Indianapolis Colts currently have #5 pick in NFL Draft

After their 20-14 win against the Houston Texans last weekend, the Indianapolis Colts dropped down to the 5^th draft slot. Here’s the entire first round draft order as it stands right now:

Draft Order

1. San Francisco 49ers (0-9)
2. Cleveland Browns (0-8)
3. New York Giants (1-7)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-6)
5. Indianapolis Colts (3-6)
6. Cincinnati Bengals (3-5)
7. Cleveland Browns from Texans (3-5)
8. Los Angeles Chargers (3-5)
9. Denver Broncos (3-5)
10. Chicago Bears (3-5)
11. Baltimore Ravens (4-5)
12. New York Jets (4-5)
13. Oakland Raiders (4-5)
14. Arizona Cardinals (4-4)
15. Miami Dolphins (4-4)
16. Atlanta Falcons (4-4)
17. Green Bay Packers (4-4)
18. Detroit Lions (4-4)
19. Washington Redskins (4-4)
20. Seattle Seahawks (5-3)
21. Tennessee Titans (5-3)
22. Dallas Cowboys (5-3)
23. Buffalo Bills (5-3)
24. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-3)
25. Carolina Panthers (6-3)
26. Buffalo Bills from Chiefs (6-3)
27. Los Angeles Rams (6-2)
28. Minnesota Vikings (6-2)
29. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
30. New England Patriots (6-2)
31. New Orleans Saints (6-2)
32. Philadelphia Eagles (8-1)

Let’s look at some of the top prospects according to a few different big boards.

Though the discrepancies between these boards could be due to the lack of unanimous top end talent, it’s still early in the draft season and things could easily change at any time. Regardless, the fact that there are a noticeable amount of quarterbacks at the top of each list is not a shock.

What is alarming, for the QB class, is the fact that no one can seem to agree on who the cream of the crop is. However, this should not be of concern to this franchise, unless it pertains to trading down. Despite all the talk about the Colts taking a quarterback, I’m just not buying it, at least not in the first round.

So, who will the Colts take then?

A lot of fans are clamoring to see Saquon Barkley in an Indianapolis Colts uniform, and he does seem to be the top prospect in the 2018 class. I just don’t see it happening, this roster has too many other needs, and Ballard is capable of finding play-makers in the backfield outside of the first round.

Personally, even though it seems to be a lackluster class, I would prefer to pick up an edge rusher and Bradley Chubb is the top candidate in that regard. However, with all the hullabaloo about the protection for the quarterbacks in Indy, I am expecting this pick to be an offensive tackle.

This offensive line class isn’t particularly top heavy, but it seems to be an upgrade from last year’s candidates. A popular name around Indiana is Mike McGlinchey. He’s not just known because he dons a golden helmet at Notre Dame, but he has also put together a promising season for his number 3 ranked squad.

Overall, this seems to be a down year in terms of draft prospects. It is the Colts' fortune that they would earn themselves a top-5 pick with a disappointing draft class approaching. That only means that Ballard must earn his paycheck this off-season by finding himself a blue chipper with this pick. It would be an extremely minor victory in an otherwise disastrous season.