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INDIANAPOLIS \u2013 The Indianapolis Colts didn\u2019t have a first-round pick when the NFL Draft began Thursday, but don\u2019t tell Sauce Gardner that.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m the first-round pick,\u201d the star cornerback said Tuesday during the Colts\u2019 OTAs. \u201cTwice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gardner\u2019s joke referenced the Colts\u2019 mega-trade that sent him to Indianapolis last November. The Colts, amid a 7-2 start, in 2025, went all in and sent the New York Jets their 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, plus wide receiver AD Mitchell, to acquire Gardner. The 24-year-old is already a two-time first-team All-Pro. The only cornerback in Colts history to earn at least two first-team All-Pro nods was Bobby Boyd \u2014 in the 1960s.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt ain\u2019t no pressure,\u201d Gardner said of the Colts\u2019 investment in him. \u201c\u2026 If I gotta be the first-round pick the next two years, I\u2019m gonna work regardless, (even) if that wasn\u2019t the case. It\u2019s already a lot on my plate being me, but it ain\u2019t nothing that I can\u2019t handle.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Colts currently have seven picks in this year\u2019s draft, with two on Day 2 (Nos. 47 and 78). Colts GM Chris Ballard initially stated during his pre-draft news conference Monday that the team would be \u201caggressive\u201d in moving around the draft board, but he later hinted that Indianapolis was much more likely to trade back than to trade up.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t misconstrue (being) aggressive for moving up,\u201d Ballard said. \u201cTo me, being aggressive can also be moving back and then moving around and acquiring more picks and then moving it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, after a quiet Day 1, the Colts have the opportunity to put Ballard\u2019s philosophy to the test on Day 2. The last time Indianapolis didn\u2019t have a first-round pick was in 2022, and the team traded back with the Minnesota Vikings. The Colts sent the Vikings the Nos. 42 and 122 picks in exchange for the Nos. 53, 77 and 192 selections. Those three picks were eventually used on wide receiver Alec Pierce, tight end Jelani Woods and left tackle Bernhard Raimann, respectively.<\/p>\n
Woods wound up being a miss, as injuries limited him to just 15 games in his first three years in Indy before he was waived. But Pierce and Raimann have turned into Colts cornerstones, evidenced by the massive contracts they\u2019ve signed in back-to-back years. Raimann inked a four-year, $100 million extension last year that solidified him as Indy\u2019s left tackle of the future. Pierce signed a four-year, $114 million deal last month that made him the 12th-highest paid receiver in the NFL based on annual average.<\/p>\n
Can the Colts strike gold again in this year\u2019s draft? They\u2019ve certainly raised the stakes after parting ways with five starters from last year and potentially six if cornerback Kenny Moore II\u2019s trade request is fulfilled. Of that group, the only surefire starter the Colts have already identified is right tackle Jalen Travis, who\u2019ll replace Braden Smith after Smith joined the Houston Texans in free agency. Travis started the last four games of the 2025 season while Smith was sidelined due to a neck injury and concussion, so it was easy to project him as the starter in 2026.<\/p>\n
Indianapolis still has glaring holes, particularly at defensive end and linebacker. Kwity Paye, who started opposite of 2024 first-round pick Laiatu Latu at defensive end last season, joined the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. Zaire Franklin, the Colts\u2019 starting middle linebacker for the last four years, was traded to the Green Bay Packers. Ballard believes this year\u2019s draft has good depth at linebacker and defensive end, and it would behoove Indianapolis to find at least one starter at either position.<\/p>\n
\u201cAthleticism, speed, ability to play on three downs are always kind of what we\u2019re looking for at linebacker,\u201d Ballard said. \u201cAt (defensive) end, it\u2019s changed a little bit. \u2026 With (former Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus), it was all about let\u2019s get as many speed guys as we can on the field. With (current DC Lou Anarumo), the element of power is important. I do think adding a fastball is kind of what we need, but I\u2019m not eliminating the other guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course, the draft can still be very unpredictable, especially without a first-round pick. But the Colts haven\u2019t given themselves much room for error or excuses. Indianapolis is trying to end a five-year playoff drought as Ballard, in his 10th season at the helm, enters the final year of his contract. The pressure is on to deliver.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always laugh when people say it\u2019s a bad draft,\u201d Ballard said, pushing back on some of the criticism of this year\u2019s class. \u201cI don\u2019t ever believe that. (I) always feel that there\u2019s players at every level of the draft, and it\u2019s our job to go find them.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n