The Indianapolis Colts are preparing for the 2020 NFL draft, which is slated to begin Thursday evening. With that, we know general manager Chris Ballard will be looking to make some trades throughout the event.
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Though it is more likely that Ballard will want to move back at any particular spot in order to add more draft capital, there is also the chance he moves up if a player he really likes falls. There is also always the possibility that a player-for-pick trade is made at some point during the draft. We broke down all of Ballard’s mid-draft trades since 2017, giving us a bit of insight to his process.
Using the draft trade chart as somewhat of a reference, here are four potential trade scenarios for the Colts in the draft:
Trade up from No. 34
The Colts aren’t on the clock until the second pick in the second round after trading their first-round pick for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. While it’s more likely they move back, there is a chance Ballard wants to move up a few spots for a player he likes.
While we covered some potential trade partners earlier in the offseason, there are two that would be most likely in the wheelhouse for the Colts. That would be the San Francisco 49ers (No. 31) and the Kansas City Chiefs (No. 32). These moves would be smaller so Ballard wouldn’t have to give up a whole lot in compensation while still being able to grab a prospect they really like.
Here’s the likely trade proposal for those two spots:
- Nos. 34 and 122 for No. 31
- Nos. 34 and 160 for No. 32
There is the chance that Ballard looks to move up to the Seahawks (No. 27) spot, but that would be less likely than the two above. Ballard doesn’t want to lose more draft capital than he already has but if he wanted to move up from No. 34, those are the two most likely scenarios.