Why the Colts loved their picks: Scouts break down the rest of 2023 draft class

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts picked a dozen players in the 2023 NFL Draft, the most the franchise has selected in a single draft since 1992.

The jewel of the class, Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, was a monumental decision, the kind that can make or break a franchise's fortunes, and the organization put every ounce of manpower it had on the quarterbacks during this scouting cycle.

But the team's scouts did plenty of legwork on the rest of the class, too, identifying prospects who can rebuild the depth of a roster that was far too thin in last season's 4-12-1 finish. The Colts made four of their scouts available to the media Saturday night, offering a window into the process that led to the 2023 class. If the primary scout wasn't made available, Colts general manager Chris Ballard was quoted.

2 (44) Julius Brents, CB, Kansas State

Tyler Hughes, area scout: “You pop on the tape and he’s not shying away from any type of contact. He’s got a chip on his shoulder, and I think especially playing in his hometown city, that chip is going to be even bigger when he knows he has a bunch of family and friends at each game.

“When you try to do some player comparisons, it’s hard to find one who compares to JuJu. Size-wise and all that, you can say Sauce Gardner. Now, I’m not saying he’s Sauce Gardner, but Sauce ran a 4.51 (40-yard dash). They’re both long, athletic cornerbacks.”

3 (79) Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina

Chad Henry, area scout: “He’s a playmaker. We don’t have a whole lot of guys like him. He’s sort of a human chain mover. Good luck covering him in a short area. I like to come up with nicknames for guys and for him, I came up with Hiccup. He’s quick as a hiccup and your only chance to get rid of him is to drink some water, sit on the bench and hope he goes away.”

4 (106) Blake Freeland, T, BYU

Chris McGaha, area scout: “Swing tackle. That’s what kind of makes him intriguing. Play two spots for you. He’s done it in college, too. Played right tackle for two years, and then played left tackle the last two years. … We feel good about the fact that the guy can play multiple spots and have versatility for you, and maybe get you out of a pinch.”

4 (110) Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL, Northwestern

Hughes: “The good thing about him is he’s versatile. He went down to the Senior Bowl and that was his first real show at the 3-technique. He did a little bit of it at Northwestern in the sub-package. I think the versatility he’s going to have in our defense is unique in the sub-package. We’re looking at him as a 3-technique.

“If you’re looking at him outside, you’ve got Melvin Ingram, and a Geno Atkins-type on the inside.”

5 (138) Darius Rush, CB, South Carolina

Jamie Moore, assistant director of college scouting: “Unique physical qualities. Super-long dude, can run. Converted wideout, so he kind of got a little late start at the position. Little bit of a late bloomer that way, but as you go back and you watch his career, he’s just continued to ascend.”

5 (158) Daniel Scott, S, California

McGaha: “He’s been productive on special teams for them at Cal. … He’s also played a lot of different roles for them in their defense. He’s played single-high, he can play the post. They spin him down, they play him in the box.”

5 (162) Will Mallory, TE, Miami

Moore: "I’ve known about Will for a while. I remember when he came in as a true freshman at Miami. Tall, pretty-looking dude who can run, and then just the family background, he comes from a football family (including his grandfather, former IU coach Bill Mallory). You follow his career, he’s just been a super-consistent performer in a lot of different areas.

“I thought he played well there. I thought he checked off a lot of boxes. I know this. When a head coach is excited about a guy, you feel good about that as a scout.”

5 (176) Evan Hull, RB, Northwestern

Ballard: "He can do a lot of different things. He can really catch the football. I wrote it down before I came in here, I think he caught 94 balls in his career for 850 yards. He’s good in pass pro, he can play on (special) teams, he can do a lot of different things."

6 (211) Titus Leo, DE, Wagner

Henry: "You talk about a guy who plays with his hair on fire. He can run. He’s got some pass-rush abilities. I thought he could have been attractive to the 3-4 teams as an outside linebacker, but he looks the most interesting and had the most upside when you saw him as a pass rusher. Just get up field and go. Hit the guy with the ball. I think we’re going to be able to make use of his traits that way. Coach (Gus) Bradley will put him in a position to succeed.”

7 (221) Jaylon Jones, CB, Texas A&M

Ballard: "We wanted to add athleticism and speed in the secondary."

7 (236) Jake Witt, T, Northern Michigan

Ballard: "That’s a swing. I remember sitting in the draft room about three weeks ago just watching his workout and I was like, ‘Dang, I’m going to draft this dude just off the workout.’ Look, he’s raw and it’s going to take him some time. I knew the competition was going to be so heavy after the draft, I said, ‘Screw it. We’re just going to draft him.’”

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Why they loved their picks: Scouts break down 2023 draft class