The Indianapolis Colts went 7-9 in 2019. While that record is nothing to write home about, it's a lot better than many were expecting. Right before the start of the regular season, Andrew Luck retired.
That left the team without their star quarterback. Suddenly, a team that was expected to be a serious Super Bowl contender was an afterthought.
After Luck's retirement, it looked like they could be one of the worst teams in the NFL, worthy of a top-five pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Instead, Jacoby Brissett took over at quarterback and kept the Colts' heads above water, even when the receiving group was extremely thin with injuries.
That 7-9 record gave the Colts hope that they weren't all that far off from playoff contention already. And now they have the 13th overall pick in the upcoming draft to try and get some help.
They should look at wide receiver at some point in the draft, specifically DeVonta Smith from Alabama. The funny thing about Alabama is, they have three wide receivers with first-round potential.
Jerry Jeudy is the first of those names. He has ridiculous elite-level potential. However, there's no way he will be available to the Colts at 13.
Then there are two others that could find their way to the Colts, Henry Ruggs III and Smith.
For the Colts, Smith is such a perfect fit. First of all, they simply need another wide receiver. That was extremely evident this year, especially when T.Y. Hilton suffered an injury.
The Colts are thin in that category. Hilton had 45 receptions in 10 games, and Zach Pascal had 41 receptions in 16 games. Outside of those two, no other receiver on the team even reached 20 receptions.
Yes, Parris Campbell has a ton of potential (18 receptions in seven games), but this year proved that depth is vital.
It could be very hard for the Colts to survive next year if injuries crop up again. And Smith could be perfect for the offense. He had 68 receptions for 1,256 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2019. All of those numbers surpass anything any weapon did on the Colts last year.
Indianapolis is in desperate need of playmakers. Even if everyone was healthy, Hilton is still the only truly dangerous weapon they have at the moment, and Smith could change that pretty quickly.
He gives them decent enough size (6'1″) and a good mixture of athleticism and precision. Smith runs routes well and has good hands. Those are values that are extremely important in the NFL. If you have those two things, it's hard not to succeed.
Smith is not a sure thing in the NFL, but then again no one is. However, he has all the tools to be a star and he has them at a position that Indianapolis is dangerously thin at. If he's still available when the Colts decide to target a wide receiver, they need to seriously consider taking the Alabama star.
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