Thoughts on the Colts’ 2025 Draft Class

On the aftermath on a pivotal draft for general manager Chris Ballard, let’s take a moment to analyze this class

This has now turned into a series where right after the draft we take a moment to dissect the picks made and share the initial analysis. I did the same thing last year, you can check out the article here. The point made in that article remains true, handing out arbitrary draft grades based on my own board, without the players having played a single snap seems pointless. I have followed the Colts for 14 years now, which I know is not much, but over that span I remember being wrong on draft picks a lot more than being right. Having cleared that out, we can still share our first reactions keeping in mind that judgement is not being passed yet.

Round 1, pick 14: Tyler Warren, tight end, Penn State

Other than Andrew Luck and Peyton Manning, there has probably never been a more no-brainer pick than Tyler Warren at #14. Surprisingly he was not the first tight end selected, as the Bears got Colston Loveland at #10, but he was by some margin the first tight end on my board. In fact, my base case scenario was Warren not being available at #14 and the Colts taking Loveland, or even perhaps trading back and then taking Loveland. That is a moot point now, and the fact remains that the Colts have their next franchise tight end, after years of having to deal with mediocrity at the position.

Warren did everything at Penn State, and it is hard to find evident flaws in his game. He could show some more pop as a blocker and moving people out of the way, but the Colts drafted him because he offers a weapon on the inside with a tremendous catch radius, and absurd versatility for Steichen to use. He can play fullback, outside, as an inline tight-end, he can even play wildcat quarterback if Steichen decides to get really creative. Some might argue that drafting a tight end in the first round is not good value, but to those I say: Take a look at the production the Colts got from the tight end position ever since Jack Doyle retired, and tell me that it is now worth grabbing such a great player at that position early.

Round 2, pick 45: JT Tuimoloau, edge, Ohio State

Tuimoloau, like Warren, fills a massive need, though this time on the defensive side of the ball. Dayo Odeyingbo signed with the Bears, and Samson Ebukam is coming off a torn Achilles, so adding another edge rusher early makes plenty of sense for Lou Anarumo’s defense. While Latu is more of a finesse edge rusher, Tuimoloau is the opposite as a physical imposing player that loves the contact and getting up close and personal with opposing offensive linemen. The consensus about him is that while the ceiling is a bit low because of a lack of top-tier athleticism and refined pass-rush moves, he should still find his place on the defensive line rotation and play meaningful snaps right away. Loved the pick, and while it is not flashy it massively helps the defensive line.

Round 3, pick 80: Justin Walley, cornerback, Minnesota

Well this one was a surprise, as Walley was a projected day 3 pick. Being completely honest, when I heard the name called I had no idea who he was, and I make sure to have a reasonable understanding of the draft class every year. Walley enters the NFL with plenty of starting experience at the collegiate level, insane ball hawking production, and shows the sort of character that every coordinator loves to have on the defense, but he is undersized for the position at 5’10’’, struggled with flags, and was not the safest tackler. This was most likely Anarumo getting a player whose profile fits the mold perfectly for his unit, so we just have to trust the new guy and let him get his guys. Walley was probably picked to take over Kenny Moore down the line, so starting off his career with him as a mentor will probably help him ease the transition to the next level.

Round 4, pick 127: Jalen Travis, tackle, Iowa State

On his annual conspiracy theory article, our very own Chris Shepherd had some interesting things to say about Travis, and while he was projected a round or two later, is there really much of a difference getting your guy in the 6th or 4th round?

Jalen Travis Iowa State– 9.08 RAS Travis is a name to know for the Colts for a few reasons. First, Chris Ballard seems to have a thing for massive offensive linemen and Travis clocks in at nearly 6’8” 340 pounds. The last time Ballard drafted a prospect built in a similar way was 2017 and Zach Banner never panned out for Indy. The difference between Banner and Travis is that Banner’s RAS score was an astounding 1.45 with Travis, Ballard, has the opportunity to draft a massive human who is also a very good relative athlete. If you were to slide him in to guard Travis’ RAS jumps to 9.43. He started his college career at Princeton before transferring to Iowa State as a fifth year senior (I presume as a graduate transfer). He also won the 2024 Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup, an award that athletes from across all sports were nominated for. Interestingly his cousin is former Colts tight end Ross Travis, whom Chris Ballard brought to Indy from the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017. He is absolutely massive, has ties to Ballard, an RAS score over 9, very smart, very good person by all accounts. Look, I don’t know where he fits on the 2025 Indianapolis Colts, I just know there are a lot of arrows pointing at this guy.

Travis could play right guard in a pinch, but will most likely compete outright with Blake Freeland for that swing tackle spot in case either Raimann or Smith go down. Again, even though I projected Travis to go later than 127, I like the prospect and am happy he is an Indianapolis Colt.

Round 5, pick 151: DJ Giddens, running back, Kansas State

The Colts lacked a proper backup running back since Zack Moss signed with the Bengals. Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson are not good enough to even be serviceable backups in case Jonathan Taylor misses time, which has been a common occurence the past two seasons. Giddens was a workhorse back for Kansas State the past two years, with plenty of production to show for it. He is my favourite to take over the backup spot, and will eat into Sermon’s snaps, which were around 15% on average when JT was healthy and around 65% when JT was out.

Round 6, pick 189: Riley Leonard, quarterback, Notre Dame

With Sam Ehlinger gone, the Colts needed a cheap, third quarterback on the roster, and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard is the perfect replacement. Leonard is more athletic and is much bigger than Ehlinger, while also being the type of guy you always want in your quarterback room, and the talk coming out of Notre Dame is that of an impeccable leader. Great value in the 6th round, even though Leonard will probably not see the field much unless both Richardson and Jones are either injured or downright terrible, which know that I think about is not completely out of the question.

Round 6, pick 190: Tim Smith, defensive tackle, Alabama

Chris Ballard drafted an Alabama guy! Smith has a lot of experience, and was a solid, albeit unspectacular, piece for the Crimson Tide. He will most likely start off his career as a special team’s player, but could potentially see some playing time as a rotational defensive tackle down the line. Smith also has some experience playing as a defensive end, so he also offers some versatility at the position, though his lack of explosiveness probably confines him to the inside of the line.

Round 7, pick 232: Hunter Wohler, linebacker, Wisconsin

Wohler played all over the defense on Wisconsin, and while he lacks top tier athleticism he was usually in the right place at the right time, and offered some solid tackling and proper coverage skills. At best, he should be a valuable depth piece either as a coverage linebacker or as a strong safety, and at worst he could provide some special team’s value.

Overall it is hard not to be happy with how the Draft turned out for the Colts. They finally addressed the gaping hole at the tight end position, grabbing one of the best players in this draft class. They added another defensive end that will help solidify the line and could realistically take over the starting spot from Kwity Paye, then on day 3 the Colts also got some much needed depth at positions of need. My only criticism of this class is that taking Walley when they did was a reach, and that the Colts are already set at the cornerback position, while the linebacker room looks desperately thin. There were some good options available at that position like Jack Kiser, Danny Stutsman, or Jeffrey Bassa for example, but only time will tell whether it was a reach or not, and Ballard seems to trust the guys currently on the roster even though Zaire Franklin is the only one with more than two starts.