The Indianapolis Colts offensive line has been considered one of the best in the NFL over the last few years after selecting Quenton Nelson in the 2018 NFL draft.
The unit took on a major loss when their long-time left tackle, Anthony Castonzo, announced his retirement on January 12. His void is still a glaring issue when you take a gander at the current roster. While general manager Chris Ballard added veterans Sam Tevi and Julién Davenport in free agency, both players should be viewed as depth pieces that will compete for a spot on the roster.
Indianapolis currently only has six picks and only two (Nos. 21, 54) of those fall on the first two days of the draft. Ballard has made at least eight selections in his four draft classes so it will be interesting to see if he stays put or trades back to add some ammunition for him to work with. It will be dependent on how the board falls and if one of his guys will fall to the No. 21 pick.
While left tackle is a pressing need, that doesn’t mean it will be the first position off the board for the Colts. Offensive tackle is one of the deeper groups in this class so Ballard can wait if he needs to, but he should leave Day 1 or 2 with the next left tackle that will be counted on to fill Castonzo’s shoes.
There have been 18 offensive tackles selected in the first round of the last five NFL drafts:
2016: 4
2017: 2
2018: 2
2019: 4
2020: 6
Based on recent history, we can expect at least three tackles to hear their names called on the first night. Teams that could select a tackle before Indianapolis include the Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Football Team, and Chicago Bears. As it is every year, we truly don’t know how the board will fall on April 29.
Let’s take a look at some potential Day 1 and 2 options for the Colts.: