The Indianapolis Colts have one thing going for them: The only place to go is up. Last season was a clown show for them in a spectacular fashion. Despite everything that went wrong for them, the Colts are in a good place to turn things around relatively quickly. Especially with some of the choices they made in the 2023 NFL draft. It will be interesting to see if their rookies have an impact on fantasy football this year.
FULL INDIANAPOLIS DRAFT RESULTS
| Rd. | Pick | Player | Pos. | College |
| 1 | 4 | Anthony Richardson | QB | Florida |
| 2 | 13 | Julius Brents | CB | Kansas State |
| 3 | 16 | Josh Downs | WR | North Carolina |
| 4 | 4 | Blake Freeland | OT | BYU |
| 4 | 8 | Adetomiwa Adebawore | DT | Northwestern |
| 5 | 3 | Darius Rush | CB | South Carolina |
| 5 | 23 | Daniel Scott | SAF | California |
| 5 | 27 | Will Mallory | TE | Miami |
| 5 | 41 | Evan Hull | RB | Northwestern |
| 6 | 34 | Titus Leo | EDGE | Wagner |
| 7 | 4 | Jaylon Jones | CB | Texas A&M |
| 7 | 19 | Jake Witt | OT | Northern Michigan University |
Round 1, Pick 4 Overall: Anthony Richardson, Quarterback, Florida (6’4” 244 lbs)
Depth Chart:
QB1: Anthony Richardson
QB2: Gardner Minshew
QB3: Sam Elhinger
TALENT
Anthony Richardson as a prospect is fascinating. There is no question that Richardson has some real flaws in his game, but a lot of the soft skills required for the position seem to be in place. I completely understand why scouts were raving about him as a prospect.
One thing that is undeniable is the athleticism that Anthony Richardson brings to the table. Based on his R.A.S. (Relative Athletic Score), Anthony Richardson is the best athlete ever to play quarterback. His college tape certainly supports that. The man is big, fast, and strong. Richardson has a cannon for an arm. If you were building the perfect athlete in a lab, the machine would spit out Anthony Richardson.
The issue is that athleticism is only part of playing quarterback in the NFL and it is probably the least important part. For as strong as Richardson’s arm is, he only throws it at one speed – super, duper fast. The more concerning aspect of his game is his accuracy, which was really bad. While Richardson has a nice deep ball, his short and intermediate passing game was incredibly inconsistent.
I get very nervous about quarterbacks who don’t pass well in college. History shows that those guys struggle in the NFL. The reason why I’m willing to make an exception with Richardson is that he makes really good decisions, he just fails to execute them. For the most part, his reads are usually right. He navigates the pocket really well and just seems to have a good feel for the game of football. If Richardson is able to clean up his mechanics, his ceiling is sky-high.
2023 OPPORTUNITY
While it is a given that C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young should be starting day one, because of how raw a prospect Anthony Richardson is there are some questions as to whether he will be starting this year. I am of the mindset that he will be starting right away. Based on how they finished last year, the Colts have the luxury of letting Richardson learn on the field. He also has the added benefit of being a superior rushing athlete, so they should be able to run a functional offense with his scrambling ability to make up for his flaws as a passer. Simply put: when you draft a quarterback in the top five of the NFL draft, you are going to find a reason to play him.
2023 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
As has been mentioned in the Carolina rookie roundup, only two quarterbacks in the last ten years have finished their rookie seasons as a QB1. I will say that if I had to pick a favorite out of this rookie quarterback class to break that streak, my money would be on Anthony Richardson. With Jonathan Taylor, Alec Pierce, and Michael Pittman Jr. as his main weapons on offense, Richardson is surrounded by exceptional talent at his skill positions. Moreover, the coaching staff Indianapolis has in place is the same one that helped turn Jalen Hurts into a league MVP. While I would temper expectations for Anthony Richardson in 2023, I would definitely keep an eye on him.
TALENT
2023 OPPORTUNITY
2023 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
Round 3, Pick 79 Overall: Josh Downs, Wide Receiver, North Carolina (5’9” 171 lbs)
Depth Chart:
WR1: Michael Pittman Jr.
WR2: Alec Pierce
WR3: Josh Downs
WR4: Isaiah McKenzie
TALENT
The Colts decided to help support Anthony Richardson by drafting Josh Downs, but I have my doubts about him at the next level. The word that comes to mind when discussing him is inconsistent. I was surprised at how well Downs R.A.S. score was because it didn’t really show up on tape. Downs has quick feet and a good first step off the line of scrimmage, but he doesn’t really explode out of breaks the way a guy as athletic as he is should. He has happy feet a lot of the time and feels more shifty than fast. His change of direction is average.
Josh Downs’s route running also left something to be desired. He is a fluid runner, but his routes felt inefficient. Just a lot of wasted motion in an attempt to create separation. Downs rounds off his routes a lot of the time, which might be why I feel his athleticism doesn’t show well on tape. It feels like he should be a better route runner.
