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The Indianapolis Colts are currently in one of the worst positions that a team can be in.
Let me explain: the Colts are very likely not going to make the playoffs. They need ten different games to go their way in order to make the postseason, which according to ESPN gives them 3,326-to-1 odds of winning the AFC South and making the playoffs. In other words, that almost certainly won't happen.
At the same time, however, the Colts aren't near the top of the draft order either despite a bad year. The Colts are currently 15th in the draft order, meaning that they gain just six or seven spots in the draft order for missing the playoffs.
Still, that spot is higher than the Colts would have picked if they had made the postseason and it will still be the highest they have picked since the 2012 NFL Draft, when they picked Andrew Luck first overall following a disastrous 2-14 season. It would be the second-highest that the team has picked since the 2002 NFL Draft, as they selected first overall in 2012 and they picked 11th overall in 2002.
Hopefully, this year's pick will turn out as well as those two did, as the team drafted Andrew Luck in 2012 and Dwight Freeney in 2002. In fact, consider this: the last six times the Colts have selected in the teens or lower, here are their picks: Marvin Harrison (1996), Tarik Glenn (1997), Peyton Manning (1998), Edgerrin James (1999), Dwight Freeney (2002), and Andrew Luck (2012). That's not a bad group whatsoever, so the Colts do have a history of hitting on their early first round picks. Of course, there has been a lot of change since those picks so it's not too applicable to their current situation, but it's still interesting to note.
The most interesting part of the draft this year, at least right now, is who will be doing the drafting. Will it be Ryan Grigson, the team's current general manager, or will it be someone else? That's the most pressing question right now as owner Jim Irsay has a decision to make about his GM position, but the question for the next few months will be surrounding who the team will draft in the first round. The Colts are in a tough position because of the fact that they will likely miss the playoffs and likely draft in the middle of the first round, but that could be a good thing depending on who they draft with the pick.