Who were the Colts trying to trade up for in the first round of the draft?

The Colts were working the phones to move up in the first round. Who was the target?

Teams hold their cards very close to the vest during draft season. Whether it is who they are most interested in during the lead up to the big event or afterwards, when they take secrets of what really happened and who they really wanted to the grave. There are just some things that the general public is never made aware of, and this year appears to hold another one of those mysterious events. The Indianapolis Colts were in serious talks and were ringing phones to move up to select a player earlier in the first round. The big question is, who?

Stampede Blue noted that the Colts were very active in trying to move up in the first round of the draft based on Chris Ballard’s comments after the first day. He loves to state that it takes two to make a deal work, and although the team was aggressive, they couldn’t find a suitor. A report made the rounds that teams were making calls, but once Georgia’s Brock Bowers was taken, those calls stopped. Were the Colts one of the teams checking in on moving up to acquire the tight end? Although they don’t have an immediate need at the position, getting your version of Travis Kelce or George Kittle is incredibly enticing. Fans certainly would have been juiced if the Colts moved up to obtain his services.

What about a receiver? Yes, we all would have loved Marvin Harrison Jr., but let’s be real. He wasn’t dropping that far, and the price would have been astronomical to move up to the fourth spot. After Harrison Jr., there were two other names that floated around as being in that top tier of wideouts: Rome Odunze and Malik Nabers. Although unknown at the time, Nabers went at number six to the Giants. That too would have cost a bit too much to move that high up the board. The spot that the Colts most likely eyed was the second pick of the Bears at nine. The Bears came into the draft with four picks, so moving back to gain more draft capital was a serious thought. The Colts may have been targeting either Nabers or Odunze there depending on which one fell. Giving Anthony Richardson another explosive target in the passing game had to be on their minds.

What about defense? The Colts ended up taking an edge rusher fifteenth overall and didn’t believe that Laiatu Latu would be there when they picked. Could the Colts have been looking to put together a package to move up and select the best rusher in the draft out of UCLA? Maybe, but I doubt it. I am not saying Latu was a bad pick, and I think getting him at fifteen was great value. I am just not sure he was the guy they were trying to move up and get.

At the end of the day, we may never know who the Colts were trying to move up and draft. I have seen Bowers, Nabers, and Odunze floated as the presumed targets. Until I hear it from the horse’s mouth (pun intended), I am suspicious to believe anyone else’s guesses or unnamed “sources”. Hopefully, Latu will be the steal of the draft and make fans completely forget about what could have been. Hopefully, for the Colts, he will be the only thing that matters for a long time.