The Colts may not have their own first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, but that might not matter much if this defensive line keeps trending the way it has.
Indianapolis has already spent real capital on the front over the last few years. The big wave came in 2020 and 2021, when the team traded for DeForest Buckner during the 2020 NFL Draft and then used first- and second-round picks on Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo the next year.
Since then, the additions have continued, but the results haven’t exactly piled up: Adetomiwa Adebawore was a fourth-round pick in 2023, Laiatu Latu went in the first round in 2024, and JT Tuimoloau followed in the second round in 2025. Together, those three produced just 12.5 sacks last season.
That number is only part of the issue. The bigger worry is that the early part of 2026 is already pointing toward a front seven with more questions than answers.
Latu is still a player Indianapolis is hoping can grow into a high-end piece in Year 3, but that remains an open question. Adebawore made progress last season, more than doubling his snap total from his first two years combined, yet that still added up to only 548 snaps. Tuimoloau, meanwhile, was on the field for just 101 snaps as a rookie in 2025.
Buckner remains the standard on the unit and has been the group’s best player and a captain since arriving, but his only All-Pro season came in 2020. His last fully healthy year was 2023, when he played all 17 games and had eight sacks. He and Grover Stewart are the veteran anchors here, and both are 32.
And while it’s only a two-game sample, the numbers are already ugly enough to make you wonder whether this is a temporary stumble or something deeper.
Through two games in 2026, the Colts have been gashed on the ground and haven’t consistently pressured quarterbacks. Their defensive line rankings tell the story:
2026 Run Defense Statistics
32nd in EPA/rush allowed (15th in 2025)
32nd in yards before contact allowed per carry (15th)
31st in rush yards per play allowed (2nd)
29th in stuff rate (7th)
That drop-off is the most alarming part. Run defense was one of the few real strengths of the unit last season, and if that’s slipping this badly already, it becomes a serious problem fast. In a league where more teams want to play bigger and lean on the run, Indianapolis can’t afford to be this soft up front.
The pass rush hasn’t offered much comfort either:
2026 Pass Rush Statistics
30th in time to pressure (25th)
28th in QB pressure rate (16th)
26th in time to throw (28th)
23rd in sack rate (25th)
The Colts have been hunting for a true top pass rusher for years. They also own the NFL’s longest streak without a player reaching double-digit sacks in a season, with Justin Houston in 2019 still the last Colt to get there.
The production is a problem on its own. The bigger twist is how many moving parts could be gone by the time 2027 arrives.
Several of the key names on the defensive line are headed toward free agency that year, especially at defensive tackle. Stewart and Adebawore are unrestricted free agents, Buckner’s contract voids the day after the Super Bowl, and veteran tackle Jerry Tillery, who is on a one-year deal, is also set to hit free agency.
That would leave Latu, Tuimoloau, and Arden Key as the main edge pieces still standing.
The Colts do have cap room if they want to bring back one or two of these players, and there are also young free agents coming off rookie contracts next spring. But if Indianapolis wants real change, the draft is where that work probably has to start.
There’s value to be found after Round 1. Just last season, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Nic Scourton, and Deone Walker all went after the first round and made an impact as rookies. And as of now, the 2027 class looks like it should have plenty of Day 2 help on the defensive line, with more chances to uncover a gem on Day 3 as well.
With the Colts already putting major resources into offense and the secondary in 2026, the defensive line looks like one of the top priorities for 2027. Even without a first-round pick, Indianapolis should have enough draft ammo to attack the position and begin reshaping a group that could look very different a year from now.
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