The Indianapolis Colts are ready to enter the 2023 NFL draft with a massive need to add to the cornerback position.
After trading away Stephon Gilmore to the Dallas Cowboys, the room is extremely thin. Kenny Moore II and Isaiah Rodgers Sr. are currently the projected starters, but they are both in a contract year. 2022 undrafted free agent Dallis Flowers is currently third on the depth chart.
Fortunately for the Colts, this draft is littered with talent at the cornerback position. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if they used two of their picks to add depth and competition to the room.
It would be best to avoid adding to the room on Day 2 if they can, and there are some promising Day 3 prospects to consider. But using a Day 2 pick on a linebacker would seem a bit luxurious unless the prospect is far and away the highest-rated player on their board.
As we break down the prospects by round, think of the “rounds” as tiers and when I believe the team should begin to consider drafting them.
We also created big boards at the following positions:
| Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Interior OL | Offensive Tackles |
| Defensive Tackles | Edge Rushers | Linebackers | Cornerbacks | Safeties |
Here’s a look at my big board for the cornerbacks as it relates to the Colts in the 2023 NFL draft:
Round 1
1. Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
If the Colts didn’t need a quarterback, Gonzalez would be in the running for the top option overall. He has the size, length, speed and mirroring ability to be a perennial Pro Bowler. He’s lauded for his work ethic and is scheme diverse.
2. Devon Witherspoon, Illinois
A three-year starter, Witherspoon’s only knock is a lack of size, but he makes up for it greatly with his abilities as a press-man cornerback with an aggressive but controlled mentality at the catch point. He’s scheme diverse and plays much bigger than his size.
Round 2
3. Joey Porter Jr., Penn State
The son of the former NFL linebacker, Porter Jr. is most likely going in the first round. However, his fit within the Colts’ scheme isn’t all that strong. Physically, Porter Jr. has everything teams want in a cornerback. He has the length, quickness and press abilities to thrive as a boundary corner. But the Colts don’t run press-man all that often under Gus Bradley. Still, his upside keeps him near the top of the board.
4. Deonte Banks, Maryland
A four-year starter, Banks has the size, length, speed and explosiveness necessary for cornerbacks in the NFL. He thrives in press-man coverage but has also shown the ability to diagnose and drive on the ball in zone coverage. He’s a good tackler and isn’t afraid to get physical in the run game.
5. Kelee Ringo, Georgia
A two-year starter, Ringo is a great fit for the Colts. He has the size, length, speed and ball skills that fit in Gus Bradley’s defense. Ringo’s competitive toughness and physicality against the run will appeal to the Colts, and he is best suited for a zone-heavy scheme that emphasizes his athleticism and ball skills.
6. Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State
A three-year starter, Forbes meets nearly all the criteria the Colts want in a cornerback. It’s just a matter of whether they can overlook his 166-pound frame. Even so, Forbes has the height, length, speed, explosiveness and ball skills to be a very good starter in the NFL. He’s highly competitive and recorded 35 passes defended and 14 interceptions in 34 starts.
7. Julius Brents, Kansas State
A two-year starter, Brents is a near-perfect fit for the Colts. He has great size and impeccable length to go along with elite explosiveness and short-area quickness. He lacks long speed, is a late bloomer and is an older prospect. However, he showed improving ball skills and is a natural fit for a zone-heavy scheme with upside as a press-man corner.
Round 3
8. Darius Rush, South Carolina
A two-year starter, Rush switched from wide receiver to cornerback during the 2019 season. He has good size, elite length and the type of speed and explosiveness to stay on the boundary. He’s a better fit for a man-heavy scheme, but he showed off some impressive ball skills and was a special teams contributor. His lack of run-game support might move him down a bit, but he’s intriguing.
9. Tyrique Stevenson, Miami (FL)
A two-year starter, Stevenson brings the type of size, length, speed and short-area quickness that teams want in a boundary cornerback. He shows the desire to impact the run game and has the physical tools to be a press-man cornerback at the next level.
10. Cam Smith, South Carolina
A three-year starter for the Gamecocks, Smith brings a competitive edge to the field along with positional versatility to work both in the slot and on the boundary. He’s a bit undersized, but he makes up for it with length, speed, explosiveness and short-area quickness. His ball skills are impressive with 24 passes defended and six interceptions in 19 starts. If he can clean up some of the grabby penalties, Smith has some upside to be a starter in a zone scheme.
