Over the next few weeks leading up to the 2023 NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts will be a subject of conversation, specifically whether they will move up one spot to the No. 3 overall pick.
Pulling the trigger on a trade with the Arizona Cardinals would guarantee the Colts walk away from the draft with one of the top three quarterbacks in the class. But it’s still unclear what that might take.
Chad Reuter of NFL.com outlined a projected trade between the two teams ahead of the draft.
Colts receive:
- No. 3 overall pick (Round 1)
Cardinals receive:
- No. 4 overall pick (Round 1)
- No. 79 overall (Round 3, from WAS)
- No. 106 overall (Round 4)
- 2024 third-round choice
That’s quite the haul to move up just one spot in the draft, but the Cardinals seemingly have the leverage in this situation considering they’re the team without a massive need at quarterback.
The kicker for this deal might be the No. 35 overall pick. It’s likely the Cardinals want that selection in the deal and would prefer that over the other ancillary pieces. Conversely, the Colts are likely doing everything they can to hold onto that early second-round pick.
Here’s what Reuter said about building the trade package between the Colts and Cardinals:
This outlined trade mirrors the deal between the 49ers and Bears in 2017, when Chicago moved up one spot to select Mitchell Trubisky second overall. While the results of that trade could be viewed as a bad omen, in this potential scenario, Ballard and his crew would be focusing on the here and now, choosing to believe in their evaluation process. Plus, Ballard might be able to recoup one or two of the lost picks through other trades.
The only reason the Colts would move up to the No. 3 spot would be because they’ve identified the prospect they want and that there’s gap on their big board. It seems likely the selection will come down to Will Levis and Anthony Richardson, both of which have workouts with the Colts this week.
If the Colts feel there is more separation between the two one way or another, they could feel compelled to move up one spot to guarantee they walk away with one of the top three quarterbacks in the draft. If there isn’t a whole lot of separation, the Colts might not need to move at all.
The negotiations for a trade-up may go all the way up until the night of the draft when the Cardinals are on the clock so it’s essentially a waiting game over the next few weeks.
We’ll be tracking the Colts’ reported interest in the 2023 draft class so be sure to keep up with latest updates via our tracker.
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