INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts addressed two of their most glaring needs on defense in Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft, but a franchise in search of as many as seven new starters for 2026 remains very much in the hunt for some more big swings looking towards Rounds 4-7 on Saturday.
From wide receiver to edge rusher, another look at linebacker and more options on offense and defense, here are 13 players the Colts could consider that fit the holes that remain on the roster:
Colts’ Day 3 options on offense:
>> Elijah Sarratt, WR, IU: At 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds whose 40 speed clocked in at more than 4.5 (4.53 at his Pro Day), Sarratt profiles as the big body possession receiver the Colts need, but not nearly the speedster out of breaks that they want. But his crafty catch skills and willingness to take on contact may just shine above that. The Colts don’t need him to be a star; they need a WR3 who can be a trusted contributor in an offense that already has three trusted pass catchers. If the Colts miss out on a couple other options early in the third round, it’s hard to imagine them regretting taking Sarratt.
>>Bryce Lance, WR, North Dakota State: Whereas Sarratt enters the NFL a proven playmaker, Lance is more of a freak athlete who’s rougher around the edges. His 4.34 40 speed while standing taller than 6-foot-3 and 204 pounds makes for a speedster on the edge, but he showed in college he could battle for contested catches, too. He lacks the physicality of a player like Sarratt, but as Colts WR1 Alec Pierce plans to work more over the middle, Indianapolis could use a guy like Lance to take on some more of the deep threat game as he grows into a more complete receiving threat.
>>Skyler Bell, WR, UConn: A bit of a tweener who’s bigger than your average slot but smaller than a prototypical outside threat, Bell’s speed and route savvy would make for an interesting weapon on an offense that wants to move around slot receiver Josh Downs a bit more in 2026. Bell’s 800-plus yards after the catch came close to leading FBS wideouts last fall, and his 100-yard games (seven) did. Though he wouldn’t come close to playing the same type of role as a rookie, knowing he has big-play capability in him would be a plus if he made his way onto Indianapolis’ depth chart come Saturday.
>>Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State: Allen started 2025 as the lesser option in a backfield-by-committee tandem in Happy Valley and finished the season as the star with 1,303 yards on the ground and 15 scores. Though he lacks the pure athleticism of his backfield mate at Penn State — Nick Singleton — Allen’s vision and power as a rusher makes for a player who, like the Colts’ Jonathan Taylor, only got tougher to tackle as games wore on. The Colts need a player who can reliably eat up carries to help preserve Taylor late into the season, and Allen would bring juice to a backup role.
>>Diego Pounds, OT, Ole Miss: Having played just one year of high school football as an offensive lineman, Pounds’ college career has been about growing into the role. But by his senior campaign in 2025, the offensive tackle didn’t give up a sack in one of the most electric offenses in FBS. At 6-foot-6 and 325 pounds with arms nearly 34 inches long, Pounds is a long, dense force to be reckoned with for edge rushers, but he’s still a bit raw in the run game. For the moment, he’s a backup, but that’s exactly what the Colts need: a project at tackle who they could mold into something more.
>>Drew Shelton, OT, Penn State: As last year’s swing tackle Jalen Travis inherits a starting role in 2026, the Colts are in need of his replacement, and Shelton could be just that. He comes in a tad undersized at 313 pounds and lacks some physicality and play strength that makes him a bit of a question mark, but the Colts need to plug some holes in their offensive line depth, and a Day 3 pick on a player like Shelton would add some youth and athleticism to the position.
Colts’ Day 3 options on defense:
>>Dani Dennis-Sutton, DE, Penn State: Dennis-Sutton isn’t nearly the type of impact player you might’ve dreamed up the Colts coming away with as their top edge rusher pick entering the draft, but he comes with a quickness and power the Colts crave as they look to hold an open competition for the starter opposite Laiatu Latu in 2026. Dennis-Sutton’s a bit short in explosiveness, but he’s a big-bodied edge rusher (6-foot-5, 256 pounds with 33-inch arms) who is consistent at the point of attack, totaled 17 sacks over the past two seasons and blocked three punts in 2025 as an impact special-teamer.
>>Caden Curry, DE, Ohio State: The local prospect played behind the Colts’ 2025 second-round edge rusher selection, Jaylahn Tuimoloau, until this past season, and now he might just have a chance to compete with him for playing time again in 2026. On a vaunted Buckeye defense last fall, Curry led Ohio State in pressures (46), tackles for a loss (16.5) and sacks (11). His drawbacks are his frame (just under 6-foot-3) and lack of length (arms just a tad above 30 inches). He may not be the NFL-caliber “fastball” Colts GM Chris Ballard is looking for, but you can’t downplay his production this past season, and for a team looking for playmakers in that second starting spot at edge rusher, Curry could be an intriguing rotational piece.
>>Rayshaun Benny, DT, Michigan: Measuring in at roughly 300 pounds with arms longer than 33 inches and a 6-foot-3 frame, but only one season as a college starter, Benny arrives in the NFL as a project looking to be molded into something more. And with the Colts, that could be okay, as aged veterans Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner are slated to again play sizable roles on the interior of the defensive line. The Michigan prospect is powerful with fierce hands and a motor that keeps churning through the whistle, but his instincts need refining.
>>Zane Durant, DT, Penn State: Durant came to college having played running back and defensive end in high school before tacking on 40 pounds and taking on the trenches on the interior of Penn State’s defensive line. He brings sizable strength, fierce hands and an unrelenting motor to the table, but measuring in just above 6-foot-1 and 290 pounds means Durant has a ceiling as an impact rotational player who will need to become more consistent to see the field in the NFL.
>>Keyshaun Elliott, LB, Arizona State: For a team that needs depth and competition at linebacker, the Colts sure could use taking a second one early in Day 3 of the draft. Elliott, the MIKE backer at Arizona State whose production was off the charts in 2025 with 98 tackles, 14 tackles for a loss and seven sacks, could fit the bill. Elliott flies to the football with speed to stay in reach all over the field, but he doesn’t quite have the violence in his athleticism as the Colts’ second-round pick, CJ Allen.
>>Bryce Boettcher, LB, Oregon: A baseball convert who walked onto the football team in 2022 and then led it in tackles (135) in 2025, Boettcher is a violent hitter over the middle of the field with the closing speed of a outfielder. His a bit on the small side at 6-foot-1 and 233 pounds, but he can deliver immediate impact on special teams with the prospect of adding juice on defense in time.
>>Harold Perkins Jr., LB, LSU: In college during his four seasons with LSU, Perkins played all over the field as an edge rusher and both inside and outside at the second level, but his lack of a certain position and smaller frame make him a perplexing NFL prospect at less than 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds. He’s twitchy and fast from the jump and forced 13 turnovers in his college career, but a small frame, average arms and inconsistency in contact could make it tough to spring on very early in Day 3.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: 13 players the Colts should target on Day 3 of the NFL Draft
Reporting by Nathan Brown, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
