The Indianapolis Colts are coming off of a 9-8 season that saw an injury to promising rookie Anthony Richardson while Garden Minshew did his best to fill in as the team's leader.
Richardson spoke out about his potential for regaining his form post-injury. Colts running back Tyler Goodson got real on a major mistake he made during the stretch of the season.
Heading into the 2024 offseason, the Colts have their work cut out for them. General Manager Chris Ballard has a lot of decisions to make if Coach Shane Steichen's team is to contend for an AFC Championship next season, and new Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh isn't walking through that door.
Colts' Biggest Need: Defense
The Colts' offense put up a ton of points with both Minshew and Richardson at the controls but next year a focus on defense is needed for Coach Steichen's team.
The Colts ranked 28th in defense and 11th in offense among all NFL teams.
Samson Ebukam and Kwity Paye led the Indianapolis defense with 9.5 and 8.5 sacks, respectively.
E.J. Speed, DeForest Buckner and Deyo Odeyingbo were among seven Colts players with eight tackles for loss or more on the season.
Needless to say, the Colts have guys who are capable of wreaking havoc in other teams' backfields, and they have a system that seems to allow these guys to thrive.
Even with this ferocious pass rushing dominance, the Colts gave up 253 yards through the air toward the end of the season, sealing their fate as a non-playoff team.
With Trevor Lawrence, CJ Stroud and a young Will Levis all taking up residence in the Colts' division, the AFC South, it stands to reason that a focus on defensive backs is a great idea this offseason.
Colts Need Defensive Backfield Improvements
The Colts are in desperate need of playmaking defensive backs who can run, hit and cover.
While the team has some young talent at the cornerback and safety positions, more playmakers are needed to deter other teams from throwing deep and over the middle, especially on long yard down and distance type situations.
Coach Steichen's team is projected to take a Clemson DB Nate Wiggins with the 15th overall pick. Wiggins would bring a tremendous blend of size, length, and coverage ability to Colts coordinator Gus Bradley's defense.
Iowa cornerback Cooper DeJean is another player who could become the choice at pick fifteen for the Colts. DeJean is a playmaking cornerback who has a knack for making big plays and shutting down other teams' number one receivers. He would instantly upgrade the toughness and football IQ of the Colts' secondary while providing a home run threat as a kickoff and punt returner if the Colts draft him and choose to utilize him in that capacity.
Alabama DBs Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry could become selections either at the fifteenth spot or later in the draft if the Colts decide to trade down.
Sleepers at the CB position also include TJ Tampa of the Iowa State Cyclones and Kalen King of the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Perhaps the ultimate sleeper is Mike Sainristil, the Michigan Wolverines' team captain who is ‘undersized' according to scouts' wishes but also happened to be one of the best playmakers in college football from his nickelback position.
Sainristil sealed the national title game with a late interception and long return into Washington Huskies territory.
The Colts already boast a great deal of strength and size at the defensive backfield position, which could allow Sainristil to come in and thrive as a nickelback as he has for so many years with Coach Jim Harbaugh's Wolverines.
This draft is exceptionally deep in defensive backfield stars which means the Colts could, and probably should, spend at least two draft picks on the position this April.
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