I also had an issue with Downs blocking. If he was lined out wide, he didn’t even attempt to block guys on run plays. He just put his body in front of dudes and hoped for the best. This is a serious issue at the next level because if he can’t even pretend to block, Downs will not see the field.
Downs was used in motion a lot and sometimes lined up in the backfield. At the next level, I don’t see him being anything more than a slot guy at best I wouldn’t be surprised if he is just used on gadget players.
2023 OPPORTUNITY
As I mentioned above, if Josh Downs doesn’t get better at blocking, he will not be spending a lot of time on the field. Assuming that Downs is on the field a lot as the Colts’ primary slot receiver, he still has a long road to relevance. Michael Pittman the last two seasons has had 100-plus targets each season. Second-year receiver Alec Pierce should also see a significant increase in his usage. Perhaps most important of all, with a rookie quarterback, the Colts will likely lean on Jonathan Taylor in the running game.
2023 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
Last year, the Eagles (where Colts head coach Shane Steichen was the offensive coordinator last year) ran the ball 50.4% of the time. In the passing game, 69.4% of the Eagles’ offense went to their top two receivers and tight end. With Pittman, Pierce, and a whole slew of receiving tight ends in Indianapolis, it is going to be very hard for Josh Downs to find playing time in 2023.
TALENT
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Round 5, Pick 162 Overall: Will Mallory, Tight End, Miami (6’4” 239 lbs)
Depth Chart:
TE1: Mo Alie-Cox
TE2: Kylen Granson
TE3: Jelani Woods
TE4: Will Mallory
TALENT
I was honestly surprised at how athletic Mallory’s R.A.S. score showed he is because on tape his superior athleticism did not show up at all. He just looks slow. Mallory is decent out of his breaks, but he wasn’t very sudden. Mallory is slow off the line of scrimmage and he runs lumbering routes. Not a fluid athlete. He has good enough hands, but his receiving did not stand out to me.
As a blocker, I loved Will Mallory. He is big and a very aggressive blocker. He was very good at the point of attack. I think Will Mallory was drafted for his blocking skills more than his receiving ability, which is not a bad thing. While he won’t be exciting for fantasy football, Mallory can carve out a nice long NFL career with his skillset.
2023 OPPORTUNITY
With Kylen Granson, Jelani Woods, and Mo Alie-Cox all ahead of Will Mallory on the depth chart, I think it is going to be impossible for him to find his way onto the field without some significant injuries ahead of him on the depth chart.
2023 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
Will Mallory is a project tight end the Indianapolis Colts are hoping to develop. With Mo-Alie Cox and Kylen Granson both scheduled to be free agents in 2024, I think Will Mallory was brought in to groom as a potential replacement for Granson. From a fantasy football standpoint, he will have zero relevance in 2023.
TALENT
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2023 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
Round 5, Pick 176 Overall: Evan Hull, Running Back, Northwestern (5’10” 209 lbs)
Depth Chart:
RB1: Jonathan Taylor
RB2: Zack Moss
RB3: Deon Jackson
RB4: Evan Hull
TALENT
Evan Hull is another guy that tested very well but just did not look as fast on tape. I am more willing to give Evan Hull the benefit of the doubt on this because I think a lot of his issues were with just how bad the Northwestern football team was. I found myself constantly wondering if he just had bad vision or if Northwestern wasn’t creating any holes for him. Spoiler alert: Northwestern’s terrible offensive line failed Evan Hull repeatedly.
If you like your running backs thick, Evan Hull is your man. He runs very strong, with a low center of gravity and some power. He has nice feet. The thing that really set Evan Hull apart was how good he was in the passing game. Northwestern used him a lot on screens because when your offensive line is going to get blown up on every passing play, you might as well game-plan around it. This is why I think his athleticism didn’t always pop on tape. Hull was very patient when it came to following his blockers on screens and showed good hands. Overall, Evan Hull has the makings of a great third-down back to complement Jonathan Taylor.
2023 OPPORTUNITY
I think Evan Hull has a very good chance to carve himself out a role as the third-down back for the Colts. Zack Moss is not the receiver that Hull is and while Deon Jackson showed some flashes last year, those opportunities only came when everyone in front of him died a hero’s death on the field of football. Most important of all, this coaching staff drafted Hullwhereas Moss and Jackson were inherited. If Evan Hull has a good training camp, he could end up as the number two running back on the Colts’ depth chart.
2023 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
After Jonathan Taylor, Evan Hull is the most well-rounded running back on the Colts’ roster. With how much this coaching staff loved to run the ball in Philadelphia, there is a real opportunity for Evan Hull. Even with all that, I am not sure he will be able to see a significant amount of opportunities to be fantasy football relevant. There are just too many mouths to feed in Indianapolis which means Evan Hull will likely go hungry.
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2023 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
