The Indianapolis Colts have one of the youngest rosters in the NFL entering the 2023 season.
Through all three phases of the roster, not one player has reached his age-31 season yet. The closest is long-snapper Luke Rhodes, who turns 31 in December.
The youthfulness across the roster is obvious. The Colts brought in 12 new players via the 2023 NFL draft and a handful of others as undrafted free-agent rookies.
For this exercise, we considered players who will be 25 years old or younger throughout the 2023 season. They are ineligible if they turn 26 years old during the season, and we decided to exclude rookies simply because we haven’t seen them on the field yet.
With training camp right around the corner, let’s take a look at the top 10 players on the Colts roster who will be 25 or younger through the 2023 season:
11
G Will Fries
Age: 25.2
Entering his third season, the former fifth-round pick will enter training camp as the favorite to start at right guard. He started the final eight games of the 2022 season under interim head coach Jeff Saturday. During those final eight starts, he allowed 18 total pressures and one sack, according to Pro Football Focus. However, he built some momentum over the final three games, allowing just two total pressures.
10
RB Deon Jackson
Age: 24.3
This is a bit of an interesting choice because there’s a chance Jackson doesn’t make the 53-man roster to begin the season. However, he’s been a solid depth piece in the backfield and on special teams. Though he averaged 3.5 yards per carry in 2022, he also recorded 30 receptions, which led the entire Colts backfield.
9
TE Kylen Granson
Age: 25.2
The third-year tight end has shown some flashes in the H-back role. He led all Colts tight ends in 2022 with 31 receptions but failed to find the end zone while averaging 9.7 yards per catch. It will be interesting to see if his role expands under Shane Steichen.
8
TE Jelani Woods
Age: 24.7
A popular breakout candidate for 2023, Woods is entering his second season in the NFL. He had some impressive games during his rookie campaign but wasn’t used nearly enough as he should have been.
7
WR Alec Pierce
Age: 23.1
The youngest player on this list, Pierce had a pretty up-and-down rookie season. He had plenty of flashes as a down-field threat but also went the entire month of November with just four receptions. In Steichen’s vertical offense, Pierce could be in line for a strong sophomore campaign.
6
S Julian Blackmon
Age: 24.8
The 2022 was a bit of a learning curve for Blackmon, who had to step in as the slot defender during the final month of the regular season. He struggled a bit in coverage, allowing a 137.6 passer rating, according to Pro Football Focus, but he thrived as a run defender. He should find more consistent production taking over the strong safety role in 2023.
5
DE Dayo Odeyingbo
Age: 23.8
Odeyingbo really started to hit his stride during the second half of the 2022 season. He recorded multiple pressures in all but one game from Week 10 on and finished fourth on the team with 5.0 sacks despite playing 46% of the snaps.
4
S Rodney Thomas II
Age: 25.0
The hidden gem from the 2022 rookie class, Thomas took over the free safety role in a big way during the Week 3 game against the Kansas City Chiefs and didn’t look back. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed a 52.6% catch rate and 62.9 passer rating in coverage.
3
DE Kwtiy Paye
Age: 24.6
Paye is on the verge of a breakout campaign, and there’s an argument he would have finished 2022 with double-digit sacks had it not been for the ankle injury he suffered in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos. Entering his third season, Paye is one of the biggest X-factors on the roster.
2
RB Jonathan Taylor
Age: 24.4
No one else would be at the top spot on this list. Taylor is among the elite running backs in the NFL even if his efficiency dipped in 2022. Those issues stem more from the nagging ankle injury and incompetence of those around him. As long as he’s healthy, we should expect a big year from the star back.
1
Honorable Mention
WR Michael Pittman Jr.: Turns 26 during the season
OT Bernhard Raimann: Turns 26 during the season
S Nick Cross: Need to see more
DT Eric Johnson II: Need to see more
