Colts mock draft mailbag: Should Indy take Tyler Warren or Malaki Starks in Round 1?

When the calendar flips to March, that usually means two things for me: madness and mock drafts.

The latter will probably consume my life until the official draft begins April 24, but as we wait, I decided to put a spin on my usual approach.

Instead of doing my own mock draft for you all to react to, I flipped it and asked you all to submit your mock drafts in a mailbag.

Several of you put on your general manager hats and took the place of Colts GM Chris Ballard, who is heading into Year 9 in Indy with a resume that suggests he probably shouldnt have lasted this long.

Advertisement We need to make this team good enough to win, and I have not done that, Ballard said at the combine.

...

Weve gotta get this team good enough to where our staff has enough to win games.

The ideal avenue to improve the team is through the draft.

So, without further ado, lets take a look at your mock draft submissions.

Itll be fun to look back in a month and see who nailed the Colts approach in the draft.

Note: The Colts have seven picks in the upcoming draft, one in each round.

However, only the first two rounds of the draft are officially set.

The official order of rounds 3-7 will be finalized when the league distributes compensatory picks soon.

Pro Football Networks mock draft simulator simply made educated guesses.

Greyson R.

1.14: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia 2.45: Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss 3.80: Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas 4.135: Fadil Diggs, edge, Syracuse 5.151: Jamaree Caldwell, DT, Oregon 5.171: Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse 6.175: Marcus Tate, OG, Clemson 7.191: Devin Neal, RB, Kansas Greyson submitted two mock drafts, but I chose to evaluate his first one.

He said he refused to make any trades through the first three rounds, which begs the question: Did he choose Starks over Penn State tight end Tyler Warren? Some may vehemently disagree with his thought process if that was the case, but I can see where Greyson is coming from if he truly believes this is a deep tight end class, as many draft analysts have suggested.

The addition of Starks, widely considered the top safety in this years class, and Amos would instantly boost a Colts secondary that Ballard said needs an upgrade.

Their arrivals would also send a message to new Indy DC Lou Anarumo that the team is willing to give him the personnel his defenses need to thrive.

Helm may not be the sexy pick at tight end, but I think hes a bit underrated as the draft approaches.

When I spoke to The Athletic s draft guru Dane Brugler about Warren and Michigans Colston Loveland , Helm was another option Brugler mentioned.

I think hes a perfect fit for what they do (in Indy), Brugler said.

He was the most reliable part of that (Texas) offense this year.

Hes gonna be a mismatch nightmare.

Helm, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 241 pounds, totaled 60 catches for 786 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024.

He could be a Day 1 starter in the NFL, though it would be wise to further bolster the Colts tight end room around him either via the draft or free agency.

Advertisement The last eyebrow-raiser from Greysons mock draft was the selection of McCord.

To me, this wouldnt equal the real competition Ballard alluded to when he announced at the combine that Anthony Richardson will have to win an open QB competition this offseason to remain the starter.

However, I dont hate the decision to bring in another young quarterback, assuming the Colts sign a veteran in free agency.

McCord doesnt have game-breaking athleticism, but he has enough physical tools to be a solid NFL QB and potential starter if hes put on the right development plan.

Bryce A.

1.18: Malaki Starks, S, Georgia 2.45: Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Bowling Green 2.50: TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State 3.80: Jay Higgins, LB, Iowa 5.152: Luke Kandra, RG, Cincinnati 7.191: Luke Lachey, TE, Iowa 7.234: Nazir Stackhouse, DT/NG, Georgia Bryce made his picks under the assumption the Colts will address their cornerback needs in free agency, which I interpreted as signing a proven starter like Charvarius Ward (San Francisco) or Byron Murphy Jr.

(Minnesota).

But as for Bryces picks, the one that jumps out to me is Henderson.

Bryce explained that he traded back from No.

14 to No.

18 to acquire the 50th pick, which he then used on Henderson, who was one of the most explosive running backs in the country.

His skill set as a pass catcher and blocker mesh well with some of Jonathan Taylors weaknesses, and his presence would take pressure off Taylor to take nearly every handoff as he did toward the end of the 2024 season.

Fannin had an incredible campaign at Bowling Green, racking up 117 catches for 1,555 yards and 10 TDs.

But the 6-foot-3, 241-pound tight end is undersized for his position, and I think its fair to wonder if his big-time impact will translate to the next level.

I also have concerns about him as a blocker in what should still be a run-first Colts offense.

Bryce double-dipped on tight ends, which I dont mind considering the Colts lack of production at that position last season.

He also added depth along the offensive and defensive lines, which falls in line with Ballards usual approach.

