LISTEN: Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard at the 2024 NFL Combine on Wednesday, February 28.
With their starting quarterback problem resolved for the first time in a long time, the Colts welcomed 31 other teams to Indianapolis for the NFL Combine.
The Colts’ chance with the fourth overall pick was highlighted by the fact that 16 out of the 17 questions asked by general manager Chris Ballard during a press conference held at the Indiana Convention Center a year ago concerned quarterbacks. Anthony Richardson provided an answer to that query, so when Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen approach their respective podiums on Wednesday, we’ll witness a different style of questioning.
However, quarterbacks remain dominant in this situation, which will tangentially affect the Colts’ intentions for the 2024 NFL Draft.
More specifically, the group of players available for the Colts to select will depend on how many quarterbacks are selected before they have the opportunity to select with the 15th overall pick.
On Tuesday’s Official Colts Podcast, NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah stated, “You have some legit dudes—the top three are going.” That is taking place. The question at hand is whether we might receive a fifth or a fourth.
The top three players Jeremiah mentioned are Jayden Daniels of LSU, Caleb Williams of USC, and Drake Maye of North Carolina. A media member surmised that Daniels, the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner, might perform well enough to be considered for the #1 overall choice.
Then there are the arguments for J.J. McCarthy of Michigan and Bo Nix of Oregon to be the fourth and/or fifth quarterbacks selected, respectively, particularly prior to the selection of choice number fifteen. With the eighth overall pick, Jeremiah mocked McCarthy to the Atlanta Falcons; a strong Combine week for him or Nix might propel those players into the top half of the draft in April.
In light of this, Jeremiah provided an overview of the potential opponent landscape for the Colts with the 15th overall selection.
You might have the opportunity to start a few runs close to the front,” Jeremiah stated. “It’s likely that the pass rusher run will begin rather earlier. However, I believe they have an excellent chance of being there on the corner run given their positioning. Additionally, I find tackles to be fascinating since there are a lot of talented players there.
“However, I believe there are three outstanding pass rushers, and you probably won’t see one of those players at pick 15 in a typical round. I believe there’s a potential you see one of those top three pass rushers because the quarterbacks get pushed up.
Furthermore, due to his position and other factors, Brock Bowers’ situation is somewhat of a topic unto itself, but he is unquestionably among the top 10 players in the draft.”
Check out Jeremiah’s interview on Tuesday’s Official Colts Podcast on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify for his complete analysis of Brock Bowers and more.
Late February still has a lot of unknowns. The NFL Combine is only one component of the draft puzzle; in the months to come, pro days, private workouts, and in-depth internal conversations will all be used to complete the picture. However, the Colts’ starting signal-caller situation is not guaranteed, as they will still be affected by the class of highly-drafted quarterbacks this year.
