INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts will have the 27th pick in the first round of the National Football League draft, which commences at 4 p.m. today. NFL Network and ESPN will both provide television coverage.
Rounds one and two are set for this afternoon and evening, with the third through the seventh rounds scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Sunday.
Indianapolis will have eight draft picks to work with: 1/27; 2/61; 3/92; 4A/127; 4B/136 (compensatory); 5/165; 6/201; and 7/236. The Colts selections today should come approximately around 7 p.m. [first round] and 9:45 p.m. [second round].
Fans shouldn’t expect the Colts to trade to move up into the 10 or 15 picks. If past drafts are any indication, presdient Bill Polian would prefer to move down out of the first round to early in the second round if, and that’s a big if, the player [or players] that he’s looking for have a chance to be available there.
He did that in 2001 when he went from the 22nd pick of the first round to the 30th position and then selected wide receiver Reggie Wayne. And 2004, Polian moved down from late in the first round to early in the second when he took safety Bob Sanders.
There is an outside chance, however, that he could move up in the middle selections of the first round if he feels that it’s necessary to get the right player. It’s safe to say, though, that trying to figure out which direction Polian may eventually go is anybody’s guess.
As for what positions the Colts are looking to improve in the draft, Polian won’t say. He intimated earlier this offseason that defensive tackle would probably be where Indianapolis would be looking first. A week later, however, he said that receiver was a priority. And that was before the team released veteran receiver Marvin Harrison.
And when push finally comes to shove, don’t be too surprised if Polian goes into an entirely different direction.
“You measure the talent available to you and you try to measure their talent as best you can, and all of the other concerns you come to the table with,” he said recently. “Then, you try to take the best player. I just think you try to take the best player, basically.
“We don’t draft specific need almost anywhere. If the need line and talent line cross, then fine, but we try always to take the best player. Because of the nature of [the media], you guys focus on the first round. We’re probably past that faster than you can blink an eye and focused on all of the rest of [the draft].”
Indianapolis Colts draft breakdown since 2006 -- Total picks: 25; 2008 starters: 10; 2008 backups: 10; With other NFL teams: 0; Out of the league: 1; Injured reserve/physicall unable to perform: 4.
Team needs
• Wide receiver — With Marvin Harrison gone and the jury still out on backups Roy Hall and Pierre Garcon, the Colts need to find a big-play receiver to help get the usual high-scoring offense back on track. Indianapolis likes receivers who are smart, disciplined and are good route runners.
• Defensive tackle — Get bigger along the defensive line. The Colts need to bolster both their physicality and size up front without giving up any athleticism and speed. There are a couple of defensive tackles in the draft this year who fit that description.
• Linebacker — Improve the overall depth at all three linebacking positions. Indianapolis is always looking for play-makers with speed over sheer size, especially at weak side and strong side linebacker. Finding a dependable backup to middle linebacker Gary Brackett would be good, especially considering he is returning from a lower leg injury that sidelined him for the last month of the regular season in 2008.
• Running back — Questions abound at running back for the Colts. With veteran Dominic Rhodes signing a free agent deal with the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis is left with Mike Hart, who continues to rehab from knee surgery, along with Chad Simpson and Lance Ball to serve as backups to starter Joseph Addai. Both Simpson and Ball showed some ability late last season, but additional depth would be good.
• Cornerback — While Kelvin Hayden returns after signing a contract extension in the offseason, Marlin Jackson and Michael Coe both continue to recover from knee surgeries. Top backup Keiwan Ratliff signed a free agent contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday. Tim Jennings played well at times last year but needs to develop more consistency. Dante Hughes has yet to emerge as the type of corner the Colts are looking for.
• Punter — Hunter Smith, an unrestricted free agent, signed a one-year contract with the Washington Redskins on Thursday. Smith’s absence, as both a punter and as a holder for placekicker Adam Vinatieri, creates a big hole that needs to be filled
Colts
NFL Draft: Colts have 8 picks to bolster defensive line, receiving corps
- Colts
-
-
Colts welcome Manusky aboard as defensive coordinator
On Thursday, Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson, coach Chuck Pagano and potential No. 1 draft pick Andrew Luck led the parade.
Grigson and Pagano confirmed the hiring of several assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, Marwan Maalouf (special teams), Roy Anderson (safeties), Alfredo Roberts (tight ends) and Brandt Boyer (assistant special teams). -
Mathis, Garcon at top of Colts’ wish list; Wayne isn’t
Expect defensive end Robert Mathis and wide receiver Pierre Garcon to be priorities for the Indianapolis Colts during free agency.
-
Manning tiptoes around health questions
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and team owner Jim Irsay came to an agreement last week to keep any lingering issues about Manning's future with the team on the backburner during Super Bowl week.
-
Back home again in Indiana
Former Indianapolis Colts coach Jim Caldwell has landed a job as quarterbacks coach for the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens announced Caldwell’s hiring Monday.
