Locked On Colts Pod: Mock Draft Brings Indy Defensive Playmakers
This week on the Locked On Colts podcast, the guys do their first Mock Draft Monday of the 2026 NFL Draft cycle.
Video Transcript
Jake, because you know a little bit more about these Senior Bowl guys, you were our boots on the ground this past week.
Who you got in round two?
There are a handful of round two- it feels like there was a good chunk of round two, with, like, three guys there, this year, compared to, like, years past, where a lot of guys kinda opted out.
A lot of good talent in that, like, fifty to seventy-five range, I think, in this draft.
Yeah, I think this draft, probably the best part about it is day two.
You know what I mean?
I, I don't feel like it's a super top-heavy draft with, like, a bunch of blue-chip guys.
but nonetheless, I did torture myself figuring out who I really wanted to pick here in the second round.
I'll start by saying Kai Lewis is, like, rubber-stamped as, like, my guy in this draft.
He's my favorite player in the draft right now, the Pittsburgh linebacker.
while the Colts obviously could use him, they need play-making in the middle of the field badly.
for the purposes of this exercise here, I wanted to start them out with an edge rusher.
so I, I've got Missouri edge rusher, Zion Young, here.
you've got a lengthy, explosive guy, can defend the run, and he's not bendy around the edge, but he's powerful.
He's You know, he converts speed to power.
he's not necessarily gonna get caught up in the wash a ton.
Like, he can fend for himself when he's engaged with blockers, and this is a lesson over the last couple of years I, I've tried to really hammer through to myself when I'm evaluating edge rushers.
basically from- I, I, I wasn't in love with Jared Verse from Florida State a couple years ago, and all the things I kind of thought were boring or not super critical to his game is kind of what made him so good on his first couple years.
And so Zion Young, again, from Missouri, he's got some similar traits.
Again, he's got great length, great size for the position.
I don't know how he's gonna test, like, with his speed scores, but I, I think he's gonna jump pretty well, at the combine.
But again, that strength, I love it, and he, he's got enough speed around the edge and quickness in those small bursts, to where I think he's gonna be a, a really productive player.
I don't find him to be a project like all Chris Ballard defensive ends seem to be.
I think he could contribute right away, to a higher degree than JT Tuimoloau did.
so if you fast-forward mid-season next year, and you've got Latu at minimum doing what he was last year, JT Tuimoloau giving you more than he did last year, which is, you know, not a, a tall task, and then you've got this guy giving you decent reps, like, giving you maybe what Tyquan Lewis or Samson Ebukam gives you, then I think you're in good shape for the future.
But we obviously know they need edge help, and when you're looking at top fifty picks, I think Zion Young would be a great option for them.
Yeah, no, I very much agree.
I think, you know, you and I were kind of the same boat when it came to Jared Verse, where it was like, yeah, there's some power, but can he really bring much more?
Mm-hmm.
What's the upside with him?
And, and to a degree, we have seen him plateau a little bit in the NFL.
Plateau is still at a pretty good spot.
Like, it's not like- Yeah ... Verse is playing bad football, but he's kinda plateaued as, like, you know, a, a Pro Bowl-level guy, and who knows how much better he's gonna get.
But when you're the Colts, like, they need production now- Mm-hmm ... and getting that type of player, like, in round two, that again, has the length, has the speed, has the explosion, has the power, that could be a day-one contributor.
Like un- unlike JT Tuimoloau last year, where there was a little bit more that had to be developed, I think that really could help this Colts team.
So I like that pick.
I think he's a good player.
I think he's, I like the explosiveness, like you mentioned, but I think he had a pretty good week down in Mobile.
Uh-
