The Indianapolis Colts have enjoyed quite a busy offseason following their big moves in free agency, and they have always been a team that moves around the NFL draft order since Chris Ballard took over as general manager.
The draft is unpredictable and even teams don’t know if and when they will be moving up the draft board, but the Colts have shown they don’t mind trading up for a player if they truly value him at a certain spot.
Without a first-round pick in the draft, there is a chance the Colts will be looking to move up into Day 1 if their type of prospect falls to a certain range. Even outside of the quarterback position, there are some options the Colts could target for a trade-up opportunity in the first round.
Here are five players the Colts could trade up for in the first round of the draft:
Jordan Love | QB | Utah State
Love has become somewhat of a polarizing prospect among the draft community. On one side, Love is viewed as this raw prospect with untapped potential who just needs the right fit and the right coach. On the other side, there are analysts who simply don’t understand why there is so much love for Love as a Day 1 prospect.
Regardless, teams often feel different than pundits on certain players. The Colts may feel pretty highly about Love, especially given their reported interest this offseason. Love’s volatile range of outcomes could certainly cause him to drop in the draft, which means he could enter a range where the Colts feel comfortable trading up for their potential future at the quarterback position.
The ideal spot would be for Love to fall to the late 20s, where the Colts wouldn’t have to give up too much to move up but still get that fifth-year option. But they may have to be cautious as both the Patriots (No. 23) and the Saints (No. 24) have been listed as potential destinations for Love.
There is a lot of concern for Love’s career projection, but one of the best landing spots for him would be the Colts. If he gets in the range, Love might be worth pulling the trigger to move up.