CBS Sports’ recent ranking of the NFL’s 25 best players age 25 or younger put a spotlight on the Indianapolis Colts in a way that should make the franchise a little uneasy.
The Colts had just one player make the cut: Sauce Gardner, who landed at No. 23.
He was slotted between the Chargers’ Joe Alt and Philadelphia’s Cooper DeJean. That alone is better than being shut out entirely, which is what happened to 16 teams - half the league.
Still, the broader picture is hard to miss. Seven teams placed two players on the list, and DeJean’s Eagles had three.
That’s where the real conversation starts. The clubs with multiple young stars included the last two Super Bowl winners, last year’s runner-up, the team that finished with the NFL’s best record in 2024, and several other teams that live in the championship mix.
The Chicago Bears were in there too, along with the Atlanta Falcons. One of those things is not like the others, as the original ranking made clear.
For the Colts, the more revealing exercise is looking beyond Gardner and asking who else belongs in the next tier of young talent. Using the same age cutoff as CBS, here’s how the team’s best young players stack up.
At No. 6 is guard Matt Goncalves, who opened the 2025 season by locking down a right guard job that had been a problem the year before. He looked like part of one of the league’s better young offensive lines, though his play dipped in the second half. Even so, he remains a promising piece who should stick around for a while.
No. 5 is Josh Downs, the slot receiver who could be in line for a bigger role this season. With Michael Pittman gone and Alec Pierce shifting roles, Downs has a chance to take a major step. His production slipped a bit in 2025, largely because Tyler Warren arrived at tight end, but he still remains one of Daniel Jones’ favorite targets and is playing for a new contract.
Tanor Bortolini comes in at No. 4, and he fits the Chris Ballard mold perfectly. The Colts’ general manager has had his share of misses with early picks, but he has also found value later in the draft. Bortolini, a fourth-round pick in 2024, emerged last season as one of the league’s best young centers.
At No. 3 is Tyler Warren, the first-round tight end Indianapolis was thrilled to land at No. 14 last year. He delivered a strong rookie season, even if the tight end taken ahead of him - the Bears’ Colston Loveland - showed up on the CBS list at No. 25 while Warren did not.
Laiatu Latu checks in at No. 2.
He has been the Colts’ best edge defender since arriving in 2024 and took a big leap last season. With the defense being rebuilt, he should be one of the players expected to carry that unit in 2026.
And then there’s Gardner at No. 1 on the Colts’ young-player list. He has the kind of ceiling that makes him a potential star, and his contract means the Colts need him to play like one. If Indianapolis is going to get better on defense, Gardner has to be central to it.
That’s a respectable top six, and the top three look like players who could spend plenty of time in Pro Bowl conversations, whatever that looks like now. Bortolini, Warren and Latu give the roster some real structure. But the issue is what comes after them.
The next name on the list is Jalen Travis, who is hoping to shine at right tackle this year. Beyond him, there isn’t much proven young depth. In fact, among the other 45 current Colts players under 26, no one else has really made a mark yet.
Maybe that changes with the rookie class. Like CBS, this list leaves out rookies who haven’t played yet. If the Colts are going to move forward soon, that has to change.
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