Colts Find Franchise QB in Latest NFL Mock Draft

In Bucky Brooks' first mock draft of the offseason, he gives the Indianapolis Colts their next franchise signal-caller.

The Indianapolis Colts will be entering the 2023 draft seeking a new quarterback for the first time since they drafted Andrew Luck in 2012 with the first-overall pick.

With this need at the most important position, there will also be a bevy of mock drafts, predictions, and analyses on which team should take whom. In his first-edition mock of the offseason, NFL analyst and draft expert Bucky Brooks lays down his first round of predictions, and he has the Colts going in a new direction for their future.

Sitting at the number-four pick, according to Brooks, the Colts will select Ohio State University quarterback C.J. Stroud.

C.J. Stroud, QBSchool: Ohio StateYear: Sophomore (RS)After cycling through a bevy of veteran signal-callers, it is time for the Colts to find a young quarterback to build around. 

This comes as no surprise to many, but with three other names circling the Colts (Bryce Young, Will Levis, and Anthony Richardson), it’s interesting to see Stroud as the second QB taken after the University of Alabama’s Young goes to the Houston Texans with the second pick.

As far as the University of Kentucky’s Levis and the University of Florida’s Richardson, they’ll go a bit later, with Levis being taken by the Carolina Panthers at number nine and the Baltimore Ravens snagging Richardson with the 22nd pick.

Stroud would undoubtedly be a great fit for the Colts, cementing himself as arguably the best passer coming into the 2023 draft. With his size, arm, and accuracy, it will hopefully erase the constant inconsistencies that were seen throughout the slog that was the 2022 regular season at the quarterback position.

With weapons like tight end Jelani Woods and receivers Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr., Stroud would be able to stretch the field and place the ball in the hands of young, dynamic talent.

There is still a long way to go before the NFL draft, so this will be the first of many mock drafts. However, one factor that will ultimately play into things is who the Colts select as head coach. This may dictate the quarterback that is selected so that they will fit the scheme of the new coach for Indianapolis.

Either way, it will remain to be seen if Stroud continues to surface on most mocks, or if it will fluctuate through the next three months.

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