Colts’ 2025 Draft Class Reflects a Franchise Still Searching for a Breakthrough
The Indianapolis Colts’ 2025 draft class tells a story - not just about the rookies themselves, but about where this franchise stands in the post-Andrew Luck era. And if we’re being honest, it’s a familiar place: right in the middle.
Let’s start with the facts. The Colts came into the 2025 NFL Draft with eight picks - one in every round, plus a bonus sixth-rounder.
General manager Chris Ballard opened with tight end Tyler Warren, then went defense with JT Tuimoloau and Justin Walley. Offense again for Jalen Travis, DJ Giddens, and quarterback Riley Leonard.
The draft wrapped with two more defenders: Tim Smith and Hunter Wohler.
Warren Shines, but the Rest? A Mixed Bag
Warren was the clear standout. He didn’t just contribute - he became a core piece of the offense, logging 899 snaps and looking every bit like a long-term weapon. He was reliable, productive, and played with the kind of polish you don’t always see from rookie tight ends.
After Warren, though, it gets murky. The remaining seven rookies combined for just 730 non-special teams snaps.
Two were sidelined by injury. One spent the year on the practice squad.
The rest were rotational depth - flashes here and there, but no one else made a consistent impact.
That’s not a disaster by any means. Hitting on one high-impact player is more than some teams manage. But when you have eight bites at the apple, you’re hoping for more than one clear win.
Flashes of Promise in the Secondary
There is potential in the group, particularly in the secondary. Justin Walley and Hunter Wohler showed promise in limited action before injuries ended their seasons early. If they return healthy - and that’s always a big “if” - they could give the Colts’ defensive backfield a much-needed boost.
Jalen Travis, a mid-round offensive lineman, also turned heads in a swing tackle role. He handled his responsibilities well when called upon, and the front office will have a big decision to make this offseason. If they believe in Travis, they could let veteran Braden Smith walk in free agency and hand the right tackle job to the second-year lineman.
The Question Marks
Then there are the picks that didn’t quite land - at least not yet.
JT Tuimoloau was drafted to help solve the Colts’ pass-rush problem. A second-round pick should be able to crack the rotation, especially on a team in need of edge pressure.
But Tuimoloau struggled to find his footing. The Colts will give him another shot in Year 2, but so far, it’s been underwhelming.
Tim Smith, taken late in the sixth round, spent the season on the practice squad. That’s not unusual for a player drafted that late, but it also doesn’t move the needle.
Offensively, DJ Giddens never really got going. He was quickly overtaken on the depth chart by veteran Ameer Abdullah - a journeyman not expected to be part of the team’s long-term plans. That’s not a great sign for Giddens’ future.
And then there’s Riley Leonard. Drafted as a developmental third-string quarterback, Leonard was thrust into the backup role after Anthony Richardson’s injury.
But even then, he didn’t see the field - a 44-year-old quarterback who hadn’t played in five years leapfrogged him on the depth chart. That’s not necessarily a death knell for Leonard’s career, but it’s certainly not a ringing endorsement either.
A Draft That Mirrors the Franchise
So what does all this tell us? That this draft class - like the Colts themselves - is sitting squarely in the middle.
Not a bust, not a breakout. Just… average.
That’s exactly where draft analyst Josh Edwards placed them: 17th out of 32 teams. Right below the midpoint. And that feels exactly right.
Since Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement, the Colts have been the NFL’s poster child for mediocrity. In the seven seasons since, they’ve gone 56-60-1.
One standout year (2020), one rough one (2022), and everything else has been hovering around .500. They’ve been good enough to stay relevant, but not good enough to seriously contend.
The Bigger Picture: What Comes Next?
This isn’t about one draft class. It’s about a franchise that’s been stuck in the NFL’s most frustrating place - not bad enough to rebuild, not good enough to break through.
Chris Ballard is a smart football mind. Shane Steichen has shown promise as a head coach.
But in this league, being “pretty good” doesn’t get you very far. It gets you stuck.
Look at the two teams that just played in Super Bowl LX. New England went scorched-earth - tanked, changed leadership, overhauled the roster.
It worked. Seattle hovered in the middle for a few years, then made bold moves: parting ways with a legendary coach, trading their franchise quarterback, and letting go of familiar faces.
That worked too.
The Colts haven’t taken that kind of swing. Not yet.
They’ve tried to thread the needle - build through the draft, patch holes in free agency, hope for internal development. It’s a sound strategy in theory.
But in practice, it’s left them treading water.
This 2025 draft class might eventually produce a few more contributors. Walley, Wohler, and Travis all have upside. But right now, it’s Warren - and a lot of “we’ll see.”
And that’s where the Colts are as a franchise: somewhere between hope and frustration. Still searching for the move - or the moment - that finally pushes them out of the middle.