11. Clark Phillips III, Utah
A three-year starter and team captain in 2022, Phillips lacks the size and length the Colts typically target. However, he shows off impeccable ball skills and a true dawg mentality at the catch point. A strong leader, hard worker and physical player, Phillips checks a lot of boxes if the Colts can look past his size limitations.
12. DJ Turner, Michigan
A two-year starter, Turner is lower on my board for the Colts than most analysts overall. He has a lean frame with a lack of length. He makes up for it with elite track speed, short-area quickness and explosiveness. Turner is known for his work ethic, ball skills and physical mentality, all of which will appeal to the Colts. He would be a good fit as a nickel, but may be limited to that role in the NFL.
13. Cory Trice Jr., Purdue
A fifth-year senior and four-year starter, Trice has the size, length and elite athleticism the Colts will love. He competes against the run and has shown the upside to be a solid zone cornerback. He has experience at both safety and cornerback, and he showed promising ball skills in 2022.
14. Kyu Blu Kelly, Stanford
A four-year starter, Kelly has the length, short-area quickness and physicality the Colts desire. He’s impactful in the run game and shows promising ball skills as a zone cornerback. He lacks top-end speed but checks a lot of other boxes with the potential to be a solid No. 2 with further development.
Round 4
15. Cameron Mitchell, Northwestern
A two-year starter, Mitchell lacks size but makes up for it with length, speed and elite short-area quickness. He plays bigger than his size and isn’t afraid to add support against the run. Mitchell has solid ball skills but finished college with only two interceptions.
16. Jakorian Bennett, Maryland
A fifth-year senior and three-year starter, Bennett lacks size, but he has the length, elite speed and explosiveness the Colts will love. He’s a feisty defender at the catch point, recording 31 passes defended and five interceptions in 24 starts. He needs a tad more discipline to avoid penalties, but Bennett has the ball skills, competitive nature and explosiveness the Colts love.
17. Garrett Wiliams, Syracuse
A three-year starter, Williams doesn’t have great size and he wasn’t able to test during the pre-draft process due to a torn ACL he suffered during the 2022 season. However, he has the ball skills, leadership and discipline on routes to be a boundary corner in Gus Bradley’s scheme.
18. Riley Moss, Iowa
A fifth-year senior and team captain in 2022, Moss lacks ideal size and arm length. However, he makes up for it with good speed and elite explosiveness and short-area quickness. He has experience working in zone and man schemes, and he can contribute on special teams right away.
Round 5
19. Starling Thomas V, UAB
A three-year starter, Thomas has the feisty mentality the Colts will love. He lacks ideal size and length, and he’s an older prospect. But Thomas has elite top-end speed to go along with some impressive explosiveness and short-area quickness. He has the experience to play on the perimeter, but Thomas could thrive in a nickel role that emphasizes his quickness, acceleration and run-support skills.
20. Terell Smith, Minnesota
A fifth-year senior and three-year starter, Smith has some medical red flags that forced him to miss time consistently in college. But, he offers the size, length, speed and athleticism to be an intriguing Day 3 pick.
21. Darrell Luter Jr., South Alabama
A fifth-year senior and two-year starter, Luter Jr. is a bit on the lighter side. However, he makes up for it with length, speed, athleticism and physicality. He may be better suited for man coverage duties, but he has the ball skills that can translate to zone coverage. He’s also known for his physicality in the run game.
22. Jaylon Jones, Texas A&M
A three-year starter, Jones has impressive size, but he lacks length and top-end speed. He’s an explosive player with short-area quickness and improving ball skills at the catch point. But his lack of speed and length may be deal-breakers for the Colts.
Round 6
23. Eli Ricks, Alabama
Ricks brings some intriguing physical traits such as size, length and explosiveness. However, he has medical question marks and was never a full-time starter at Alabama. That said, he recorded 15 passes defended and five interceptions across three seasons at LSU and Alabama. He’s physical in the run game and but may be better suited for a man-heavy scheme.
24. Mekhi Garner, LSU
A three-year starter between Louisiana and LSU (2022), Garner has the size, length and explosiveness that will impress the Colts. He’s known as a strong leader and will do the dirty work in the run game. He’s a good fit for a zone-heavy scheme.
25. Carrington Valentine, Kentucky
A two-year starter and true junior, Valentine is a bit light, but he has intriguing length to go alongside top-end speed and elite explosiveness. He thrives in zone coverage on the boundary and has experience on special teams. He’s a project when it comes to technique at the catch point, but there’s upside as a depth corner.
