The Indianapolis Colts are still over a months away from the 2023 NFL draft, but the mock drafts are being conducted at an extremely high rate.
With the NFL combine officially behind us, the college pro days are set to start March 7. We have a relatively strong idea of what the Colts are going to want to do in the draft.
There certainly are questions pertaining to which prospects they prefer and whether they want to move up in the draft order. But we may not know the answer to those questions until draft night itself comes around.
You also can take a look at our earlier mock draft roundups from the offseason:
Here’s our fourth mock draft roundup of the 2023 offseason:
Touchdown Wire
The Pick: QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Trade up to No. 1?: Yes
Mock Draft Date: March 6
Author: Doug Farrar
Link to Mock Draft
Author’s Take: “Obviously, new Colts head coach and former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen could do all kinds of interesting stuff with either Bryce Young with the first pick, or with Anthony Richardson if the Colts were to stand pat or trade down. But it happens that Steichen was nice enough to drop in on Peter King’s tweet-up (a mandatory combine event every year), and he spent most of that time telling stories about Philip Rivers, who Steichen worked with from 2014 through 2019.
And that had me thinking that Stroud might be the choice should Indy move up so that Steichen can have his pick from this quarterback class. Stroud puts me in mind of an embryonic Rivers with his field vision and ball placement, and given the mobility he showed against Georgia’s defense in his final collegiate game, there’s even more and better to come. Here, it costs the Colts their first-, second-, and third-round picks in 2023, and their first-round pick in 2024, to get Stroud.”
The Athletic
The Pick: QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Trade up to No. 1?: Yes
Mock Draft Date: March 7
Author: Dane Brugler
Link to Mock Draft
Author’s Take: “Projected trade: Nos. 4 and 35 and a 2024 first-round pick to Chicago for No. 1
The speculation during combine week wasn’t about whether or not the Colts will draft a quarterback, it was: Which QB they will take? And how much will it cost?
The members of the triumvirate in charge of that decision each brings a differing perspective. Shane Steichen is entering his first draft as a head coach, Chris Ballard knows this could be his final draft as general manager if the wrong pick is made, and owner Jim Irsay is the wild card (as usual). Stroud might be the quarterback that’s the most comfortable choice for each person there. He is ready to compete for the starting job from Day 1 and his natural accuracy gives him a high floor as an NFL passer.
Obviously, trading up to No. 1 is an expensive move. But if the Colts stay at No. 4, they might find themselves with only their second- or even third-best quarterback option available. That isn’t good enough for a franchise that has been compromising at the position since Andrew Luck retired.”
ESPN
The Pick: QB Bryce Young, Alabama
Trade up to No. 1?: Yes
Mock Draft Date: March 7
Author: Todd McShay
Link to Mock Draft
Author’s Take: “I’d guess the package would include something like the No. 4 pick, a second-rounder (No. 35), a fifth-rounder and maybe even a 2024 Round 1 selection.
Three of the top QBs worked out at the combine, but Young wasn’t one of them. No matter. He’s still not only the top quarterback on my board but also the top overall prospect. Young has elite pocket presence and poise, delivering strikes to every level of the field. If the Colts can figure out their offensive line issues, I think this could be a really good fit with first-year coach Shane Steichen.
And even though Young wasn’t participating in on-field drills at the combine, he did have one of the more important numbers of the week: 204. That was his official weight on Saturday morning. He would still be the lightest Round 1 quarterback since at least 2006, as well as one of the shortest passers drafted since the AFL-NFL merger in 1967 at 5-foot-10⅛, but considering the concerns that he’d be down around 190 pounds, this was a big checkpoint for him on the road to potentially becoming the No. 1 pick.”
The Draft Network
The Pick: QB Anthony Richardson, Florida
Trade up to No. 1?: Yes
Mock Draft Date: March 7
Author: Jaime Eisner
Link to Mock Draft
Author’s Take: “TRADE
IND receives: Pick No. 1
CHI receives: Pick No. 4, Pick No. 36, Pick No. 107, 2024 1st-round pick
There’s no denying the buzz surrounding Anthony Richardson coming out of the 2023 NFL Combine. He’s a freakish athlete, built like a tank, and oozes confidence every time he speaks. My colleague Damian Parson has been pounding the table for Richardson for months, and after seeing him in Indianapolis, I’m finally on board. There’s reason to believe the Colts will be too, as they search for a new face of the franchise.”
