Chris Ballard’s final press conference of the 2025 season looms large in the minds of fans and journalist’s alike, with one quote embodying what they can expect in the 2026 offseason:
“We gotta get younger and faster on the defensive side.”
Thus the priority is clear, get the Colts Defense up to snuff with an infusion of young and fast prospects early in the draft to aid Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo in his 2nd year with the Colts.
Round 2, Pick 47: Akheem Mesidor, DE, Miami
One of the worst kept secrets this offseason is the Colts need more pass rush help immediately. So why not get one of the most experienced and polished pash rushers in the draft? While Akheem Mesidor’s age (25 by draftday) may be antithetical to the first part of Ballard’s quote, he will still 3 & 6 years younger than the 3 Colts Free Agent Defensive Ends he could be partially replacing (Kwity Paye 28, Samson Ebukam 31, Tyquan Lewis 31). Even when factoring that he is an older prospect, Mesidor’s combination of athletic traits and high end production is very alluring for teams to overlook the age number and look for what he can do immediately for a team in the increasingly short term vision oriented NFL.
Mesidor is 6’3 and 280 lbs. but he doesn’t move like a bigger Defensive End. He moves like he should be 30 pounds lighter with his explosion off of the line winning reps often with his first step. He can bend around the edge well and has quick agility to be used as a looper and to get around linemen. Mesidor can also line up inside as a 3 Technique, adding depth behind DeForest Buckner. All of this combined with his vicious power profile with bull-rushes, rip moves, two hand swipes, with powerful hands and it’s no wonder Mesidor had 63 Pressures (15.1%) with a 21.2% Pass Rush Win Rate in 2025. The Miami Hurricane is also a force of nature against the run with 25 Run Stops and a 90 Run D Grade in 2025.
The biggest things holding him back from being a Round 1 talent beyond his age is:
- A foot injury that cost him his 2023 season and needed surgery in 2024, but as he showed in 2025 he is fully recovered since.
- Reliant on physical gifts to win reps, needs more consistent technique in hand fighting to win against more polished tackles with strong anchors.
- Balance can be an issue, he needs to keep his feet under him when breaking through to the QB as there are a few falls on tape.
Should he stay healthy and continue to build upon the techniques he knows and the physical gifts he has, Mesidor could be a Day 1 impact pass rusher for the Colts at a steal of a pick in Round 2.
Round 3, Pick 78: D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana
On the opposite side of the National Championship battle, we have a small but fiesty Corner in D’Angelo Ponds who has been a stud in the Hoosiers’ secondary. The 5’9 and 173 lb. Ponds plays like every snap is his last, with competitiveness, speed, quickness, and intensity. Despite his size he contests very well and plays the run well with nice hits, strong awareness, and good tackling technique (just 3.3% missed tackle rate in 2025). In coverage he mirrors well, has one of the best backpedals in college football and incredibly quick and fluid hips and short area explosion. Ponds has put up a strong statline in 2025 in coverage:
- 30 Receptions Allowed / 57 Targets = 52.6% Completion Rate Allowed
- 356 Yards Allowed
- 55 Yards After Catch Allowed
- 0 TDs Allowed
- 2 INTs
- 6 Pass Break Ups
- 57.3 Passer Rating Allowed
And D’Angelo Ponds is doing all of this while playing on the boundary against some of the best teams in the country. He has 1,845 snaps as an outside corner, showing that this is far from a new development in his collegiate career. While some analysts believe Ponds should shift inside as a slot in the NFL, he only has 27 snaps inside and has proven to be an effective outside corner even against bigger Wide Receivers. He should be granted an opportunity to prove himself outside first before moving to the slot. Good news for him, the coach he’d have in Indianapolis, Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo, has no qualms about using smaller Corners outside in his scheme as long as they are competitive in man coverage and have speed to recover and track deeper routes. Ponds has both.
With Charvarius Ward mulling retirement, 2025 3rd Round Pick Justin Walley recovering from an ACL tear, and Jaylon Jones falling out of favor with an awkward fit in Anarumo’s new scheme, outside corner remains a need for the Colts to address. Sauce Gardner might be locked in as the Colts top corner, but they still need to give him a running mate outside. Kenny Moore II also isn’t getting any younger in the slot. By adding Ponds, the Colts get another outside option at Corner and a potential successor to Kenny Moore II after his contract expires post-2026 season.
Round 4, Pick 113: Albert Regis, DT, Texas A&M
With the Colts first two defenders being versatile players who can fill a short term need and in a pinch potentially change positions to fill a long term need, their Round 4 pick is a departure from this trend. Albert Regis is coming to Indy to play at one position and one position only: Nose Tackle/1 Technique.
The 6’1 and 317 lbs. Aggie has a stocky build with a lot of mass but natural leverage to be an ideal Space Eater in the middle of the defense. His anchor is sensational, able to absorb routine double teams with ease and free up one on one matchups for others along the line or create unmarked blitzers. Despite his size he has strong quickness as well, most notably showing up in pursuit. He displays nice football IQ, able to diagnose where to go immediately and maintain gap integrity to collapse lanes. Regis can even deflect throws at the line, with 9 batted passes over the last 2 years.
While he might not have the first step burst or much of a finesse repertoire, Regis could be an ideal fit for the Colts in the middle of the Defense. Grover Stewart is the starting Nose Tackle/1 Technique, and has manned that spot for nearly a decade. But he is at age 33 and on the last year of his deal with no depth behind him currently on the Colts roster. Regis can be that successor the Colts need and help rotate with Stewart in the short term, providing essential depth and being a forward thinking pick for the Colts future.
