Leading up to the NFL Draft, SIS will be publishing team previews for those with Top 10 picks in the draft. Each preview will look at the players who most make sense for that team at that selection based on stats and scouting factors and will include quotes from that player’s scouting report.
You can find more than 300 scouting reports and much more team analysis at our NFL Draft website.
The State of the Colts:
The Colts 2022 season was bordering on disastrous when compared to the expectations of the fan base. The offensive line underwent a very sudden crash to become one of the worst units in the league and resulted in stop-gap QB Matt Ryan dealing with injuries and poor play due to an insufficient surrounding cast.
Head Coach Frank Reich was relieved of his duties midseason while Owner Jim Irsay and GM Chris Ballard each spoke publicly about organizational shortcomings and discontentment with team results. The Colts now look to the turn the page after hiring former Eagles’ offensive coordinator Shane Steichen and will look to make the first selection of his tenure with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
To learn more about the Colts and their needs, visit their team page on our NFL Draft website here.
# 4 Overall
Anthony Richardson – QB – Florida
Richardson is the full package talent wise with the dual-threat ability and arm strength coveted at the next level, but he will need to refine his mechanics and simplify his decision-making to be a more consistent player.
Richardson has been one of the more talked about prospects throughout this draft process. He has elite natural athleticism (regardless of position), traits worth drooling over, and provides a seamless fit in Steichen’s vertical attacking offense to create a great situation for him to grow in and strive toward his ultimate ceiling.
Levis is a boom-or-bust prospect who has high-end physical traits and upside to be an All-Pro, but he needs massive improvements to his decision making and accuracy in order to achieve his potential.
Coach Steichen came out and shut the door on all talk regarding Lamar Jackson as the Colts future quarterback, virtually cementing that the Colts will choose a signal caller with their first- round pick. Whether Richardson is gone or Ballard and Co. just prefer Levis, he is a very real possibility to be taken with this pick. Levis is also a good fit in the Colts’ new system with tools to develop and comes with a good amount of experience under his belt.
Will Anderson Jr. – EDGE – Alabama
Anderson has impressed from his first game at Alabama to his last as a deadly pass rusher and strong run defender, and he has everything it takes to be a top-end EDGE at the next level.
Quarterback seems like a lock for the Colts at their pick, but where’s the fun in proposing all the top players at one position to the same team?
If a team trades up to jump Indianapolis in the draft and the Colts are not satisfied with any of the remaining QB options, Anderson would be a perfect fit. He can provide good run support while also offering deadly pass rush ability to a franchise that has been looking for a top-flight edge rusher since Robert Mathis’ retirement in 2016.
Devon Witherspoon – CB – Illinois
Witherspoon has the press-man coverage and ball skills to be a solid starter in any NFL defense, but he will need to improve his open-field tackling and off-man ability to hit his ceiling as a true No. 1, shutdown corner.
The Colts enter the 2023 season with very little depth at cornerback, especially on the outside. They traded away former DPOY Stephon Gilmore seemingly for peanuts after just one season with the team and have a massive hole to fill at the position as a result. Witherspoon possesses lockdown abilities and is adept at taking the ball away, which would be a valuable skill set in a defense that finished last season near the bottom of the league in interceptions forced.