CBS Sports
The Pick: QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Trade up to No. 1?: No
Mock Draft Date: March 7
Author: Ryan Wilson
Link to Mock Draft
Author’s Take: “Since Andrew Luck’s retirement, the Colts have had little success turning to QBs nearing the end of their careers, and it’s safe to assume that owner Jim Irsay will be looking for the team’s next face of the franchise. C.J. Stroud has flown under the national-media radar all season, but some NFL teams will tell you he’ll be in the running for QB1, and his performance in the College Football Playoff semifinal game vs. Georgia showed that he can beat you with his arm and his legs. We also talked about this last week at the NFL Combine, but Stroud is impressive in person, and that will no doubt come across in his interviews with teams.”
USA TODAY
The Pick: QB Bryce Young, Alabama
Trade up to No. 1?: Yes
Mock Draft Date: March 6
Author: Nate Davis
Link to Mock Draft
Author’s Take: “Antithetical as it might be to Indy GM Chris Ballard this high on the board, the reality is that he almost certainly can’t stick at No. 4 and must climb to get his first (or even second) choice to stop the team’s revolving door under center. Since Andrew Luck retired in 2019, the veteran QB carousel has produced exactly zero playoff wins for Ballard and Co. – Philip Rivers the only one who even managed to get the Colts’ otherwise typically staunch roster into postseason. And the last year has offered ample evidence that Jim Irsay’s patience is wearing thin – not to mention the fact that, intentionally or not, the owner let slip last month that “the Alabama guy doesn’t look bad I tell you,” after introducing new coach Shane Steichen.
So let’s go ahead and stop the bleeding by pulling the trade trigger for Irsay and Ballard by getting the former Heisman Trophy winner back to the Circle City – even if this draft’s first- and second-rounder and next year’s first- might merely be a starting point to entice Poles, who’s bound to try and create a bidding war between the Colts and the AFC South-rival Texans, currently slotted No. 2 overall and also in need of a franchise passer. And Young, widely rated as the best quarterback in this draft, should be exactly that despite measuring in at 5-10 and 204 pounds – among the smallest at his position in recent draft history – and opting not to work out Saturday.
But he can sling it, never better than in 2021, when he won the Heisman Trophy. That season, Young finished with 4,872 yards and 47 TDs through the air. He’s accurate (66% completion rate in college) and his career 80-to-12 touchdown-to-interception ratio is indicative of solid decision-making. Young is highly mobile, though typically buys time to pass and does a nice job keeping his eyes downfield – a la peak Russell Wilson. His size might give Ballard (or whoever Young’s next boss is) pause since he won’t be afforded the same level of protection he was at Alabama – though it would theoretically be pretty good in Indianapolis if the Colts O-line rebounds in 2023. As poised at the combine podium Friday as he was while reading the field from the Crimson Tide pocket, a lot to like about Young – and the supporting cast in Indianapolis, especially RB Jonathan Taylor, would limit the burden on him as a rookie. Steichen’s track record with young quarterbacks, most recently Jalen Hurts, only seems to make this match more sensible.”
Sporting News
The Pick: QB Anthony Richardson, Florida
Trade up to No. 1?: No
Mock Draft Date: March 7
Author: Vinnie Iyer
Link to Mock Draft
Author’s Take: “Before Richardson shined in the agility testing, new offensive-minded coach Shane Steichen hinted at the podium he was looking for a dynamic dual threat he could mold into a high-upside franchise QB, fresh off working with Jalen Hurts (6-1, 223 pounds) in Philadelphia. Richardson ran, jumped and flipped his way to dominance and then showed off his jaw-dropping arm strength in the passing drills. He can help the Colts break free from their cycle of recycled veteran pocket passers.”
Pro Football Network
The Pick: QB Bryce Young, Alabama
Trade up to No. 1?: Yes
Mock Draft Date: March 4
Author: Dalton Miller
Link to Mock Draft
Author’s Take: “Trade: Indianapolis receives pick 1 and pick 133; Chicago receives pick 4, pick 35, a 2024 first-round pick, and a 2025 second-round pick.
Chicago had their eyes set on a particular pass rusher, so they did not want to move down too far. Shane Steichen gets arguably the best quarterback in the class and the QB that best fits him schematically. While Bryce Young‘s height and frame are worrisome, he isn’t a mobile quarterback the way that Kyler Murray is. He plays and wins from the pocket but has the athleticism to create outside of structure.
This marries Steichen, a first-time head coach, with the rookie QB of his choice. As a prospect, Young is hard to poke holes in. As many have brought up, if Young stood 6-foot-3, 215 pounds he’d be the unquestioned top pick. While Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones were good players in their own right, Young is the first Alabama QB that needed to truly carry his team.”
