The Indianapolis Colts went off-script in a recent mock draft from Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports.
In the majority of mock drafts so far, we’ve seen the Colts either take tight end Tyler Warren, safety Malaki Starks, or a few different cornerbacks, and understandably so, with those being the biggest perceived team needs.
But Trapasso went in a different direction having the Colts select Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka with both Warren and Starks already off the board.
“Emeka Egbuka can win down the field with speed and plus ball-tracking, and his blocking prowess would mesh well with the Colts’ offensive identity,” wrote Trapasso.
Egbuka has been a big part of the Ohio State offense for the last three seasons, totaling 196 receptions and nearly 2,700 yards with 24 touchdowns. During the 2024 and 2022 seasons, Egbuka had over 100 targets each year.
Among all receivers in 2024, Egbuka ranked 23rd in yards, 10th in touchdowns, 16th in yards after the catch, and 21st in yards per route run.
With all that said, however, this pick feels unlikely for a few reasons. A big one being that the bulk of Egbuka’s snaps have come lined up in the slot where the Colts, of course, already have Josh Downs.
But in addition to that, while there are a lot of positions that GM Chris Ballard could justify adding to this offseason, the Colts are actually positioned pretty well at wide receiver.
In 2024, they were the only team to have three different receivers all eclipse the 800 yard mark, not to mention that they also have AD Mitchell as a high-upside developmental talent.
If things play out where both Warren and Starks are not available, I still don’t know that receiver is in play–at least not at 14th overall.
