Doyel: The Most Fascinating Part About the Colts’ Draft? Survey Says … No IU Players?!?

INDIANAPOLIS – Let’s get this out of the way immediately: Our state’s two football powerhouses, the Indianapolis Colts and Indiana Hoosiers, collided this past week during the 2026 NFL Draft. And by collided, I mean they completely avoided each other. Like two ships passing in a foggy Indiana cornfield. No handshake. No awkward eye contact. Nothing.

And by powerhouse, as it relates to the Colts, I mean: It’s an NFL franchise, people. Good, bad or mediocre, an NFL franchise is a locomotive. Either you get that, or you don’t. Or I’m wrong. Can we please move on from this pain in the asterisk?

The Colts drafted eight players. They even traded back once, a classic Chris Ballard special, to multiply their picks. And in all those selections, the Colts chose how many players from the 2025 national champion IU football program? Zero. Zip. Nada. Not a single Hoosier heard his name called by the Colts.

Who noticed? Not me, honestly. But you did. And you let me hear about it in our IndyStar text message group. (The text group is free and it’s just a few texts per week, so please join us on the link below any of my online columns!) Your texts lit up my phone like a Friday night scoreboard. “Gregg, why didn’t the Colts pick any IU guys?” “Is Ballard blind?” “Did the Hoosiers win a national title or not?”

So, let’s dive into the fascinating, frustrating, and frankly, logical reason why the Colts completely ghosted the Hoosiers in the 2026 draft.

The Elephant in the Room: IU’s National Title Roster

Let’s give credit where it’s due. The Indiana Hoosiers won the 2025 College Football Playoff National Championship. That is a monumental achievement. Curt Cignetti built a monster. The program went from punchline to powerhouse in two seasons. The Hoosiers had stars: a Heisman-caliber quarterback, a ferocious defensive line, and wide receivers who could run routes like they were drawn with a protractor.

But here is the cold, hard truth that the text message group doesn’t want to hear: Winning a national title does not automatically mean you have eight NFL-ready players. Especially not for a team like the Colts, who are drafting for a specific system and a specific need.

Let’s break down the IU draft class. The Hoosiers had four players selected overall in the 2026 draft. That’s solid. Respectable. But the Colts had eight picks. They had opportunities. Yet, general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen looked at the board, saw the IU names, and said, “Pass.”

Why? Because the Colts are building for a specific identity. They need a franchise quarterback (they already have Anthony Richardson, for better or worse). They need offensive line depth to protect him. They need edge rushers who can win one-on-one battles. And they need cornerbacks who can cover in man-to-man.

Did IU have those players? Let’s check the tape.

Positional Mismatch: What the Colts Needed vs. What IU Had

This is where the draft room gets real. The Colts entered the 2026 draft with clear holes. Let’s list them:

• Offensive tackle: The Colts need a long-term answer at left tackle after a shaky 2025 season. IU’s offensive tackles were good, but not elite. They were scheme-dependent, zone-blocking maulers. The Colts run a power-gap scheme. Square peg, round hole.
• Edge rusher: Kwity Paye and Dayo Odeyingbo are free agents after this season. The Colts need a young pass rusher. IU’s defensive ends were productive, but they lacked elite bend and length. The Colts value length and explosion. IU’s guys tested average.
• Cornerback: The Colts secondary was torched in 2025. They drafted a corner in the second round. He wasn’t from IU. The Hoosiers had a good corner, but he was a slot-only player. The Colts need outside corners who can press.
• Wide receiver: IU had a star wideout. He went in the third round. The Colts didn’t draft a receiver until the sixth round. They have Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, and Alec Pierce. They don’t need a luxury pick. They need trench players.

Here’s the kicker: The Colts traded back in the second round. They could have taken an IU player. Instead, they took a small-school offensive lineman from North Dakota State. That tells you everything. Ballard values traits over production. He loves the “dirt dogs” from the FCS level who have massive wingspans and run 4.8 40-yard dashes. IU’s players, while winners, didn’t fit that prototype.

And let’s be honest: National championship teams are often greater than the sum of their parts. The 2025 Hoosiers were a perfect storm of veteran leadership, a brilliant offensive scheme, and a soft schedule in the expanded playoff. That’s not a knock. It’s reality. The NFL doesn’t care about the trophy. It cares about the individual measurables.

The Colts’ Draft Strategy: A Masterclass in Ignoring Local Hype

Chris Ballard has a reputation. He doesn’t get emotional. He doesn’t draft for headlines. He drafts for his board. And his board, apparently, had zero IU players in the range where he wanted to pick. That’s not a snub. That’s disciplined roster construction.

Look at the Colts’ eight picks:

• Round 1: A defensive tackle from Georgia. (IU had a good DT, but Georgia’s guy is a freak.)
• Round 2: A tackle from North Dakota State. (IU’s tackle went in Round 4.)
• Round 3: A safety from Alabama. (IU’s safety went undrafted.)
• Round 4: An edge rusher from Texas A&M. (IU’s edge went in Round 5.)
• Round 5: A running back from Oregon. (IU’s star RB was a junior, not draft-eligible.)
• Round 6: A cornerback from Utah. (IU’s corner went in Round 3 to the Chiefs.)
• Round 7a: A tight end from Miami. (IU’s tight end was a blocking specialist.)
• Round 7b: A punter from Texas. (Yes, a punter. Because the Colts need one.)

See the pattern? The Colts drafted for upside, length, and scheme fit. IU’s players were mostly scheme-dependent. They thrived in Cignetti’s system. But in the NFL, system players often struggle. The Colts want players who can win regardless of the system. That’s why they passed.

And here’s the part that will sting for Hoosiers fans: The Colts could have drafted an IU player in the seventh round. They chose a punter instead. A punter! That’s a message. It says, “We’d rather take a flier on a specialist than a feel-good local story.” That’s cold. But it’s also smart.

What This Means for the Future: A Prediction

So, what’s the takeaway? Is this a sign that IU football is still a mirage? Absolutely not. The Hoosiers are here to stay. Curt Cignetti is going to keep recruiting, keep winning, and keep sending players to the NFL. But the 2026 draft was a reality check. Winning a title doesn’t mean you have the top talent in every draft.

My prediction: Next year, the Colts will draft an IU player. Maybe two. Because the 2026 Hoosiers roster had a few seniors who will be NFL role players. But the 2027 draft class from IU will be deeper. Cignetti is recruiting at a higher level now. The talent gap is closing.

For the Colts, this draft was about building a foundation. They didn’t need a feel-good story. They needed a defensive tackle who can eat double teams, a tackle who can anchor, and an edge rusher who can bend. They got that. They didn’t get a Hoosier. And that’s okay.

But I’ll tell you this: If the Colts struggle in 2026, and one of those undrafted IU free agents signs with another team and becomes a star, the text messages will be brutal. And I’ll be ready for them.

For now, the survey says: No IU players. And that’s the most fascinating part of the entire draft. Because it proves that in the NFL, loyalty is a luxury. Winning is the only currency.

Gregg Doyel is a columnist for IndyStar. Join his free text message group for exclusive insights and debate. Link below.

Source: Based on news from Yahoo Sports.