The 2026 NFL draft begins on April 23 in Pittsburgh, when the Indianapolis Colts will pick No. 47 overall in Round 2. The draft continues with Rounds 2-3 on April 24 and Rounds 4-7 on April 25 (ESPN, ABC and ESPN the app).
The Colts have seven total picks: Nos. 47, 78, 113, 156, 214, 249 and 254. But how will they use them? Which positions need to be addressed? Which prospects are coming in for visits and getting buzz with the front office and coaching staff?
Colts reporter Stephen Holder has the latest intel on the team's draft plans, potential targets and more in the lead-up to the 2026 draft.
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Alec Pierce should get a chance to be more than a deep threat after the Colts dealt Michael Pittman. Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire Monday, April 13:
With the Colts entering this draft with a small slate of seven selections and no first-round choice, you should look for them to do what has become a habit for Indianapolis: Trade down in the early rounds. The Colts have traded down four times in the first or second rounds since 2018. They even traded down in each of the first two rounds in 2018 and 2019.
Sometimes it works, like when they moved down in Round 2 in 2022, using the picks they acquired to scoop up receiver Alec Pierce and Bernhard Raimann -- both now huge offensive cogs. Other times, the results are questionable, like the trade down in 2024 that resulted in the pick of receiver Adonai Mitchell, who the Colts traded last season. But, in any case, this is an approach the Colts believe in and something to watch on draft weekend.
Indiana receiver Omar Cooper was one of the locals who worked out with the Colts. Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire Tuesday, April 7: The upcoming NFL draft could be the biggest in Indiana University history, and that benefited the Colts on Tuesday. Indianapolis held its annual local pro day, an opportunity to host draft prospects with regional ties. That made players from national champion Indiana eligible to attend.
The Hoosiers had 13 players in attendance, including receiver Omar Cooper Jr. (a possible first-round choice), cornerback D'Angelo Ponds and receiver Elijah Sarratt. It was a chance for the Colts to get extra face time with or work out the players outside the limitations of a scouting combine interview or Top 30 visit. And the prevalance of IU players spoke to what coach Curt Cignetti has built in Bloomington.