-
Patriots first to arrive in Indy
Welcome to Super Bowl Week.
-
Pagano wants aggressive defense with Colts
When the Colts went looking for a new head coach, a good portion of the team’s fans made it clear that they wanted a departure from the laid-back style of former coaches Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell.
-
Irsay: Manning comments should have stayed in-house
Not only did the Colts introduce new head coach Chuck Pagano during an afternoon press conference, team owner Jim Irsay also made his feelings known about recent comments that quarterback Peyton Manning made.
-
Colts go with defensive specialist
The Indianapolis Colts, after a weeklong search process, finally landed themselves a head coach Wednesday.
-
Caldwell can’t survive 2-14 season in Indy
The offseason moves just keep on coming for the Indianapolis Colts.
-
Colts fire head coach Caldwell
Tribune-Star correspondent Tom James reports that Colts head coach Jim Caldwell has been fired. No other details are known at this time.
-
Colts hire Eagles exec Grigson as GM
The Indianapolis Colts formally announced former Philadelphia director of player personnel Ryan Grigson as the team’s new general manager Wednesday.
-
Colts hire Eagles executive Grigson as GM
The Indianapolis Colts have hired Eagles executive Ryan Grigson as their new general manager.
-
Irsay: Colts are in 'rebuilding stage'
So are the Indianapolis Colts in a retooling or a rebuilding mode heading into the offseason?
If you ask the players, they would prefer to use the retooling philosophy. In their minds, get some injured players back and the Colts can be right back in the thick of the AFC South title race and once again be a contender for the AFC championship.
Team owner Jim Irsay, though, sees a tougher road ahead. -
Colts give the boot to Polian duo
It didn’t take long for Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay to start making moves with his team.
One day after Irsay’s Colts dropped a 19-13 road decision to Jacksonville, giving Indianapolis a 2-14 record and the No. 1 pick in the 2012 National Football League draft, longtime Colts executive Bill Polian and his son, vice-president/general manager Chris Polian, were both fired.
-
Interesting subplots abound in Colts-Jags game
This afternoon’s AFC South matchup between the Indianapolis Colts (2-13) and Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11) is the regular-season finale for both teams.
-
Colts players a fan of Murphy's promotion to defensive coordinator
Cohesion. That’s the word the keeps coming up when coach Jim Caldwell and many of the team’s players are asked about the turnaround of the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive unit.
-
To win or to lose? For Colts fans, it's not an easy question
With the No. 1 draft pick on the line if the Indianapolis Colts were to lose Sunday at Jacksonville, it’s easy to see why a lot of the team’s fans wouldn’t mind seeing the team fall to the Jaguars.
-
Colts’ Freeney to play in seventh Pro Bowl
Despite a team record of 2-13 heading into the final week of the National Football League regular season, there was some good news coming out of the Indianapolis Colts’ West 56th Street facility Tuesday night.
-
Colts’ last game not without questions
Are the Indianapolis Colts treating Sunday’s game at Jacksonville as the final game of the season or just the next game on the schedule?
-
Colts celebrate second straight division victory
Indianapolis Colts fans finally got a little luck on their side Thursday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.
It may not have been Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, who is expected to the top pick in next spring’s National Football League draft. -
With latest win, Colts provide suspense for 2012 draft position
Now that the Indianapolis Colts have posted two straight wins in their last two games, including Thursday night’s 19-16 victory over AFC South champion Houston, many of the team’s fans find themselves in quite a quandary.
The Colts will take a 2-13 record into next week’s New Year’s Day regular-season finale at Jacksonville. -
Colts face another tough running test
The credit for the Indianapolis Colts’ win over the Tennessee Titans on Sunday can go in a couple different directions.
-
Colts taking no risks with injured Manning
Both Bill Polian and Jim Caldwell are looking to the future when it comes to injured quarterback Peyton Manning.
-
More wins to come?
With a win finally under their belts, the Indianapolis Colts (1-13) now look forward to two days of intensive work beginning today.
-
FINALLY! THEY WON
It was a day of firsts for the Indianapolis Colts.
-
Polian hopes to set ‘record straight’
Indianapolis Colts vice chairman Bill Polian didn’t like what he was hearing prior to and during Sunday’s National Football League home game with the Tennessee Titans.
-
Polian shares thoughts on QB situation
With the Indianapolis Colts’ chances of clinching the No. 1 pick in the 2012 National Football League draft getting closer with each succeeding loss, talk among fans and team observers invariably goes to the possibility of the team selecting Stanford junior quarterback Andrew Luck.
-
Colts prepared for Hasselbeck or Locker
The Indianapolis Colts defense is preparing to face a two-pronged offensive attack when the Tennessee Titans visit Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday.
-
Colts could still become spoiler
Time is running short for the 2011 Indianapolis Colts.
-
Colts have three more chances to win
The Indianapolis Colts may be 0-13 for the season, but the team keeps battling.
- More Colts Headlines
-
Colts welcome Manusky aboard as defensive coordinator