Round 5, Pick 154: Kyle Louis, LB/S, Pitt
If there has been a consistent Achilles heel of the Colts defense over the last few years besides pass rush; its been coverage in the middle of the Defense. EJ Speed (now a Texan), Zaire Franklin, Joe Batchie, and Germaine Pratt are far from coverage specialists, and over the last few seasons they have taken the vast majority of the Colts 2 LB set snaps. QBs routinely pick apart the middle of the defense with them at the helm, and the Colts clearly need an infusion of youth and speed there as Ballard eloquently put it. The only young, coverage Linebackers on the roster are Jaylon Carlies and Hunter Wohler, both of whom have suffered major injuries at the starts of their pro careers and the former struggling to earn snaps once healthy.
Enter Kyle Louis, a WILL Linebacker who has thrived in coverage to the point where Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN sees him as a Strong Safety prospect instead. His back pedal is a glide, his pursuit is fast, his ball skills are sharp (6 picks in 2 years), and his instincts in man or zone are refined. The 6’1 225 lb linebacker flows to the ball very quick with a 21+ mph game speed, showing sideline to sideline pursuit.
However his short height and length paired with a lack of strength makes his abilities in the run game suspect, and he needs to take better angles in chasing ball carriers to avoid cutback lanes or needing to arm tackle runners. If paired with a downhill thumper at MIKE, his fit for the Colts would be very strong for what they need in the middle of the defense.
Round 6, Pick 218: Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas
With Daniel Jones recovering from his Achilles tear, Anthony Richardson on the trade block, and Riley Leonard only having 2 games of NFL experience heading into 2026, the Colts need one more option at QB for depth and insurance. The Colts scheme necessitates some mobility for the QB, and can be adjusted to allow designed QB runs for the more athletically gifted QB prospects. Taylen Green has athleticism in spades for Steichen to draw up plays for should he need to.
The 6’6 235 lb. QB has an insane athletic profile with speed, power, and quickness on a large frame. He has a big arm with fast ball velocity to fit into rapidly closing windows and able to hit receivers at far depths. His elusiveness in the open field is excellent and he has thrived as a designed runner for the Razorbacks.
But similar to the Colts 2023 4th overall pick Richardson, Green has work to do to be a complete QB. He is inconsistent in accuracy at all 3 levels due to poor footwork, his release is slow and elongated, and he has trouble reading defenses. He can do decently well in simplified one read schemes, but asking more beyond that isn’t a good idea.
Should injuries occur at QB again, Green can be an emergency QB the Colts could use to pair with Jonathan Taylor and try to gash teams on the ground. The Colts won half of their games with a similarly raw and limited passer with dynamic athleticism in Richardson, so getting another go at that archetype with less injury history and at a far cheaper cost of the last pick in the 6th round is worth a shot. Perhaps he can develop long term as a QB albeit it is a long shot he ever becomes a fully realized NFL QB in the mental side of the game.
Round 7, Pick 230: Tomas Rimac, OL, Virginia Tech
With Braden Smith potentially leaving in Free Agency and previously mulling retirement, the Colts need to look to the future of the line. Jalen Travis looked solid in relief for Smith when the veteran was dealing with an injury and Matt Goncalves could slide back to Tackle if need be as well. But the Colts have a need for depth in both the interior and outside of the line.
Rimac is a versatile and athletic Lineman with major snaps at both tackle and guard spots. He is a bit of a tweener between the positions with his height being tall for inside but shorter for outside while he has longer arms for a interior lineman. He can get low into his stance to try to win the leverage battle with a wider stance, though he is still going to lose leverage at guard at times. He has decent movement speed but needs to be better in space. His anchor can be solid as long as he doesn’t over extend himself.
Overall Rimac allowed a pressure 15 times in 2025 (3.8% Pressure Rate) and 41 times total in college (3.1% Pressure Rate) and just 2 sacks. He’s a solid pass protector with versatility the Colts could use along the line.
Round 7, Pick 253: Jalen Walthall, WR, Incarnate Word
With their final pick in the draft, the Colts take a shot on a promising FCS Wide Receiver to potentially make the team and provide depth. The 6’2 195 lb. Wide Receiver initially went to Hawaii and struggled in his playing time for the Rainbow Warriors with 37 Catches, 458 Yards, and 2 TDs over his two seasons with them. The explosive deep threat was able to be a nice contested catch grabber with 8 snags on 15 contested throws in that time, but struggled to catch the easy stuff with a 10% and a 23.1% drop rate in those two seasons respectively.
Upon transferring to Incarnate Word, Walthall has put in the work and has dropped his drop rate to just 1.2% and 2.8% in the last two years. He became the focal point of the offense, dominating his 237 Targets as a Cardinal with 155 Catches, 2,139 Receiving Yards, and 22 Touchdowns. He also reportedly bulked up from his 180 lb. weight at Hawaii to 195 lbs. in just one year, putting on good lean muscle in the weight room. Per Head Coach Clint Killough:
“Jalen has vertical speed to stretch defenses, suddenness to separate and a special ability to make plays. His daily approach since getting to UIW has proven how much he loves football.”
If he’s willing to put in the work, he could carve out a nice role with the Colts. Alec Pierce is the designated deep threat (albeit with an expanding role as his route running develops over time), and the Colts primary depth behind him for the role is Ashton Dulin who has one year on his deal, is turning 29, and has dealt with a few injuries over the last few years limiting his availability. If Walthall can provide solid Special Teams contributions and prove his value as a deep threat, he could earn a spot on the active roster depending on injuries. Until then he can be a fun practice squad stash for the Colts and a developmental player who might get a shot at playing time in the event of injuries popping up in the receiver room. For a 7th Round Pick, one can’t expect much more than that realistically, but the potential is there for Walthall to emerge as a fun weapon in the NFL.
