Some rumblings that NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah is hearing with the draft now just a day away is that the Colts could be a team looking to trade up for Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.
Here is what Jeremiah had to say about this while on Twitter Spaces with Tom Pelissero:
“The latest stuff I had heard this evening was don’t sleep on the Colts moving up for Quinyon Mitchell. That they were a Quinyon Mitchell team. So I had already turned in my mock draft so I did not have that, but that’s some of the intel that came in this (Tuesday) evening.”
If Mitchell were to make it to pick 15, the Colts selecting him would be a no-brainer decision. However, as this pre-draft process has continued to unfold and Mitchell’s stock continues to rise, the big question going into Round 1 is whether he would make it that far.
According to ESPN analytics, there is only about a 30 percent chance that Mitchell falls to pick 15. The sweet spot, so to speak, when he has the highest chance to come off the board is in the 11 to 13 range.
Using the Rich Hill trade value chart as our guide, if the Colts were to move up to pick 11, for example, they may have to part with their third-round pick. If the Colts moved up to pick 13, they could have to trade away their fourth-round selection.
“I think it would depend,” said Ballard about trading up when meeting with reporters last week. “There would have to be someone within striking distance we felt was really unique and a difference-maker for us.”
Cornerback needs to be a top priority for the Colts early in this draft. The Colts relied heavily on rookies in 2023, and with that, experienced very up and down play from this position group. Overall, the Colts’ secondary surrendered way too many explosive plays and didn’t have enough on-ball production.
At his pre-draft press conference, GM Chris Ballard was optimistic about improved play from this unit in 2024, saying that Jaylon Jones and JuJu Brents were no longer rookies and that getting Dallis Flowers back would be important.
However, with that said, banking on that happening comes with obvious risks.
The addition of Mitchell to this group would provide an immediate upgrade. He has good size and terrific athleticism. Mitchell can handle both man and zone coverage schemes; he brings physicality to the position and has had excellent ball production at Toledo.