Will a potential strength of the 2025 NFL draft provide the Indianapolis Colts with a trade-down opportunity in the first round?
One of the best in the business when it comes to the NFL draft, Daniel Jeremiah, recently posted on X that the “strength” of this year’s draft is in the middle, with Jeremiah calling picks 20-60 “pretty much the same.”
So for a Colts team that, as GM Chris Ballard said, isn’t close nor are they one player away from turning things around, does it make sense to move back from pick 14 in an effort to gain another selection in that 20-60 range?
Using the trade value chart as our guide, where each draft pick is assigned a numeric value to help us determine what a fair trade might look like, if the Colts were to move back from pick 14 to pick 21, they could get the 60th overall pick in return.
This would give the Colts picks 21, 45, and 60, along with still having the 81st pick as well.
Ballard called his roster construction approach in 2024 a “mistake” and added that adding competition throughout the roster needs to be a priority this offseason. Having an extra draft pick to within the top 60 would certainly help that cause.
Now, to state the obvious, this is all dependent upon how the board falls and how the Colts have the top prospects graded.
But, if for example, Tyler Warren is off the board by pick 14–which is something that might happen–and the Colts either have a number of players to choose from value-wise on their big board or not that many, then perhaps moving down would be the prudent move for a team that went 8-9.
