After dismissing general manager Chris Ballard in October, the Colts traded away four players who were due to become free agents after the 2026 season: Left guard Quenton Nelson (to Seattle), defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (to San Francisco), wide receiver Keenan Allen (to San Francisco) and wide receiver Josh Downs (to Kansas City).
In those four trades, the Colts acquired six total draft picks while trading one away (a 2027 seventh-round pick, initially acquired from Buffalo in August's trade for center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, sent to Kansas City along with Downs).
For now, whoever the Colts' next general manager is will have 10 picks in the 2027 NFL Draft and eight in the 2028 NFL Draft. The NFL will award compensatory draft picks next spring for free agent signings that happened in 2026, and OverTheCap projects the Colts to receive fifth- and sixth-round comp picks next year – though those are not set in stone. Still, if the Colts were to be awarded those two additional picks, it'd give them a dozen selections in the 2027 NFL Draft.
For now, though, these are the picks we know the Colts have in the next two NFL Drafts:
2027
- Second round
- Third round
- Third round (from Seattle for Nelson)
- Fourth round
- Fourth round (from San Francisco for Buckner)
- Fourth round (from Kansas City for Downs)
- Fifth round
- Fifth round (from Kansas City for Downs)
- Sixth round (from San Francisco via Baltimore for Allen)
- Seventh round
2028
- First round
- Second round
- Third round
- Fourth round
- Fifth round
- Fifth round (from Seattle for Nelson)
- Sixth round
- Seventh round
