Colts get Shock Building Block in Latest Mock Draft

The Indianapolis Colts season may be on the decline, but their 2023 NFL Draft is on the rise.

The Indianapolis Colts' 2022 season started with the hopes of a playoff appearance, but after losing five of six, it's the 2023 NFL Draft that is looking more appealing.

Two weeks ago the Draft Network had a surprise pick for the Colts when they took offensive tackle Broderick Jones out of the University of Georgia at No. 16.

With so much already invested in the offensive line and a rookie at left tackle, it seems the Colts might go in a different direction.

In the Draft Network's latest mock draft, the Colts hit the lottery at No. 14 with quarterback C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State. 

Stroud is at worst a top-five pick on most draft boards this early in the process. The Colts do have a chance to get him, but it will be much more likely to happen higher in the draft. 

The Colts are choosing 14th currently, but with a schedule that includes the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota Vikings, LA Chargers and a trip to New Jersey to face the Giants, it's likely the Colts pick higher than No. 14.

Stroud is currently No. 3 on Mel Kiper's Big Board at ESPN. He was outplayed by Michigan's J.J. McCarthy in The Game last week, but he still leads the nation in passing efficiency. 

Kiper wrote of Stroud in November:

Stroud is still my top-ranked quarterback. Stroud has been on fire through eight games, leading the country in QBR (93.1) and touchdown passes (29) and ranking second in yards per attempt (10.7) and 20-plus-yard completions (42). He is a smooth thrower with a big arm in a 6-foot-3 frame. -- Mel Kiper Jr., ESPN

The Matt Ryan experiment hasn't worked out like the Colts had hoped, and there has been a carousel of quarterbacks in Indianapolis since Andrew Luck abruptly retired. 

Getting Stroud would be a dream for the Colts; it's just not likely to happen at No. 14.