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General manager Chris Ballard and defensive back Kenny Moore both joined the Indianapolis Colts in 2017.

One of social media’s favorite activities after the draft is to grade it afterwards. The Indianapolis Colts made eight selection and despite not having a first-round pick, which they used in the trade for star corner Sauce Gardner, the media still believes the Colts had a successful draft.

Miller’s Top 100 Rankings

ESPN’s Matt Miller ranked the 100 best draft picks for value of the NFL Draft and the Colts appeared four times.

Miller ranked the Colts’ selection of CJ Allen as the 15th-best selection of the draft.

“Linebacker was one of Colts’ biggest needs, and GM Chris Ballard added a downhill thumper with good coverage ability. Allen was once seen as a potential first-round talent, and Indianapolis hopes he’ll become its next Shaquille Leonard-level linebacker,” wrote Miller. “To get a value of 12 picks only adds to the praise this selection should receive. Checking off a crucial need without a first-round pick, and doing so with a player many had in the top 32 when the season ended, is good drafting. Allen and fellow rookie Bryce Boettcher will be fun to watch develop, with Allen expected to crack the starting lineup early in the 2026 season.”

A.J. Haulcey was the Colts third round pick and ranked the 20th best pick of the draft,

“All draft analysts have a player or two whose play they fall in love with. That was Haulcy for me. At 6-foot, 215 pounds and built like a linebacker, Haulcy looks like a safety who should be in the box on 90% of his snaps, but he dropped into deep coverage and picked off passes in pressure situations for LSU. He can also play in the box and stack up against the run. He’ll combine with Cam Bynum to form a reliable back-end duo with a ton of speed and big-play potential,” wrote Miller.

Indy drafted Jalen Farmer in the fourth round,

“Farmer won’t start immediately, but we love teams that draft for the future. And it has to be pointed out that Quenton Nelson has just one year left on his deal and is 30 years old,” wrote Miller. “The hope is that Nelson will be back in Indianapolis long term and will remain one of the NFL’s best guards, but Farmer could be the next man up at either guard spot given his college experience at right guard.”

Jaden Curry was selected in the sixth round and could be a diamond in the rough for Indinapolis,

“During commercial breaks on Day 3, we often talked about when Curry would go. The Colts ended his slide toward the end of Round 6 to get one of the best value picks of the day,” Miller wrote. “At 6-2, Curry lacks length but has power in his game and should provide a version of what the Colts got from Kwity Paye last season. Curry has to work to move up the edge rotation, but the Colts should be thrilled to get a player who had 11 sacks last season in a stifling, pro-style Ohio State defense led by former NFL coach Matt Patricia.”

The draft class seems promising for Indy but as always we will have to wait and see what happens on the field.