Indianapolis Colts 2026 NFL Draft Needs, Picks & Depth Chart

Subscribe to the Sharp Football Email Newsletter to receive all our 2026 NFL content:

Subscribe to our newsletter:

Leave this field empty if you're human:

 

No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Colts' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

Indianapolis Colts Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Edge Rusher
2. Safety
3. Linebacker

Explore all of our 2026 NFL Draft content:

Pre-Order The Best Analytical 2026 Football Preview

Don't miss out on Warren Sharp's 500+ page preview of the 2026 NFL season.

The preview is unlike anything you have ever seen, featuring stunning visualizations built with the reader in mind.

This preview shares insights into players, coaches, teams, and philosophies with one goal in mind: to get you prepared for the 2026 NFL season by delivering the smartest information in the fastest, most direct way possible.

Pre-order the 2026 Football Preview now!

Indianapolis Colts 2026 Draft Capital

The Colts have the 28th-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

Indianapolis Colts Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Colts to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

Indianapolis Colts Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Indianapolis Colts, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Daniel Jones
2. Anthony Richardson
3. Riley Leonard
4. Seth Henigan

Daniel Jones had a career year with the Colts last season, setting career-highs in completion percentage (68%), yards per pass attempt (8.1), yards per completion (11.9), success rate (52%), and rating (100.2).

He threw 19 touchdowns, his most in a season since throwing 24 as a rookie in 2019.

He then suffered a torn Achilles tendon in Week 14 (while playing on a fractured leg), missing the rest of the season.

Jones is expected to be available to participate in training camp, but injuries have been a thorn in his side for his career.

He has now missed time in every season but one due to injury.

We also may have seen some of that in play last season.

The Colts were 7-1 over the opening eight games last year.

Jones had completed 71.2% of his passes (3rd in the league) for 8.5 yards per pass attempt (3rd), a 5.3% touchdown rate (15th), and a 1.2% interception rate (7th).

He led the NFL with a 53.2% success rate over that stretch.

The team then went 1-3 over Jones’s next four full games.

He completed 61.9% of his passes (17th) for 7.3 Y/A (11th) and a 4.5% touchdown rate (17th) in those games with a 3% interception rate (24th) and 7 fumbles.

The Colts are willing to find out which small sample size is the truth moving forward.

They retained Jones on a two-year contract this offseason, with him slated to count $19.2 million against the cap in 2026 and then $46.8 million next year.

We have been here before with Jones in his career, and he has regressed, so if the Colts do want to move on after this season, they would take on $35.2 million of his 2027 salary as dead space.

Anthony Richardson has been orbiting trade talks this offseason as he is in the final year of his rookie contract.

The team did get a look at Riley Leonard in the regular-season finale after bringing back Philip Rivers for a ride that proved more nostalgic than fruitful.

On 67 pass attempts as a rookie, Leonard completed 58.2% of his passes for 415 yards (6.2 Y/A) with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

Running Back

1. Jonathan Taylor
2. DJ Giddens
3. Ulysses Bentley

Jonathan Taylor was still the catalyst for this offense last season, turning 369 touches into 1,963 yards from scrimmage and a league-high 20 touchdowns.

Taylor led the NFL in rushing attempts (323), rushing scores (18), and first downs on the ground (84).

He also handled a league-high 84.4% of his backfield touches.

Taylor was a beast again on the ground, but he also had a spike in receiving output, posting career highs in receptions (46) and receiving yards (378) with 2 added scores.

Taylor slowed down as the Colts stalled out in the passing game.

Over the final seven games, Taylor averaged 3.3 yards per rush with a 35.8% success rate after leading the league with 6.0 YPC and posting a 47.6% success rate (4th) before the season fell apart.

Taylor turned 27 this January and is in the final season of his current contract.

It is doubtful the Colts will just let Taylor walk on the open market, but with that on the horizon, the Colts still are in play to add more to this backfield.

DJ Giddens was selected in the fifth round last season.

He only got on the field for 70 total snaps (12%), handling 26 touches for 96 yards (3.7 yards per touch).

The only other back on the roster at the moment is Ulysses Bentley, who played 2 snaps as an undrafted rookie last season.

Wide Receiver

1. Alec Pierce
2. Josh Downs
3. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine
4. Ashton Dulin
5. Laquon Treadwell
6. Anthony Gould
7. Coleman Owen
8. Eli Pancol

Alec Pierce also had a career year last season, catching 47 passes for 1,003 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Pierce led the NFL in yards per catch (21.3) for the second straight season, becoming the first player since James Lofton in 1983-1984 to have back-to-back seasons averaging over 20 yards per catch with 6 or more touchdowns.

The Colts rewarded Pierce with a four-year contract extension worth up to $114 million this offseason ($84 million guaranteed).

