As it stands, the Colts currently have five picks in the 2026 NFL Draft after giving up their first-round pick to the New York Jets as part of the blockbuster trade at the deadline for Sauce Gardner and sending their sixth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for cornerback Mekhi Blackmon prior to the 2025 season.
Per OverTheCap, the Colts are also projected to gain two compensatory picks to put them at a total of seven picks. The NFL will officially finalize the full 2026 NFL Draft order when comp selections in the third through seventh rounds are awarded, which last year happened the day before the start of the new league year. This year, the new league year begins at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 11.
With that in mind, Colts general manager Chris Ballard said on Tuesday at the 2026 NFL Combine that there is a good chance the Colts will have even more than seven picks in this year's draft.
"We like to acquire picks," Ballard said. "I'm not saying we wouldn't move up in the draft, because that's always a possibility, but there's a good chance that we'll end up moving back...we're gonna end up getting I think two comp picks, so we're at seven. I would anticipate having more when it's all said and done."
In the 2025 NFL Draft, the Colts traded their fourth-round pick (No. 117 overall) to the Los Angeles Rams for a fourth-round pick (No. 127 overall) and sixth-round pick (No. 190 overall). The Colts ended up selecting offensive tackle Jalen Travis in the fourth round, and quarterback Riley Leonard and defensive tackle Tim Smith in the sixth round at No. 189 and No. 190 overall, respectively.
Ballard emphasized the fact that great talent can come from anywhere in the draft, so while the Colts are without a first-round pick, there will be no shortage of options for them in later rounds.
"History has proven it doesn't have to be -- great players come from everywhere in the draft, whether they're a first-round pick, seventh-round pick, undrafted free agent," Ballard said. "Our scouts do a great job of digging and trying to dig out those types of players that we think can come in and produce right away. They come from everywhere."
Current players on the Colts roster who were selected (by the Colts) in rounds 3-7:
- Josh Downs (third round)
- Bernhard Raimann (third round)
- Nick Cross (third round)
- Justin Walley (third round)
- Matt Goncalves (third round)
- Grover Stewart (fourth round)
- Tanor Bortolini (fourth round)
- Jalen Travis (fourth round)
- Blake Freeland (fourth round)
- Adetomiwa Adebawore (fourth round)
- Jaylon Carlies (fifth round)
- Danny Pinter (fifth round)
- Will Mallory (fifth round)
- Anthony Gould (fifth round)
- Daniel Scott (fifth round)
- Riley Leonard (sixth round)
- Drew Ogletree (sixth round)
- Tim Smith (sixth round)
- Zaire Franklin (seventh round)
- Jaylon Jones (seventh round)
- Hunter Wohler (seventh round)
