Colts fans from Fishers to Fountain Square have a second scoreboard to watch this fall, and Sunday moved it the wrong way. A third straight loss, 16-10 at Minnesota, pushed Indianapolis’ 2027 first-round pick to No. 7 in the updated first-round order heading into Week 8. That pick belongs to the New York Jets.
New York has held it since the Sauce Gardner trade last November. When we looked at where the pick sat two weeks ago, it was 12th and the Colts were 2-3. Three losses later, Indianapolis won’t make its first selection until the second round.
How Indianapolis slid into the top 10
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A 2-2 start built on a 19-17 win over Houston and a 30-13 win over Washington has unraveled. Pittsburgh beat the Colts 34-22 in Week 5, and the previously winless Tennessee Titans won 26-20 at Lucas Oil Stadium a week later, a loss that cost Chris Ballard his job the next day.
Sunday’s near-upset of the unbeaten Vikings was the closest the Colts have come to stopping the slide. Daniel Jones completed 13 of 22 passes for 108 yards, took four sacks and was intercepted by Harrison Smith with 1:15 left. Shane Steichen also kicked on fourth-and-2 twice in a six-point game. The defense held up its end. Adetomiwa Adebawore had two sacks and five pressures on 18 pass-rush snaps for a 91.0 grade, according to PFF, and slot cornerback Justin Walley posted a team-best 94.0 defensive grade.
What’s left on the schedule won’t do much to slow the climb. By current records, Indianapolis’ 10 remaining opponents are a combined 30-35-1 (.462). There are two games against the 4-2 Jacksonville Jaguars and dates with Cleveland (5-2), Cincinnati (4-2) and the New York Giants (4-2-1), but also Miami (1-5), Tennessee (1-6), Philadelphia and Houston (both 2-5).
The trade deadline may matter as much as any of those games. Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner have drawn strong trade interest, and teams are calling about Jonathan Taylor. Selling would bring back picks, and Nelson’s expiring deal could even return a 2027 selection. It would also thin a roster already three games under .500, and that only helps New York.
Luke Easterling’s latest first-round mock draft, built on the previous week’s order, had the Jets taking a quarterback at No. 6 with Dallas’ pick. With the Colts’ selection at No. 9, Easterling sent Texas wide receiver Cam Coleman to New York to give its new passer a weapon alongside Garrett Wilson. He chalks up Coleman’s uneven college production to erratic quarterback play and expects more from him in the NFL.
If the season ended today, Indianapolis’ own first pick would come early in the second round.
More on the Indianapolis Colts
- The Colts Are Sticking With Daniel Jones at Quarterback. How Much Longer Can They Afford to?
- Update: DeForest Buckner, Jonathan Taylor and Quenton Nelson Headline Colts Trade Rumors at 2-5
- 3 Colts Stars Emerge as Realistic Trade Candidates Says NFL Insider
- Shane Steichen Says He Hasn’t Thought About Benching Daniel Jones With Jacksonville Up Next