Pierce has yet to have even 50 receptions in an NFL season and has not been a major target earner.

Out of 76 wide receivers to run 300 or more routes last season, Pierce was 50th with a target on 18.3% of his routes.

There is certainly some risk here, given the cost and to date output, but the Colts are projecting to put more on Pierce’s plate moving forward at this salary.

Pierce has had his counting stats muted due to his role, something the Colts should expand after trading Michael Pittman immediately following Pierce’s extension.

Since Pierce entered the NFL, he has averaged 16.5 air yards per target.

No player with as many targets over that span has had a higher depth of target than Pierce.

He has played 88.3% of his career snaps out wide, with a 31.4% of his targets coming on throws of 20 or more yards downfield.

That ranks sixth in the NFL over the past four years, with again, none of the players ahead of him having as many overall targets.

22% of his career targets have been on go routes.

The trade of Pittman also frees up short-term snaps for Josh Downs.

Downs has at least 50 receptions in each of his first three NFL seasons, but he has been limited to playing a slot-centric role in a crowded target tree attached to limited quarterback play.

Through three NFL seasons, Downs has run only 33 routes in one or two receiver sets.

When he has been on the field, Downs has been targeted on 23.9% of his routes over his rookie contract, which is 24th in the league over that span (and the same rate as Michael Pittman).

When Pittman has not been on the field (122 routes), Downs has been targeted on 25.4% of his routes.

Downs has averaged 1.87 yards per route run on 229 career routes away from the slot, compared to 1.72 yards per route run from the slot (995 routes).

If the Colts are planning on putting more on his plate in 2026, they should try to get out in front and sign Downs to an extension sooner rather than later (especially with Jonathan Taylor needing a new deal) in case the price goes up.

Downs is in the final season of his rookie contract and is set to become an unrestricted free agent.

Between Pierce, now earning front-end WR1 money, and Downs, a pending free agent, that leaves the Colts open to adding more to this receiver room.

They have used a pre-draft visit on Ted Hurst so far.

Tight End

1. Tyler Warren
2. Mo Alie-Cox
3. Drew Ogletree
4. Will Mallory
5. Sean McKeon
6. Carson Towt

Tyler Warren had a strong rookie season, catching 76 of 112 targets for 817 yards and 4 touchdowns.

He also added a rushing touchdown.

Warren played 84% of the snaps as a rookie, running a route on 83.6% of the team's dropbacks.

Only Trey McBride (93.2%) and Kyle Pitts (92.5%) had higher rates in 2025.

Warren’s rookie season efficiency was tied to the RPO and play-action element of the Indianapolis pass attack.

Warren was targeted on 33.3% of his routes with 3.30 yards per route on play-action passes as a rookie.

On non-play-action passes, he dropped to an 18.8% target rate over route with 1.09 yards per route.

Warren slowed down once Daniel Jones was injured and that element was removed from the offense, catching 26 passes for 200 yards and 1 touchdown over the final seven games.

Warren should be expected to have more on his plate in year two with Pittman gone.

He only ran 48 routes last year with Pittman off the field, but he was targeted on 25% of those routes with 2.40 yards per route run.

Offensive Line

LT: Bernhard Raimann, Blake Freeland, Jack Wilson
LG: Quenton Nelson, Josh Sills, LaDarius Henderson
C: Tanor Bortolini, Jimmy Morrissey
RG: Matt Goncalves, Dalton Tucker, Bill Murray
RT: Jalen Travis, Luke Tenuta, Bayron Matos

The Colts are in a solid spot up front, with some things to work around.

Quenton Nelson, Bernhard Raimann, and Tanor Bortolini are all front-end starters at their positions.

Raimann and Bortolini are each signed for multiple seasons.

Nelson turned 30 this March, entering the final year of his current contract.

Matt Goncalves made 16 starts in his second season.

He was the weakest link up front, allowing a 5.6% pressure rate (64th among guards).

Selected in the third round in 2024, the Colts can add competition here, but for better or worse, Goncalves will get another look to develop in 2026.

Right tackle is more wide open with Braden Smith leaving in free agency.

The Colts did select Jalen Travis in the fourth round last year (127th overall), but he is an unproven product with Day 3 draft investment.

Travis got on the field for 316 snaps as a rookie, allowing a 6.9% pressure rate (69th among tackles).

Indianapolis Colts Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Indianapolis Colts, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. DeForest Buckner
2. Grover Stewart
3. Colby Wooden
4. Jerry Tillery
5. Derrick Nnadi
6. Adetomiwa Adebawore
7. Tim Smith

The Colts held up well against the run in 2026, allowing 4.0 yards per carry to running backs (7th).

DeForest Buckner continued to be a great option last year, especially against the run, but he played just 10 games after 12 in 2024.

He is expected to recover from the neck injury that ended his 2025 season, but he is also 32 and heading into the final year of his contract.

