Indianapolis Colts: 7-Round Mock Draft Following Matt Ryan Trade

The Indianapolis Colts finally set their offseason in motion, acquiring veteran quarterback Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons. Now, it’s time to add some weapons.

The Indianapolis Colts sent away the 82nd overall pick in this years’ draft in exchange for former 2016 NFL MVP — Matt Ryan. That alone is enough to get excited about. Ryan took a bit of a step back in 2021, but one peek at the roster around him and you’ll find yourself wondering how in the world the Falcons won seven games.

Following the trade, I went back and watched every pass that Ryan made last season. To put it bluntly, it was a tough watch. Rookie Kyle Pitts eclipsed the 1000-yard mark, but Russell Gage led the way for the receiver position with 770 yards across 14 games. The only other player on the roster to surpass 500 receiving yards was journeyman converted running back — Cordarrelle Patterson.

The Colts’ roster is already way better overall than what Ryan had to work with in Atlanta. Michael Pittman Jr. is a stud, and Jonathan Taylor gives Ryan a supportive run game that he hasn’t had in years. Much like Atlanta, however, they severely lack difference makers outside of their top option in the pass game. General manager Chris Ballard must be aggressive during this second wave of free agency in order to get the most out of our their new signal-caller.

Additionally, Matt Pryor is currently slated to be the starter at left tackle — yikes. During an interview Tuesday, Ballard said the team is more than comfortable with Matt Pryor but I’m calling his bluff on that one. Veterans Duane Brown and Riley Reiff present viable short-term options, given the teams’ lack of a first-round pick this year. Another intriguing option would be trading for Eagles’ offensive lineman, Andre Dillard.

Indianapolis Colts Mock Draft: Best Player Available Approach

For this mock draft, I’m working under the premise that Ballard sticks with Pryor or adds a starting left tackle elsewhere (Duane Brown, Andre Dillard). A discount cornerback (Patrick Peterson, Kyle Fuller) in free agency makes the most sense considering Isaiah Rodgers and Brandon Facyson profile more as CB2’s. I’m also going to assume that a veteran wide receiver or two (Julio Jones, TY Hilton) will sign on to catch passes at Lucas Oil Stadium in 2022.

This clears the way to go with a true “best player available” approach at the 2022 NFL Draft. Now that there is a base to build off of, let’s get the Indianapolis Colts some weapons for Matt Ryan and some depth for the defensive side of the ball!