The No. 1 goal for the Indianapolis Colts this offseason is finding a quarterback. They are one of the teams many people are predicting to select one early in the 2023 NFL Draft, but after the Carolina Panthers acquired the No. 1 overall pick from the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis could be left out in the cold.
The Colts currently own the No. 4 overall pick in the draft. If they don’t make a move up to No. 1 with the Panthers or Arizona Cardinals, who own the No. 3 pick, Indianapolis runs the risk of selecting their No. 4 ranked quarterback on the board.
To avoid that, they should make a move up the board should the opportunity present itself. However, no matter what happens at the quarterback position, the Colts could use some more weapons around him.
Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce are both solid building blocks, but it wouldn’t be the worst idea to bring in an established player to join them. Finding one in free agency would be tough as the market is thin and could be costly.
Instead of a free agent, the Colts could turn to the trade market to find an upgrade. One player who would make a lot of sense for them is DeAndre Hopkins. The Cardinals are reportedly interested in moving him and the price to acquire him could be relatively cheap.
The Cardinals are reportedly seeking a second-round pick and a conditional pick or player. With that in mind, the Colts can offer the No. 36 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft as the centerpiece of the deal. With two fifth-round picks at their disposal, one of those can be included as well.
While that would seem steep for some, adding a player of Hopkins’ caliber to their offense would help make the transition for a rookie that much easier. Whoever is under center for the Colts in 2023 would have three very good wide receivers to target while also being able to rely on Jonathan Taylor leading the ground game.
Staying on the field has been an issue for Hopkins the last two seasons as he has missed a combined 16 games. But, when on the field, he continues to produce at a high level even with less-than-stellar quarterback play to rely on getting him the ball.
