Thoughts on the Colts’ 2024 Draft Class

Once again leaving the draft feeling like winners, what has become a staple with Chris Ballard at the helm.

Just a disclaimer here, I don’t believe in handing out draft grades so soon, as time and time again it has been proven just how useless it is. A draft class has to be judged after three full seasons, and even then it might be too soon. What we can do is share our initial thoughts on the picks and how we think they might improve the roster and help get the Colts to the playoffs once again.

Laiatu Latu, defensive end, UCLA

Loved the pick, mainly because I have been saying that edge rusher was among the biggest needs the Colts had on the defensive side of the ball, as the pass-rush was just too inconsistent and failed to show up at key times last season. Dayo Odeyingbo seems to either have a two sack game where he is constantly on the backfield or just disappears, Kwity Paye has regressed as a pass-rusher every single season since being drafted, and Samson Ebukam best feature is his ability against the run. Adding Latu, who is inarguably the best pass-rushing edge defender of the class at #15 just made too much sense for it not to happen. Now why did a player of his caliber slid all the way down to the Colts? Well Latu had a near career-ending neck injury during COVID, and was not cleared by Washington’s medical staff before making a return at UCLA. It is worth mentioning that Latu had the same doctor as Manning, so the Colts have to feel confident about his long term health. I imagine Latu will not be asked to play every single down, but will rotate with Kwity Paye and be deployed as a pass-rush specialist from Week 1.

Adonai Mitchell, wide receiver, Texas

Mitchell probably slid because of some anonymous sources questioning his character and work ethic. You can check out how Ballard felt about that right here in case you have not watched it yet (WARNING: Explicit Language)

Mitchell could be the missing piece of the Colts wide receiver room, and probably relegates Alec Pierce to the #4 spot. A route running specialist with insane athleticism and solid hands, Adonai has a mouth-watering highlight tape at Texas, and gives the offense another big body to use in red-zone packages. I loved this pick but one thing I just could not understand is why the Colts traded down from 46th to 52nd, adding just two extra 5’s. If they were as high on Mitchell as they said why run the risk of him going in those spots? It did not happen so I am not criticizing Ballard for taking a risk that worked, it just seemed unnecessary.

Matt Goncalves, offensive line, Pittsburgh

This is the first pick that I am not entirely sure about, as Blake Freeland already covers the role of depth swing tackle, and Goncalves was not particularly high on my draft list, and I really like Christian Haynes who went just two picks later. His value mostly rests on his versatility as a move inside seems like the most reasonable step to follow, but if the Colts were planning on having him as a depth guy why not go with the guy that has over 2.400 snaps playing inside? Time will tell but overall I am not that confident in this pick. My other thought is that the Colts might be considering moving Braden Smith inside and playing either Freeland or Goncalves at right tackle.

Tanor Bortolini, center, Wisconsin

Bortolini is among the most athletic linemen in this draft class, and has experience at nearly every position in the offensive line. Right away Bortolini will be Ryan Kelly’s backup and probably Ballard is thinking of him as his replacement down the line. This was one of my favourite picks, adding an athletic freak, and not being thrown in the starting lineup right away.

Anthony Gould, wide receiver/returner, Oklahoma State

The NFL changed it’s kickoff rules, favouring the return game, and the Colts had a glaring hole at return man without Isiah McKenzie. Gould was among the best return men in all of college, and will be featured mostly on special teams, so the value as a fifth rounder is certainly there and this is an underrated pickup by Ballard.

Jaylon Carlies, linebacker, Missouri

It looks like Carlies will be deployed on a similar role to that of Ronnie Harrison Jr. was last year, mainly as a coverage linebacker. He has the range and athleticism to hang with tight ends and running backs in the passing game, but I am worried about his tackling abilities, as he had 21 missed tackles last season according to PFF.

Jaylin Simpson, safety, Auburn

Simpson’s main concern is his weight, standing in at just 178 pounds, but his experience and versatility make him a valuable piece to a Colts’ backfield that really needs players that can play several positions. I think that Simpson will probably need a year to get his body into NFL shape, but on a Colts’ secondary that lacks bodies he could see meaningful playing time in his rookie year.

Micah Abraham, cornerback, Marshall

And there we go! Ballard’s trademark unknown pick of every draft. I will be 100% honest with you, I am not familiar with Abraham’s name, and I did not see a single snap of him in college. I did see that surprisingly Abraham had one of the lowest RAS in this cornerback class at 3.70, and short arms ar 30.8’’, which is unheard of in Ballard drafting cornerbacks.

Jonah Laulu, defensive tackle, Oklahoma

Laulu has impeccable work ethic, and the height and athleticism to play defensive tackle in the NFL. The question here is whether he can continue adding weight to his frame as he has been doing every single year since leaving Hawaii, and working with NFL caliber strength coaches and nutritionists will give him the tools to do that. 7th round picks are always longshots.