Stampede Blue Staff Colts Mock Draft Roundtable for team’s 1st pick of 2026 NFL Draft

GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN - APRIL 25: A general view of the video board on stage with The Pick Is In for the Indianapolis Colts during the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft on April 25, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images) | Getty Images The 2026 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and officially kicks off Thursday 23rd April at 8pm Eastern Time. The Indianapolis Colts are scheduled to have 7 draft picks this year (unless they decide to trade up or down).

The team is armed with just 2 of their 7 draft picks in the top 100, so they will likely need to be savvy to grab some talented prospects similar to last year. Each Stampede Blue staffer will mock who they think will be the Colts first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft: Jay Robins: Malachi Lawrence, DE, Central Florida The Colts love elite tier athletes & they love taking Edge Rushers in Round 2. Lawrence is the freakiest athlete available at DE at a 9.

94 Relative Athletic Score. He isn’t a “raw prospect” either, showing off a variety of moves and counters using his combination of elite burst and over 33. 5” arms.

His biggest concerns are his level of competition at UCF and edge setting. With Chris Ballard on the last year of his deal, he needs a home run at a top need early in Round 2, and Malachi Lawrence could be the big swing for an edge rush upgrade he makes, for better or worse. Andrew Aziz: Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana Sarratt might be a bit of a reach here, but I see him as a top-10 receiver in this class.