Colts' Approach to Draft Described in Three Words

The Indianapolis Colts are a team that believes in building through the trenches.

Both general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen are in lockstep in their philosophy that nothing dictates the game on both sides of the ball more than the lines.

While the team is not technically in a rebuild, it is in the midst of the most drastic roster evaluation its had in several seasons, which means it's time to get back to bolstering the lines.

That's why ESPN's Colts reporter Stephen Holder described the team's approach to the upcoming draft as "from inside out."

"...While the Colts are expected to consider a tight end with their first selection at No. 14 -- Tyler Warren is among the potential options -- Indianapolis is likely to spend key draft resources on its offensive and defensive lines," Holder wrote. "The Colts lost two starting offensive linemen in free agency (Ryan Kelly and Will Fries), and edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo departed after he led the defensive line in snap counts in 2024. Addressing the depth in both of those units needs to be a priority after neither was dealt with in free agency."

As Holder mentioned, the Colts lost two starters from the offensive line in center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries. While they do have enticing in-house options to replace the departed free agents in 2024 draft picks Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves, the Colts seems apprehensive to move Goncalves from his current role of swing tackle.

"You have to be good up front," Ballard said during the NFL Combine. "It's hard when you can't block people, and over the length of a season... when you have weakness, it shows up. It's a position that we have to make sure we have five... really six, seven, and eight guys that can play."

The Colts are in a position to build both quality depth and competition up at the top of the offensive line, but it's impossible to say what will happen at center and right guard come Week 1 before we know what they do in the draft. Bortolini and Goncalves factor in, but the group could look much different in two weeks.

As for the defensive line, Dayo Odeyingbo is a big loss, but there are more than just short-term concerns up front. Defensive ends Kwity Paye, Samson Ebukam, and Tyquan Lewis are all entering the final years of their contracts, and starting tackles DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart are both set to enter their age-31 seasons and will need more reinforcements as time moves forward.

The Colts have been doing quite a bit of work on offensive and defensive linemen in the upcoming draft class, which should come as no surprise given their needs, but also what Ballard thinks of the players available.

"I think the defensive line's really good," Ballard said about the strengths in this draft class. "The offensive line, I would tell you the mid-round players are really deep. Those positions for sure."

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