NFL analyst explains why Colts should trade down in Round 1 of draft

NFL analyst explains why Colts should trade down in Round 1 of draft

The Indianapolis Colts have several decisions to make ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft, including whether they should trade down from their pick in the first round.

We know general manager Chris Ballard has an affinity for trading down and acquiring more picks simply from his history of running the Colts draft room.

MORE: 4 teams the Colts could trade down with in NFL Draft

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell gave his thoughts on what every team in the first round should do in terms of making trades.

For the Colts, he believes a trade-down is in order.

15. Indianapolis Colts

What they should do: Trade down.

Most mock drafts have the Colts projected to add defensive help, either up front or at cornerback. While the top of Round 1 is almost all offensive players, the middle is more uncertain. The Seahawks, Jaguars, Bengals and Rams all have needs on both sides of the ball and could go in either direction, which would leave Indy in an uncertain position.

GM Chris Ballard typically has preferred to trade down and amass picks in the first two rounds, most notably when he picked up three second-round picks as part of the Sam Darnold trade with the Jets ahead of the 2018 draft. This also hasn’t been a team that values cornerback as a premium position, so going after one in Round 2 seems more likely than targeting one in the top 15.

Depending on what the board will look like, a trade-down is certainly in the realm of possibilities. They could stay put if there are prospects on the board they like enough as blue-chip prospects.

The needs of the Colts are pretty specific. They could be targeting the cornerback and wide receiver positions, but Ballard also had made it clear they will continue to add to the trenches on both sides of the ball.

We likely won’t know what the Colts have planned in terms of a trade until draft night arrives, and that makes the suspense even stronger.