Prior to the 2026 NFL Combine, NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah spoke with the media about his expectations and outlook on the 2026 NFL Combine and Draft. He outlined which position groups he believed were the strongest, where he ranked players like Ohio State's Caleb Downs and Indiana's Omar Cooper Jr., his thoughts on projected No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza and what he thinks the Colts may do without a first-round pick.
Most three-round draft projections currently have the Colts with the 47th overall pick and the 78th overall pick. And yet, even without a first-round pick, the Colts are certainly not in a bad spot for the 2026 NFL Draft. Jeremiah said he believes this year's draft class has "a good Day 2" with significant depth at positions like linebackers and cornerbacks.
"It's another exciting class, with some of the strengths of this draft really being along the defensive line, particularly the edge rushers," Jeremiah said Thursday. "Another great group of wide receivers, a linebacker group that runs deep and a corner group that runs really deep. So it's a good draft."
When asked about the depth of specifically defensive tackle, cornerback and wide receiver for teams without a first-round pick, Jeremiah said this:
"I would rank that wide receiver, corner, D-tackle in terms of depth," he said. "But it's not it's not in bad shape at defensive tackle, it's just much, much deeper at the other two. Wide receivers is really, really good. It's comparable to the last several years...I think I had 19 guys with grades that would put them in the top three-round range, so that's a really good group of wide receivers. Corners, we got a nice mix of outside guys and one of the really, really good group of slot corners that I've seen in the last few years. So good, not quite as deep as we've been in some other years, but really solid there with, again, a really nice mix of slot corners. And then the defensive tackles, it's not as deep as the edge rusher group in this draft, but there's some real intriguing guys...second round to fourth round I think is a nice little sweet spot there, you got some real big guys in there."
Speaking of wide receivers, when asked about what the Colts may do with their second-round pick, Jeremiah pointed to wide receivers.
"There's wide receivers galore that are going to be there," he said. "There are really, really good players that I think – it's literally all shapes and sizes."
Of course, what the Colts choose to do in the draft will likely hinge on what happens with Alec Pierce; Pierce is an impending free agent who, if he hits the market on March 11 (the Colts could place a franchise or transition tag on him before then), Jeremiah believes will have a "robust market if he gets out of the building." With that in mind, Jeremiah projected Malachi Fields (Notre Dame) and Chris Brazzell (Tennessee) as two wideouts who could bring size, speed and big-play ability.
Jeremiah also pointed to Antonio Williams (Clemson) and Zachariah Branch (Georgia) as impressive undersized players, noting Branch "can fly", and Germie Bernard (Alabama) as someone who can "do a little bit of everything." And for a potential third-round option, Jeremiah suggested Oregon's Malik Benson as another fast and productive player.
Once again, though, these projections from Jeremiah are largely based on the idea that Pierce would not be with the Colts next season, and the Colts would be looking to replace him in some capacity – so take it with a grain of salt. If the Colts were to go for a linebacker or defensive end in the second round, like many mock drafts are projecting, they would have almost as many viable options.
Now, here's a broader, league-wide look at some intriguing (and relevant) names to keep an eye on:
Jeremiah said he believes Ohio State safety Caleb Downs – Colts wide receiver Josh Downs' younger brother – is one of the best players in the draft. Jeremiah's second mock draft, published on Feb. 17, has Downs as the No. 10 overall pick, going to the Cincinnati Bengals.
"Caleb Downs, everything he does he just kind of does right," Jeremiah said.
Jeremiah also projected Indiana cornerback D'Angelo Ponds as a potential second or third-round pick and Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. as a potential second-round pick and a great fit for the Cincinnati Bengals alongside Tee Higgins and Ja'marr Chase. As for another in-state school, Jeremiah believes Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, one of his favorite players in the draft, could be a missing piece for the Kansas City Chiefs (they hold the No. 9 overall pick) and that Love's teammate Jadarian Price could jump into the back of the first round, potential going to the Denver Broncos as the 30th overall pick.
"I think he could be a number one back – if he was playing anywhere else, he would have been," Jeremiah said. "Just happened to be playing with Jeremiyah Love...but he's someone that I think has got a chance to be three-down, complete back."
And finally, some perspective on Indiana's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback. Mendoza is just about as secure as the No. 1 overall pick as possible, but Jeremiah added some insight into just how good he believes Mendoza could be:
"Comparing Mendoza with the Bryce Young, CJ Stroud draft, I would have him – just off of the college grades – just a tick above those guys, for me,"he said. "I would put (Mendoza) behind the group we had a couple years ago, those top three guys – for me it was Caleb (Williams) one, (Drake) Maye two, Jaden Daniels three. He would slot in behind those guys. But I think he's excelled, I think he's ready to go. He's incredibly tough...you look at him in the red zone and you look at him in key moments and big games, and I don't really know how you could have too much of a concern there."
Many, if not all, of the aforementioned players will be participating in the 2026 NFL Combine in some form next week. Click here for more information about the four days of free fan events taking place at Lucas Oil Stadium.
For more Colts offseason analysis:
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- Tune in to 93.5/107.5 The Fan on Fridays for Matt Taylor & Casey Vallier's breakdowns on The Last Word, and catch the episode on the Indianapolis Colts Podcast feed on Saturdays
