round pick from last year at Ohio State, JT Tuimoloau, and burst onto the scene with 16.5 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, and a blocked punt in his first year as a starter. Curry didn't register athletic testing scores this offseason but is considered an adequate athlete who displays plenty of power as an edge defender, both against the run and the pass.