Now that the big moves in free agency have come and gone—save for a few–the Indianapolis Colts will turn their attention the 2020 NFL draft in hopes of addressing their biggest need: wide receiver.
The Colts have a lot of confidence with the players in the room now. With T.Y. Hilton leading the charge, there is some promise. But even a team as optimistic as the Colts understands they need to add more talent and competition to the room.
“So on one hand I look at our receiver core and I am very excited about the guys we’ve got,” Reich told the media in a conference call Monday. “But this is the NFL so we are always looking to make the team better. We are looking hard at every position and what that looks like. There’s always that combination of addressing what you need but who is the best player when available in the draft, but certainly receiver is a position we are looking hard at.”
The Colts have Hilton leading the way followed by Zach Pascal, who is coming off of a strong 2019 season. Then there are some big question marks. Parris Campbell still has plenty of upside but dealt with injuries throughout his rookie season.
Daurice Fountain flashed a bit during training camp and the preseason but suffered a season-ending dislocated ankle before he could prove himself during the season.
The Colts aren’t on the board until the No. 34 pick, which means they will miss out on the elite talent in the draft. But there are still some options for the Colts to target in the second round—they also have the No. 44 pick.
The best case scenario is if either of Denzel Mims or Laviska Shenault falls to the Colts. If that happens, the Colts should be elated to add a potential X-receiver, WR1 type to their offense. Since both players are highly touted, there’s a good chance they won’t be there.
There are still some other options to keep an eye on. Players that fit what the Colts look for include prospects like Brandon Aiyuk of Arizona State, Michael Pittman of USC or Jalen Reagor of TCU.
The Colts have to address the wide receiver room in some way. It doesn’t seem likely that they are going to add a free agent at this point, which means they are looking at the draft class—one that has been touted as one of the best in recent memory.
Whether Chris Ballard will add another wide receiver in the second round remains to be seen, but this position has vaulted to the top of the needs list for the Colts.