We finally made it to the 2026 NFL Draft.

Well, sort of.

The Colts, of course, do not have a first round pick in this year's draft. Thursday night at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center, for general manager Chris Ballard, will be about crossing some names off the Colts' draft board. Maybe he, the Colts' football operations group and coaching staff could find time to grind some Sauce Gardner tape, too.

Friday, though, will be different. The Colts own picks No. 47 (second round) and 78 (third round), and will look to replicate the success they've had over their last two drafts without a first round pick.

In 2022, the Colts entered Day 2 with picks No. 42 (second round) and 73 (third round). With an eye on adding picks but still a rangy, speedy wide receiver from Cincinnati, Ballard traded down from No. 42 to No. 53 with the Minnesota Vikings, adding the 77th overall pick in the draft in the process. Ballard still got his guy – Alec Pierce – and then with that extra third-round pick snagged Central Michigan tackle Bernhard Raimann.

Both Pierce and Raimann signed extensions with the Colts in March of 2026 and August of 2025, respectively. The Colts also selected tight end Jelani Woods (No. 73 overall) in 2022, and traded back into the end of the third round to select safety Nick Cross (No. 96 overall). While Woods' career was derailed by injuries, Cross developed into multi-year starter for the Colts before signing with the Washington Commanders this offseason.

That was 2022. The 2020 draft, too, produced two Day 2 picks who later signed contract extensions in wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (No. 34 overall) and running back Jonathan Taylor (No. 41 overall). With the No. 85 overall pick that year in the third round, the Colts drafted Utah safety Julian Blackmon, who started 62 games over five seasons in Indianapolis.

Anyways, let's get back to this year's draft. Over the last two months, we've compiled a handful of mock drafts from various prognosticators around the football internet. Those mock drafts have produced 21 different players projected to the Colts in the second round, and another 21 players in the third round.

Is this an exhaustive list? Absolutely not. Even the best, most reliable mock drafts are, at best, educated guesses. A surprise pick early in the draft can have ripple effects that last through Day 2. A player who on paper seems like an ideal scheme fit for one team may not actually be on their board for reasons – often medical – that the even the most connected media member, let alone the general public, won't know. Some teams may have a track record of drafting certain types of players and could pivot off that history due to changes with a coaching staff.

So the point is: The Colts could take a player on this list, or they could not. Some of these guys listed will go in the first round. Others will go later than the second round (in 2022, the most-mocked player to the Colts in the second round was Raimann, who the team took in the third round). Others may not even be drafted at all (in 2022, five mock drafts we collected pegged the Colts to take Nevada quarterback Carson Strong in the second round; he went undrafted).

But consider this a good starting point for some of the names to track Thursday and Friday night. Let's get to the list:

Second round (No. 47 overall), most-mocked players

• 6 mocks: Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr.
• 5 mocks: Cincinnati LB Jake Golday
• 4 mocks: Oklahoma DE R Mason Thomas
• 4 mocks: Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez

It's no surprise most of these mocks threw a dart at a linebacker for the Colts following March's trade of Zaire Franklin to the Green Bay Packers. The Colts signed linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither – who previously played under defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo with the Cincinnati Bengals – in March and still have 2024 fifth-round pick Jaylon Carlies on the roster, among others.

Using NFLIQ's powerful research tool, I asked for odds each of these four players will be available at pick No. 47. Here's what it spit out:

• Anthony Hill Jr.: 25-30%
• Jacob Rodriguez: 40-45%
• Jake Golday: 50-55%
• R Mason Thomas: 55-60%

A handful of other players were mocked to the Colts two times in the second round:

• Ole Miss WR De'Zhaun Stribling
• Illinois DE Gabe Jacas
• Arizona State OT Max Iheanachor
• Mizzou LB Josiah Trotter
• Florida DT Caleb Banks

Stribling and Banks were also mocked to the Colts in the third round once apiece.

Other players who were mentioned one time in various mock drafts: UConn WR Skyler Bell, LSU S A.J. Haulcy, Texas A&M iOL Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M DE Cashius Howell, Georgia LB C.J. Allen, Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt, Indiana CB D'Angelo Ponds, Alabama WR Germie Bernard, Georgia State WR Ted Hurst, Alabama DE LT Overton, Arizona State CB Keith Abney and Miami DE Akeem Mesidor.

Again: The Colts are not guaranteed to take one of these players mentioned in the second round. Or maybe they will. That's the fun of Friday night.

Let's move on to the third round, now, which was much more scattershot. There were five players with two mocks projecting the Colts to snag them in the third round:

• Cincinnati LB Jake Golday
• Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt
• Pitt LB Kyle Louis
• Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton (three mocks)
• Tennessee DE Joshua Josephs

Again, I went to NFLIQ to get odds those five guys are available with pick No. 78. Here's what I got:

• Jake Golday: 35-40%
• Kyle Louis: 55-60%
• Elijah Sarratt: 60-65%
• Joshua Josephs: 65-70%
• Gracen Halton: 70-75%

Other names mentioned one time to the Colts in the third round: Ole Miss WR De'Zhaun Stribling, Florida DT Caleb Banks, Tennessee WR Chris Brazzell II, Alabama DE LT Overton, USC S Kamari Ramsey, Northwestern T Caleb Tiernan, Texas Tech DE Romello Height, Georgia Tech iOL Keylan Rutledge, Penn State DE Dani Dennis-Sutton, Georgia WR Zachariah Branch, Arkansas RB Mike Washington Jr., Texas A&M T Dametrious Crownover, UCF DE Malachi Lawrence, Iowa State DT Domonique Orange, Penn State QB Drew Allar and Clemson QB Cade Klubnik.

For deeper insight into the Colts' 2026 NFL Draft, visit NFL IQ, built on Amazon Quick, for player evaluations and scheme fits for the newest members of the Colts.