Grover Stewart is also 32, and he will also be a free agent after this season.

The Colts added some depth in free agency, signing Jerry Tillery and Derrick Nnadi from the Chiefs.

Nnadi has not been an impact player even in a rotational role in recent seasons, and Tillery took a step back in his one season in Kansas City.

Colby Wooden, who Indy traded for, could make a bigger impact after something of a breakout season with the Packers last year.

If Buckner is healthy, the Colts do not have any short-term concerns here, but there are both age and contractual questions in the longer term.

Edge Defenders

1. Laiatu latu
2. Arden Key
3. JT Tuimoloau
4. Michael Clemons
5. Viliami Fehoko Jr.
6. Durell Nchami

The Colts finished 23rd in pressure rate (34.2%) last season, logging 39 sacks (15th).

Laiatu Latu took a step forward as a sophomore, leading the team with 8.5 sacks and a quality 14.7% pressure rate.

Indy lost Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam in free agency, but they added Arden Key and Michael Clemons.

Key had decent sack production during his three years with the Titans, recording 16.5 in 45 games, but he only posted a 10.2% pressure rate.

Clemons had 8.5 sacks in four seasons with the Jets.

The Colts added JT Tuimoloau in the second round last year, but he struggled to force his way onto the field and finished with 0 rookie sacks.

They really need an injection of talent on the edge.

Luckily for them, this is a deep draft class of pass rushers.

Linebacker

1. Akeem Davis-Gaither
2. Jaylon Carlies
3. Austin Ajiake
4. John Bullock
5. Joseph Vaughn
6. Devin Veresuk

Zaire Franklin left in the trade that landed Colby Wooden, opening a hole at linebacker.

The Colts added Akeem Davis-Gaither in free agency to take that spot after his one season with the Cardinals.

He did make plays in the backfield for Arizona, finishing with 13 run stuffs (17th), but he was a liability in coverage, allowing 6 touchdowns and a 127.7 quarterback rating.

Davis-Gaither did play with DC Lou Anarumo in Cincinnati, which should give him a solid foundation as he adjusts to the new team.

A 2024 fifth-round pick, Jaylon Carlies was limited to three games last season and has played 13 through his first two seasons.

Austin Ajiake is an undrafted sophomore who played 157 snaps on defense last year.

Germaine Pratt, who joined the team midway through 2025 and started 12 games, remains a free agent, and he played well enough against the run to warrant re-signing if they strike out in the draft.

Pratt also played for Anarumo and with Davis-Gaither in Cincinnati.

However they manage it, the Colts have to add to this linebacker room.

Cornerback

1. Sauce Gardner
2. Charvarius Ward
3. Kenny Moore
4. Cam Taylor-Britt
5. Mekhi Blackmon
6. Justin Walley
7. Cameron Mitchell
8. Wyett Ekeler
9. Johnathan Edwards
10. Rob Carter Jr.
11. Jaylon Jones

The Colts allowed 7.1 yards per attempt (19th) last season and finished 21st in EPA per pass allowed.

Indianapolis made a big move midseason by trading for Sauce Gardner after spending big on Charvarius Ward in free agency.

Those two moves did not pan out in the short term.

Ward was limited to seven games because of three different concussions, and Gardner played just four games after joining the team.

If healthy, that duo can be one of the best in the league, but Ward’s concussions are a major concern.

The team also looked to be in good shape in the slot with Kenny Moore, but reports emerged in April that the two sides are seeking a trade.

That uncertainty could have led to the team adding Cam Taylor-Britt in free agency, but he was primarily an outside option and did not set the world on fire with the Bengals.

The Colts did spend a third-round pick on Justin Walley last year, but he missed his rookie season with a torn ACL.

Walley should be the prime in-house candidate to replace Moore, if the trade ends up happening, but that is obviously a projection after he missed his rookie season.

The Colts have already spent a lot at corner, and they have good options even if Moore is traded.

Still, this group is not as settled as it should be given the talent available.

Safety

1. Cam Bynum
2. Juanyeh Thomas
3. Hunter Wohler
4. Jonathan Owens
5. Daniel Scott
6. Reuben Lowery III
7. Ben Nikkel
8. Trey Washington

The Colts suffered a big loss at safety with Nick Cross leaving for the Commanders.

Cross played over 1,100 snaps each of the last two seasons and had developed into a quality starter.

Cam Bynum is back after a good season in which he allowed just a 77.6 quarterback rating in coverage, but the spot next to him is open.

Indy brought in both Juanyeh Thomas and Jonathan Owens in free agency.

Owens has been more of a special teams contributor the last two years, and Thomas has played 550 career snaps on defense.

A seventh-round pick last year, Hunter Wohler missed his rookie season with a foot injury.

This looks like a glaring need.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams