Is it too early to be thinking about the 2025 NFL Draft? ESPN doesn’t believe so, as they put together a projection to determine where each team will be selecting in the first round of the upcoming draft. So where did they have the Colts ending up?
Using the Football Power Index (FPI) to determine the draft order, here is how that projection model works:
“The FPI projects the draft order by simulating the season 10,000 times. Game probabilities are based largely on the model’s ratings for individual teams in addition to game locations. The order is based on the records the model believes the teams will have after 17 games and each team’s average draft position in the simulations.”
For the Colts, after running all these simulations, they ended up with an average draft position of 15.0–the same exact selection they had this season. The FPI model also gave them a 13.3 percent chance of having a top-5 pick and a 33.2 percent chance of having a top-10 selection.
When it comes to forecasting the Colts’ 2024 season, they are a bit of a wildcard. On the one hand, like every other team, they have their weaknesses, mainly in the secondary, and while there is a lot of excitement around Anthony Richardson, with only 98 career dropbacks, he’s still an inexperienced player, and with that comes some unknowns.
However, on the flip side, there is a lot to like about this team as well. As I wrote about recently, Richardson is positioned well to make a big jump in his second season.
For starters, there is the continuity of having a year in Shane Steichen’s offense under his belt–not to mention that Steichen runs a quarterback-friendly scheme.
On top of that, it’s not as if Richardson has to do it all on his own, either. The Colts should have one of the better offensive line units this season, while Richardson will be surrounded by a healthy Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman, Josh Downs, and Adonai Mitchell.
The Colts also have what is, on paper, considered a fairly favorable schedule. Sharp Football has it ranked as the seventh-easiest this season, with the Colts having the opportunity to get off to a good start, along with closing the seasons strong–although, admittedly, the middle stretch does appear to be fairly daunting.
The Colts should be considered an ascending team, and the recipe for a successful season is there, but in order to accomplish that, the potential that this roster has will have to be recognized on the football field.