Below is every mock we collected since before the 2026 NFL Combine:

Selection (No. 47 overall): Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez
Expert: Rob Rang, Fox Sports
Date: April 22

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Arizona State CB Keith Abney II
Selection (No. 78 overall): Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton
Expert: Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News
Date: April 22

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez
Selection (No. 78 overall): Ole Miss WR De'Zhaun Stribling
Expert: Jordan Reid, ESPN
Date: April 20

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Ole Miss WR De'Zhaun Stribling
Selection (No. 78 overall): Pitt LB Kyle Louis
Expert: Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Date: April 17

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr.
Expert: Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN
Date: April 15

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Cincinnati LB Jake Golday
Selection (No. 78 overall): Tennessee WR Chris Brazzell II
Expert: Dane Brugler, The Athletic
Date: April 15

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Illinois DE Gabe Jacas
Selection (No. 78 overall): Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton
Expert: Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report
Date: April 15

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Cincinnati LB Jake Golday
Selection (No. 78 overall): Florida DT Caleb Banks
Expert: Mike Renner, CBS Sports
Date: April 13

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Selection (No. 47 overall): LSU S A.J. Haulcy
Expert: Rob Rang, Fox Sports
Date: April 13

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Selection (No. 47 overall): UConn WR Skyler Bell
Selection (No. 78 overall): Cincinnati LB Jake Golday
Expert: Alec Elijah, Pro Football Network
Date: April 11

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Cincinnati LB Jake Golday
Expert: Josh Edwards, CBS Sports
Date: April 9

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr.
Selection (No. 78 overall): Tennessee DE Joshua Josephs
Expert: Jacob Infante, Pro Football Network
Date: April 8

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr.
Selection (No. 78 overall): Alabama DE LT Overton
Expert: Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic
Date: April 6

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Ole Miss WR De'Zhaun Stribling
Selection (No. 78 overall): USC S Kamari Ramsey
Expert: Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Date: April 3

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr.
Selection (No. 78 overall): Northwestern T Caleb Tiernan
Expert: Josh Edwards, CBS Sports
Date: April 2

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Texas A&M iOL Chase Bisontis
Selection (No. 78 overall): Oklahoma DT Gracen Halton
Expert: Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News
Date: April 2

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Texas A&M DE Cashius Howell
Expert: Curt Popejoy, Draft Wire
Date: April 1

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Georgia LB C.J. Allen
Expert: Bruce Feldman, The Athletic
Date: April 1

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Arizona State T Max Iheanachor
Selection (No. 78 overall): Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt
Expert: Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports
Date: March 30

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Arizona State T Max Iheanachor
Selection (No. 78 overall): Texas Tech DE Romello Height
Expert: Ryan Moran, Pro Football Network
Date: March 30

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Oklahoma DE R Mason Thomas
Selection (No. 78 overall): Georgia Tech G Keylan Rutledge
Expert: Matt Miller, ESPN
Date: March 30

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Mizzou LB Josiah Trotter
Selection (No. 78 overall): Penn State DE Dani Dennis-Sutton
Expert: Jacob Infante, Pro Football Network
Date: March 29

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez
Selection (No. 78 overall): Georgia WR Zachariah Branch
Expert: Jacob Infante, Pro Football Network
Date: March 25

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Florida DT Caleb Banks
Expert: Field Yates, ESPN
Date: March 24

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez
Selection (No. 78 overall): Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt
Expert: Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Date: March 20

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr.
Expert: Josh Edwards, CBS Sports
Date: March 19

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Indiana WR Elijah Sarratt
Expert: Nate Davis & Ayrton Ostly, USA Today
Date: March 16

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Texas LB Anthony Hill Jr.
Selection (No. 78 overall): Arkansas RB Mike Washington Jr.
Expert: Josh Edwards, CBS Sports
Date: March 13

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Indiana CB D'Angelo Ponds
Selection (No. 78 overall): Texas A&M T Dametrious Crownover
Expert: Luke Easterling, Athlon Sports
Date: March 12

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Alabama WR Germie Bernard
Selection (No. 78 overall): Tennessee DE Joshua Josephs
Expert: Jacob Infante, Pro Football Network
Date: March 9

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Oklahoma DE R Mason Thomas
Selection (No. 78 overall): Pitt LB Kyle Louis
Expert: Max Chadwick, Pro Football Focus
Date: March 9

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Cincinnati LB Jake Golday
Expert: Dane Brugler, The Athletic
Date: March 4

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Georgia State WR Ted Hurst
Selection (No. 78 overall): UCF DE Malachi Lawrence
Expert: Brent Sobleski, Bleacher Report
Date: March 3

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Illinois DE Gabe Jacas
Expert: Jordan Reid, ESPN
Date: March 3

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Missouri LB Josiah Trotter
Selection (No. 78 overall): Iowa State DL Domonique Orange
Expert: Dalton Wasserman, Pro Football Focus
Date: Feb. 23

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Cincinnati LB Jake Golday
Selection (No. 78 overall): Penn State QB Drew Allar
Expert: Gordon McGuinness, Pro Football Focus
Date: Feb. 16

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Florida DT Caleb Banks
Selection (No. 78 overall): Cincinnati LB Jake Golday
Expert: Chad Reuter, NFL.com
Date: Feb. 9

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Miami DE Ahkeem Mesidor
Selection (No. 78 overall): Clemson QB Cade Klubnik
Expert: Nick Baumgardner, The Athletic
Date: Feb. 9

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Oklahoma DE R Mason Thomas
Expert: Matt Miller, ESPN
Date: Feb. 2

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Selection (No. 47 overall): Oklahoma DE R Mason Thomas
Expert: Dane Brugler, The Athletic
Date: Jan. 15

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