With each passing minute, the beginning of the 2024 NFL Draft inches closer, and the expectation among those in the know is that there could very well be some fireworks within the opening ten picks of the night. The only thing set in stone as we speak right now is that the Chicago Bears will be taking Caleb Williams with the 1st overall pick, but after that, your guess is as good as mine.

But someone whose guesses may be worth taking an extended look at are those of ESPN's Field Yates, who published his final 2024 NFL Mock Draft on Thursday morning, just 12 hours before the Bears will officially be on the clock. Among two projected trades within the top ten is one that involves the Indianapolis Colts moving up from the 15th overall pick to pick number 10 via a trade with the New York Jets, who as Yates explains, parted ways with a 2024 2nd round pick in the trade with Green Bay for Aaron Rodgers last April, and could be looking to recover some draft assets this weekend. For the Colts, the move is all about surrounding Anthony Richardson with the weapons he needs to succeed in his second NFL season.

The Trade: Colts get 10th pick, Jets get 15th and 82nd pick

The Pick: Brock Bowers, Tight End, Georgia 

“I've heard some buzz from people around the league that suggests Indy wants to continue to build its offense around quarterback Anthony Richardson, and Bowers could be an instant game-changer,” Yates says of the pick. “He'd be a massive boost for Richardson, as his excellent route running and after-the-catch traits make him a real problem for defensive coordinators. I like having Bowers team up with Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and Jonathan Taylor. And besides, Bowers is simply too good of a player to last much longer than this in the draft.”

Field Yates, like many other draft experts, is tremendously high on the 6'4″, 240 lb. star-in-the-making who is one of just two tight ends in college football history to be named an All-American three times. Yates had Bowers ranked 7th on his latest big board, 73 spots higher than his next highest-ranked tight end, Ben Sinnott of Kansas State, and frankly, that's lower than some other outlets have him. Danny Kelly of The Ringer has Bowers 3rd on his big board, and appropriately given this hypothetical Colts selection, compares Bowers to Dallas Clark. Clark, who was the last tight end that Indianapolis selected in the 1st Round of the NFL Draft, is 9th in Colts history in receiving yards and 7th in receiving touchdowns.

Bowers is already so polished and has a higher upside than potentially every other pass-catcher in this entire draft, so any team that selects him should receive a high grade for doing such, no matter when it is he's taken. But for the Colts to move up from 15 to 10 and only have to part ways with a 3rd round pick in addition to their 15th pick in order to take Bowers, that's a big time win in my book, especially when you're looking to make life as easy as possible for your young quarterback Anthony Richardson.

Grade: A