The Indianapolis Colts are gearing up for the 2021 season following a draft that featured seven prospects set to join the horseshoe.
In NFL.com’s power rankings following the 2021 NFL draft, the Colts sit tight at No. 13, which is where they were placed entering the big weekend. Here’s what they had to say about Indy:
The Colts lost 15.5 sacks of 2020 production when they moved on from Denico Autry and Justin Houston, so general manager Chris Ballard used the top of his draft to fortify the pass rush. Indy used the 21st overall pick on Michigan defensive end Kwity Paye, a popular pick as the best edge rusher in this class. In the second round, the Colts grabbed another high-upside pass rusher in Dayo Odeyingbo, who’s currently rehabbing an Achilles injury. The Colts have received some criticism over their failure to adequately address the offensive line following the retirement of left tackle Anthony Castonzo, and we get it: Indy waited until the seventh round to take an O-lineman. Quite a roll of the dice with a skittish Carson Wentz behind center.
Though the Colts didn’t draft an offensive lineman until their final pick in the form of Will Fries out of Penn State, there is a chance they wind up with one of Eric Fisher or Charles Leno, both of which were released from their respective teams this offseason.
If they wind up with one of those players at left tackle, the team should be in a strong position to compete for the AFC South title. Of course, much of that resides in Carson Wentz bouncing back from a disastrous 2020 season.
It will be interesting to see what kind of team the Colts will be in 2021, but they have a strong chance to make a run at a playoff spot if all goes according to plan.
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