
The Indianapolis Colts have seven draft picks in the upcoming NFL draft, including two in the top 100. Dane Brugler's mock draft analysis highlights their selection of linebacker Jake Golday from Cincinnati at pick 47, addressing a significant roster need.
One of the best in the NFL draft business, The Athletic's Dane Brugler, put together a full seven-round mock draft. Let's break down each of the Indianapolis Colts' selections.
The Colts have a modest seven draft picks at the moment, including just two in the top 100. GM Chris Ballard, however, has hinted strongly at wanting to gain additional capital.
As of now, Akeem Davis-Gaither sits atop the depth chart, and the next more experienced player at this position is Jaylon Carlies, with 244 career snaps -- most of which came in 2024. Linebacker remains a major roster hole for the Colts. Golday has been effective as a blitzer, and in 2025, he was one of PFF's highest graded run defenders at the linebacker position.
The WR3 role is up for grabs. At this moment, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Ashton Dulin are competing for those snaps. Brazzell would bring another big-play presence to the Colts' offense.
Competing for the starting strong safety role next to Bynum will likely be Jonathan Owens, Juanyeh Thomas, and Hunter Wohler. Whether any one of those players can secure the starting role and provide a consistent presence is unknown.
The Colts made two free agent additions here, signing Arden Key and Micheal Clemons, giving their defensive end rotation a boost. However, ideally, both Clemons and Key would be rotational defenders. We also don't know what to expect from JT Tuimoloau. In a perfect world, Chris Ballard would have been able to add a high-impact presence to pair with Latu, but admittedly, that may be difficult to accomplish without a first-round pick.
The Colts' starting five up front is on the roster already, but the offensive line unit is short on experienced depth. First off the bench at tackle right now is either Luke Tenuta or Blake Freeland.
Styles is a top-tier athlete, but refinement is needed. With this pick, the Colts are betting on being able to continue to develop his impressive traits and unlock that untapped potential. Styles could be a special teams contributor early on.
Adding to this position group in the draft to bolster the depth and competition behind Taylor should be on Chris Ballard's radar.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2026 NFL draft: Analysis of Colts' 7 picks in Dane Brugler's mock
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The Colts selected linebacker Jake Golday from Cincinnati at pick 47.
The Colts currently have seven draft picks for the upcoming NFL draft.
Linebacker is considered a major roster hole for the Colts.



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