Colts Make Roster Cuts Following NFL Draft

After hauling in a dozen players during last week's 2023 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts announced some subsequent roster cuts to help make room for the youth movement.

On Tuesday, the Colts waived running backs Darrynton Evans and Aaron Shampklin, cornerback David Vereen, and wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson.

Evans was just signed by the Colts on March 31. He was a third-round pick by the Tennessee Titans in 2020 who came into the league with a bit of buzz but unfortunately has not made much happen in his time with Tennessee, the Chicago Bears, and Colts.

Evans and Shampklin were likely pushed out due to the Colts drafting running back Evan Hull out of Northwestern with the 176th overall pick in the fifth round, who is expected to immediately compete for a role in the Colts' running back rotation behind Jonathan Taylor alongside Zack Moss and Deon Jackson.

Vereen also became a victim to the numbers after the Colts drafted a trio of high-upside corners in JuJu Brents (44th), Darius Rush (138th), and Jaylon Jones (221st) in the second, fifth, and seventh rounds, respectively.

Lastly, Wilkerson heads out after the Colts drafted slot receiver Josh Downs with the 79th overall pick in the third round. There's already quite a bit of buzz surrounding Downs after legendary former receivers such as Reggie Wayne and Steve Smith have hyped him up.

The rest of the Colts' 12-man draft class was filled by quarterback Anthony Richardson, offensive tackles Blake Freeland and Jake Witt, defensive linemen Adetomiwa Adebawore and Titus Leo, safety Daniel Scott, and tight end Will Mallory.

Depending on how many undrafted free agents the Colts officially sign, more cuts could be coming.