26. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (11-7)
LAST SEASON: Andrew Luck returned from shoulder surgery and produced best season of seven-year career. He led Colts to 9-1 regular-season finish, ending three-year playoff drought, and then helped Colts to playoff win over Texans in wild-card round. Offensive line and defense made significant improvement in 2018 thanks largely to two All-Pro rookies: left guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Darius Leonard.
FREE AGENCY: General manager Chris Ballard started with most cap room in league and invested heavily in keeping locker room intact. Yes, he signed receiver Devin Funchess and pass-rushing linebacker Justin Houston to big deals. But Colts re-signed six unrestricted free agents, including NFL’s career scoring leader, Adam Vinatieri, lost only one player to another team, and kept core group together.
THEY NEED: DE/OLB, CB, WR.
THEY DON’T NEED: QB, TE, P/K.
POSSIBLE FIRST PICK: LSU CB Greedy Williams; Clemson DE Clelin Ferrell; Mississippi WR Marquise Brown.
OUTLOOK: Colts are well-positioned to make moves with three picks in first two rounds and nine overall. While offense could use another promising receiver and young defense could use another pass rusher or cornerback, Ballard will continue to draft by his board. Just don’t be surprised if Colts make creative moves to get more impact players - or assets for future drafts.
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Please read our comment policy before commenting.