A Very Early Look at a Couple of the Positions the Colts Might Target in the 2015 NFL Draft

For many fan bases, this is the time of the year where draft coverage reigns supreme.  For Colts fans, however, the draft is still a thought in the back of most minds thanks to Indy perennially being in the playoffs.  That won't change this year, as with a win this Sunday the Colts would already lock up the AFC South division.  And I'll be honest: playoff football is so much more fun to cover than the draft (especially months and months of draft coverage).

With all of that said, I know many Colts still are wondering about the draft, and here at SB Nation we have some great people already looking ahead to the draft.  Recently, Dan Kadar ranked the best players at each position and then compiled a list of his top 100 overall prospects at this point.  I figured it would be worthwhile to take a look at his rankings and take a Colts-centric look at them.  Currently, the Colts are projected to draft 26th overall.

I've taken Kadar's position rankings and applied them to a few of the positions that the Colts might target with their first round pick - explaining briefly why each position is considered one they need.

Inside Linebacker:

One of the two biggest needs that I think the Colts have is at inside linebacker.  Simply put, they need a playmaker there.  Right now they've got two guys in Jerrell Freeman and D'Qwell Jackson who can rack up the tackles and play well when put in the right situations, but the Colts lack a playmaker.  They lack a guy with the athleticism to cover tight ends.  They lack that force in the middle of the defense.  I do like Freeman and expect him back next year, and I think Jackson will probably be back too.  But the Colts need an inside linebacker.  So here's Kadar's current top players at the position:

1.  Eric Kendricks, UCLA (13th overall)

2.  Benardick McKinney, Mississippi State (30th overall)

3.  Denzel Perryman, Miami (57th overall)

4.  Reggie Ragland, Alabama (89th overall)

5.  Hayes Pullard, USC (94th overall)

Safety:

The other of the two biggest needs that the Colts have on defense is safety.  Granted, this isn't as big of a need as it was coming into the season, and that's thanks solely to Mike Adams, who has been terrific this year.  But, Adams is a free agent at the end of the year and will be 34 when next season starts.  Even if the Colts bring him back (which I would be in favor of), they'll need to look at this position because Adams isn't the long-term answer.  Furthermore, the other safety spot has a lot of questions.  There's a real chance that the Colts could choose to part ways with LaRon Landry this offseason, and while Sergio Brown has looked solid this year I could see Indy bringing in another player to battle with Brown in camp.  Maybe that's Delano Howell, depending on his health, but I think the team might also choose to look at a safety in the draft.  Compared to last year, though, the safety talent isn't nearly as good.  Regardless, let's take a look at Kadar's current safety rankings:

1.  Landon Collins, Alabama (19th overall)

2.  Cody Prewitt, Ole Miss (65th overall)

3.  Gerod Holliman, Louisville (97th overall)

4.  Karl Joseph, West Virginia (not listed on Kadar's top 100)

5.  Anthony Harris, Virginia (not listed on Kadar's top 100)

What other positions do you want the Colts to look at?  Take a look for yourself at Dan Kadar's early position rankings, as well as his top 100 overall list.  The Colts are approaching playoff time, but if you're one of those people who just can't get enough draft coverage, this is an article about the Colts and the draft, and you can take a look at Kadar's articles for more draft coverage.

For year-round coverage of the NFL Draft, check out SB Nation's site Mocking the Draft and follow Dan Kadar on twitter at @MockingTheDraft.