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The NFL Combine, Pro Days and private workouts have wrapped up, but the Indianapolis Colts are hard at work weighing their options with the No. 4 overall pick in the upcoming draft.
With speculation heating up, Brobible’s Dov Kleiman tweeted a video of ESPN’s Adam Schefter giving his thoughts on the NFL draft during an NFL Live segment. Schefter said that since the Carolina Panthers are expected to draft a quarterback at No. 1 overall, there is a chance a quarterback isn’t taken after then until at least No. 4.
“We haven’t seen anybody trade up to (No. 2) and Houston’s open to listening; we haven’t seen anybody trade up to No. 3 because I think Indianapolis thinks there’s a real chance right now that they could sit right where they are at (No. 4) and get potentially the second quarterback in this draft,” Schefter said.
The Colts have left all possibilities open for exploration, but have also publicly made it known they believe it’s time for a rookie quarterback to become the face of the franchise.
How Would That Scenario Play Out?
The real question is what Houston and Arizona will do with the No. 2 and No. 3 picks, respectively. There’s a chance they could wait until draft night to make a final decision, which is why Indianapolis needs to be prepared for every possible outcome.
But Schefter said he thinks there’s a possibility that no trades are made within the top three selections and Indianapolis will have a pick of its choosing.
“There’s a chance we might not see a quarterback go at two or even three, and there might not be a team that trades up because the value in that wasn’t what we thought it would be,” Schefter said. “So Indianapolis may be sitting there with its pick in the litter, Anthony Richardson or Will Levis or C.J. Stroud, that could happen.”
Pro Football Focus’ Trevor Sikkema shared his draft theory on April 17 and noted the Texans organization might be playing chess in order to put the Colts in a less favorable position.
“HOU’s leaking info they’re not drafting QB at 2 so IND, their division foe, feels confident at 4 and doesn’t trade up,” Sikkema tweeted. “Meanwhile HOU intends to take a QB at 2, hopes a team leaps the Colts to take another one at 3, leaving IND one QB (maybe one they don’t love).”
Colts Conducting First Post-Top-30 Interview with Top Prospect
Colts owner Jim Irsay has fueled speculation regarding what the team will do this off-season, even noting that “all options are on the table” via Twitter on April 16. As a result, the Colts are exercising due diligence with rookie quarterback prospects.
CBS Sports’ Josina Anderson tweeted on April 17 that Indianapolis has scheduled a virtual interview with Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, marking the team’s first follow-up interview following an official top-30 visit. The team initially hosted Richardson in a pre-draft meeting earlier this month.
Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud are widely projected to be the first two quarterbacks taken in the draft, with Kentucky’s Will Levis and Richardson making up the second tier of signal callers. Because of that, Richardson could still be on the board if the Colts use their No. 4 pick on a draft prospect.
The Colts drafting a rookie quarterback would grant the team’s wishes after multiple years of different veteran starters. If that quarterback turns out to be Richardson, pairing him with new head coach Shane Steichen could be beneficial to his development, as he has had historic seasons coaching Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts.
Richardson recorded 2,549 passing yards and 654 rushing yards with 26 total touchdowns last season at Florida.
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