Higgins could be a sneaky good pick when noting that hes very sound in coverage and, at least in theory, would be a better fit alongside Colts inside linebacker Zaire Franklin than Franklins longtime teammate E.J.

Speed, whos set to become an unrestricted free agent.

GO DEEPER NFL mock draft: How far could Shedeur Sanders slide? Will Titans move No.

1 pick? Chay B.

1.20: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State 2.55: Jack Sawyer, edge, Ohio State 2.68: Tate Ratledge, RG, Georgia 3.73: Kevin Winston Jr., S, Penn St 3.80: Chris Paul Jr., LB, Ole Miss 4.117: Howard Cross III, DT, Notre Dame 4.135: Ollie Gordon II, RB, Oklahoma St.

5.151: Ozzy Trapilo, RT, Boston College 5.156: Jake Majors, C, Texas 6.191: Isas Waxter, CB, Villanova 6.193: Ty Hamilton, DT, Ohio State 6.201: Jack Nelson, LT, Wisconsin 7.226: Jack Kiser, LB, Notre Dame 7.233: Shilo Sanders, S, Colorado Apparently, Chay never wants me to leave the media room at West 56th Street since this mock draft includes a whopping 14 picks! For the sake of my fingers, I hope that is not the case in April, as I usually have to type up a summary on each player the Colts select.

But aside from my complaining, I knew it would be impossible to make it through this exercise without someone drafting Warren in the first round.

I just have a hard time thinking the Colts could trade back, as Chay did several times in this draft, and still land the former Penn State star with the No.

20 pick.

That scenario seems too good to be true.

Advertisement I was a bit surprised to see Sawyer and Ratledge selected in the second round because neither position seems like it needs to be addressed that early ...

unless the Colts lose Dayo Odeyingbo and Will Fries in free agency.

Odeyingbo may have already priced himself out of the Colts market, with Spotrac projecting that hell net a four-year, $63.9 million contract.

Indianapolis has already invested significantly in edge rusher by drafting Laiatu Latu in the first round last year and picking up Kwity Payes fifth-year option worth $13.4 million in 2025.

Ballard also spoke as if he expects Samson Ebukam , a potential cap cut, to return from his left Achilles tear and be a focal point in Anarumos defense.

Fries, on the other hand, seems much more likely to return to Indianapolis so long as the team puts on the full-court press to keep him around.

If he still somehow gets away, then Ratledge, who won back-to-back national championships and appeared in 38 games at Georgia, makes a lot of sense as a replacement.

As for the other picks, Gordon makes sense as a pass-catching running back to pair with Taylor and his 6-foot-1, 226-pound frame indicates he could handle a decent workload to help keep Taylor fresh later in the season.

Chay also made several investments along the offensive and defensive lines, which you can never have enough of.

And since Waxter is the only cornerback in this 14-player haul, Ill assume Chay thinks the Colts will sign a proven veteran in free agency.

Finally, it seems that Chay wants to hear what Deion Sanders thinks of Indianapolis, using the final pick of the mock draft on Coach Primes less-talked-about son.

That could be interesting.

Matthew B.

1.14: Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State 2.45: Omarion Hampton, RB, UNC 3.97: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas 4.116: Darius Alexander, DT, Toledo 4.121: Jared Wilson, C, Georgia 5.159: Jeffrey Bassa, LB, Oregon 6.191: Luke Lachey, TE, Iowa 7.215: Ty Robinson, DT, Nebraska 7.234: Craig Woodson, S, California Matthew said he made two trades to acquire more picks on Day 3 and came away with one of the more unique draft hauls of this exercise.

The two headliners are in the second and third rounds with Hampton and Ewers, respectively.

I dont think Indy will draft a running back that early under any circumstance because the team has already made such a big financial investment in Taylor.

I understand hes missed at least three games in each of the past three seasons, but the Colts can still find a viable backup in the middle rounds.

Advertisement Ewers seems like a long shot, too, though I understand the reasoning.

Ideally, the Colts would like Richardson to solidify himself as the face of the franchise in Year 3, but it would be naive to think he isnt facing a steep challenge after finishing with the lowest completion percentage in the NFL last year (47.7 percent).

Matthew said he signed a QB in free agency to compete with Richardson, so in this scenario, Ewers would be QB3 on the roster.

I think Ewers has the traits to someday be an NFL starter, and unlike last years QB3 Sam Ehlinger (a 2021 sixth-round pick whos set to become a free agent), Ewers seems to have a more realistic shot of becoming an NFL starter.

In case the Colts pivot away from Richardson, it would probably help to already have another young QB in-house for the team to evaluate.

(Photo of Malaki Starks: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.