Factors That Could Determine A Colts Quarterback Selection

Embed from Getty Images
We are exactly one week away from the start of the 2023 NFL Draft. As per usual, the quarterbacks are driving the topic of conversation. Which order do this year’s passers come off the board? Who will eventually become the top quarterback from this class? And of course, who will be the teams that ultimately take a quarterback high in the first round? One of those teams could very well be the Indianapolis Colts.

For far too long, Indianapolis has gone through veteran retread after veteran retread at quarterback since the abrupt retirement of Andrew Luck. General manager Chris Ballard has been anything but anxious in taking a swing to grab a young passer early on in the draft. Could that change in the 2023 NFL Draft?

While it is not guaranteed, we are under the assumption that the Indianapolis Colts will draft a quarterback in the first round. What are the factors to keep in mind, if the Colts do indeed select a new passer this year? Let’s kick it off.

How Patient Will Irsay Be?

Due to the aforementioned patience of Chris Ballard, there is still a bit of nervousness from Colts fans as to how the quarterback situation will be handled. In the end, the main question will be, how patient is owner and CEO Jim Irsay willing to be? Irsay and the Colts had been hovering around .500 to a little bit above average during most of Frank Reich’s tenure. Suddenly, the bottom dropped out and the flaws of the Colts were exposed mightily last season.

Does Irsay believe that this team needs to have a rookie passer play right away? Or, will he continue to give Ballard a runway to take the necessary time to build this team up into a winner? Depending on the path that Irsay or Ballard end up wanting to go down, Indianapolis could be more interested in different styles of quarterbacks.

One other item that must be considered, as far as a timeline goes, is the state of the AFC South. In a division that has long been one of the weakest in the NFL, half of the AFC South is set to pick within the top four of the first round. Another team, the Tennessee Titans, appears to be in a major transition. The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the best position, despite their largely meager history of success. Do the Colts ultimately think that any of these rookie quarterbacks can vault them back into the top half of the AFC South right away?

Which Quarterback Fits Colts’ Ultimate Timeline?

The Indianapolis Colts could be led to specific quarterback prospects, based on how patient they are willing to be. Let’s start with Anthony Richardson from Florida. Richardson has been a popular pick for the Colts at fourth overall in mock drafts for many weeks. That is not to say that he is the only quarterback getting mocked to Indianapolis. Yet, the trendy player-team fit makes some sense. Richardson’s play style of having a big arm, mobility and running upside leads many to believe that he could be a perfect fit with new head coach Shane Steichen. Of course, that is due to Steichen recently working with a similar style of quarterback in Jalen Hurts during recent seasons in Philadelphia.

Elsewhere, Will Levis of Kentucky is an intriguing quarterback prospect. Compared to Richardson, some people believe that Levis may be more prepared to start right away, whereas Richardson may need time to sit and learn. Levis has all of the raw tools that you may want to bet on. This includes arm strength, downfield accuracy, size and moments of poise. If he can polish up some inconsistencies and become more consistent within structure, the upside is there.

What if one of the perceived top two quarterbacks drops slightly? Based on recent trends, it feels like Ohio State’s CJ Stroud is more likely to be there after the first pick or two, rather than Alabama’s Bryce Young. Stroud could be the safest quarterback to select in this draft. Given the struggles of the Colts finding a long-term answer, possibly it is Stroud who Indianapolis takes a major swing on, if given the opportunity. That could surely give them a chance to climb back up in the standings quickly.

Can Indianapolis Sit And Wait At Four Overall?

There has been a possibility floated out there that the Colts may have to trade up one spot, from four overall to three overall to get their passer. While that seems a bit irrational, we have seen teams move up the slightest in the past, just to get the guy they want. And overall, the Arizona Cardinals are primed to trade back out of third overall if they wish to. The Cardinals need to rebuild the roster completely and possibly add more picks to their war chest. What makes this interesting, is the past patience of Indianapolis and the names of teams that could trade up ahead of the Colts, if they stay at four overall.

Will Indianapolis actually take an aggressive shot to get the quarterback they want the most? Plus, are the Colts willing to sacrifice future draft capital to move up in what could be a weaker draft class? On the flip side, some teams that could potentially trade up to three overall are also in the AFC. The Titans have been rumored to be a trade up candidate to snipe the division-rival Colts. To boot, no one is going to rule out the Las Vegas Raiders from moving up to make a splash. And those are just a couple of teams that could make the call to the Arizona Cardinals.

Be on the lookout for more FPC 2023 NFL Draft articles and analysis in the coming days. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.