Getty Indianapolis Colts safety Nick Cross is one of the team's talented players under 25 years old.
Young talent is highly coveted in today’s NFL. Drafting well and developing prospects is the only way to win in the league because it’s impossible to sign quality veteran starters for every position.
The number of young players on a team’s roster can also an indication of how bright the future is for that organization.
For the Indianapolis Colts, that future looks brighter than it did a year ago. NFL writer Scott Spratt of ESPN ranked the top NFL rosters based solely on their players younger than 25. After being rated No. 28 last year, the Colts came in at No. 19 on this year’s under-25 talent list.
“GM Chris Ballard hurt the Colts’ short-term under-25 ranking with his ill-fated trade for Carson Wentz that cost the team its third-round pick in 2021 and first-round pick last April,” Spratt wrote. “But Ballard recouped some of those losses with a coup of a Wentz trade this offseason that added a Day 2 draft pick in each of 2022 and 2023. Ballard paid a more palatable price of a third-round pick for veteran quarterback Matt Ryan.
“And Ballard drafted and developed a pair of blue-chip players in the interim in [Jonathan] Taylor and [Michael] Pittman.”
The Colts were the second-ranked team in the AFC South in terms of talent younger than 25 behind the Jacksonville Jaguars. Spratt rated the Jaguars at No. 6.
The Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans were ranked No. 26 and 31, respectively.
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Colts ‘Blue-Chip Players’ Under 25
Spratt listed only Taylor and Pittman as Indianapolis’ blue-chip players under 25. Both came to the Colts during the 2020 NFL Draft.
The following draft, Indianapolis selected defensive linemen Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo with its first two selections. There are some high expectations for both players this fall, but neither has developed into a “blue-chip” type player yet.
Then this past draft, as Spratt noted, the Colts didn’t have a first-round pick because of the Wentz trade.
But still, Indianapolis replenished its roster with promising prospects in this past draft, especially pass catchers. Wide receiver Alec Pierce and tight end Jelani Woods, who were the Colts top two choices in 2022, are competing for significant playing time in training camp.
Tight end Drew Ogletree, who was a sixth-round pick, has stolen the show early in training camp, though, emerging as another candidate for targets in the passing game. On defense, third-round selection Nick Cross is competing for a starting role at safety.
This group, combined with Taylor and Pittman, have the Colts’ core of young players trending in the right direction.
Criteria for Under-25 Talent List
It’s nice to see the Colts moving up Spratt’s list, but there’s a couple important things to note to place the list further into context.
For one, young talent isn’t everything. The Los Angeles Rams have been ranked in the bottom five on the under-25 talent list each of the last three years, yet they just won the Super Bowl. The Rams should contend to repeat as champions this season as well.
Clearly, the Colts being ranked in the bottom half of the league in under-25 talent each of the last two years does not mean they won’t be Super Bowl contenders this year or in the immediate future (2023 and 2024).
Furthermore, Spratt used number of starts and amount of snaps by players under 25, along with relative importance of positions, as a major factors for his list’s rankings. Those factors can be misleading.
For instance, New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson made 13 starts and recorded 741 snaps at 22 years old last year. That volume of playing time and the fact Wilson plays quarterback helped the Jets come in at No. 3 on Spratt’s list.
The Jets have other young players with a lot of potential, but whether that potential translates onto the field remains to be seen. At least heading into the 2022 season, the Jets aren’t any closer to a Super Bowl ring than they’ve been over the last decade — where they have recorded only one winning record.
Still, it’s never bad to be recognized for having top young talent. The Colts are seemingly better in that area than a year ago.