Albert Breer: Colts ‘could get aggressive’ in mid-first round, trading up for offensive skill player

The Colts have cited the need for more explosive big plays offensively. Will they trade up into the Top 10 to get it?

According to SI.com’s Albert Breer, his draft day intel indicates the Indianapolis Colts—along with the rival Jacksonville Jaguars, could be among the teams in the mid-first round looking to trade up for offensive skill players, in his final 2024 NFL Mock Draft.

“The middle of the round could see the Indianapolis Colts or Jacksonville Jaguars getting aggressive for offensive skill players,” Breer writes.

While Breer ultimately projects the Colts to select Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell at #15, presumably unsuccessful in their earlier trade up attempts, it’s more important what he writes regarding those latest efforts regarding their pursuit of top offensive skill players:

15. Indianapolis Colts | Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo

My sense is the Colts will try to trade up for one of the top three receivers or Bowers first, then perhaps settle on a defensive back. To that end, I initially had Alabama’s Terrion Arnold here. But a friend of Chris Ballard’s reminded me of how important traits are to the GM, and Arnold’s testing numbers were just so-so. So slot Mitchell in here, as the team looks to finally take care of a position that’s been unstable for a lot of years.

Leading up to draft day, the Colts have been consistently mentioned as one of the teams really interested in trading up—but where those NFL insiders differ is whether it’s for a cornerback like Mitchell or for tight end Brock Bowers or one of the top three wide receivers in this year’s draft class (i.e., Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, and Malik Nabers).

The Colts are notoriously tight-lipped regarding allowing leaks to get out nationally, so perhaps this is being leaked from those teams inside the Top 10 they’ve tried trading up with—meaning not from Indy’s end, but the other side.

Colts general manager Chris Ballard did not rule out trading up for the right players during his pre-draft press conference last week—but also cited the need for a willing trade partner:

“When we see one that’s in striking distance that we think we can go get, we’ll do it,” Ballard said recently at his pre-draft press conference via NFL.com. “But it’s got to work out. And then you’ve got to have too, you’ve got to have somebody that wants to make the trade.”

At any rate, we should have a better idea of what the Colts true intentions are soon enough, as draft day is finally upon us!