The 2026 NFL draft begins on April 23 in Pittsburgh, when the Indianapolis Colts will pick No. 47 overall in Round 2. The draft continues with Rounds 2-3 on April 24 and Rounds 4-7 on April 25 (ESPN, ABC and ESPN the app).
The Colts have seven total picks: Nos. 47, 78, 113, 156, 214, 249 and 254. But how will they use them? Which positions need to be addressed? Which prospects are coming in for visits and getting buzz with the front office and coaching staff?
Colts reporter Stephen Holder has the latest intel on the team's draft plans, potential targets and more in the lead-up to the 2026 draft.
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Thursday, April 16
It's always tricky reading anything into a team's individual pre-draft player visits, but it might be worthwhile to look at the overall pool of players a team brings in for some takeaways on what its priorities might be.
In doing so for the Colts, we see a particular flavor shaping up for the upcoming draft: It figures to be a heavy on defensive selections. The Colts' known pre-draft visits have mostly been a parade of defensive players, with defensive linemen getting particular attention.
The Colts don't have a first-round choice, but among the players of note who who visited and could be in play on Day 2 are explosive UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence, Texas Tech edge Romello Height and South Carolina safety Jalon Kilgore. With the Colts' recent defensive departures, they have considerable work to do in backfilling the defensive depth chart.
Monday, April 13:
With the Colts entering this draft with a small slate of seven selections and no first-round choice, you should look for them to do what has become a habit for Indianapolis: Trade down in the early rounds. The Colts have traded down four times in the first or second rounds since 2018. They even traded down in each of the first two rounds in 2018 and 2019.
Sometimes it works, like when they moved down in Round 2 in 2022, using the picks they acquired to scoop up receiver Alec Pierce and Bernhard Raimann -- both now huge offensive cogs. Other times, the results are questionable, like the trade down in 2024 that resulted in the pick of receiver Adonai Mitchell, who the Colts traded last season. But, in any case, this is an approach the Colts believe in and something to watch on draft weekend.
Tuesday, April 7: The upcoming NFL draft could be the biggest in Indiana University history, and that benefited the Colts on Tuesday. Indianapolis held its annual local pro day, an opportunity to host draft prospects with regional ties. That made players from national champion Indiana eligible to attend.
The Hoosiers had 13 players in attendance, including receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (a possible first-round choice), cornerback D'Angelo Ponds and receiver Elijah Sarratt. It was a chance for the Colts to get extra face time with or work out the players outside the limitations of a scouting combine interview or Top 30 visit. And the prevalance of IU players spoke to what coach Curt Cignetti has built in Bloomington.
"No one thought before the season Indiana was going to win it," Sarratt said. "I feel like if you get the right guys in the right organization, no matter if it's on Saturdays or Sundays, that you can have a lot of success if you bring the right guys in."