5 Creative Moves the Indianapolis Colts Can Pull on Draft Day

With Indianapolis Colts general manager Ryan Grigson pulling the trigger, anything is possible in the NFL draft.

We've seen trades (up for T.Y. Hilton in 2012, for Montori Hughes in 2013), we've seen over-saturation of one position (back-to-back tight end picks in 2012), we've seen surprisingly little picks in a position of need (one defensive back in three years) and we've seen what seemed to be surprising reaches (Bjoern Werner, Jonathan Newsome and Andrew Jackson).

A lot of those surprises ended up working out pretty well for Indianapolis. Some of the others didn't. That's the nature of drafting.

But make no mistake, there will be surprises. So what kind of creative moves might the Colts look at making come the end of the month, and what would the reasoning behind them be?

Draft a Wide Receiver in the Early or Middle Rounds

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

For many, wide receiver isn't among the Colts' biggest needs for the 2015, or anywhere close for that matter.

The entire defense generally takes precedence after the beatings the Colts took on national television in 2014. If offense is discussed as a need, it's offensive line and running back, not more pass-catching targets for Andrew Luck.

But with the talent and depth in this receiver class, the latter of which may be more so than last year's historic class, it may be too tempting for Ryan Grigson to pass up.

There are more pressing needs than wide receiver, sure. But the position could use talent as well. Andre Johnson will be an option for this season, and possibly the next, but then he'll be gone, and T.Y. Hilton is the only receiver that is a "sure" thing for the long run in Indianapolis (and his contract is up after 2015).

Unless the Colts really think that both Donte Moncrief and Duron Carter will pan out into long-term starting options, they could certainly spend a pick on a wide receiver.

This is especially true if a high-impact possession receiver drops in the second, third or fourth round. Think Nelson Agholor, a Reggie Wayne 2.0, or Justin Hardy, who has some Anquan Boldin in him.

The Colts' possession receiver role is cloudy after Johnson's time in Indianapolis is up, and while fans would likely go berserk with a receiver pick up early in the draft, it could prove to be excellent long-term value.

Trade Down for Multiple Second/Third-Round Picks

AJ Mast/Associated Press

The Indianapolis Colts have yet to trade down in the Ryan Grigson era, but with so much depth in this class, much like 2014, this may be the chance to do it.

The thinking would be that there isn't a ton of top-end talent in this particular draft, with Seattle GM John Schneider believing there is only 16 players with first-round grades, per Peter King of MMQB.com. So, if one of those top talents doesn't drop to No. 29, the Colts would trade down and pick up an extra second or third-rounder, where the value should be high.

This would also line up with modern draft strategy that emphasizes the uncertainty of the NFL draft. According to Penn professor Cade Massey, via Barry Petchesky of Deadspin, success in the NFL draft is more than 95 percent dictated by chance. Hence, the best strategy is to trade down and stockpile as many picks as possible, especially in the middle rounds.

Per Tony Manfred of Business Insider, this is a strategy that has paid big dividends for contenders like Seattle and New England.

"

Since 2010 the average NFL team has made 39.75 draft picks. There are 10 NFL teams that have made at least 44 draft picks ... Those teams won an average of 9.7 games in 2014. The 17 teams that made fewer than 40 picks since 2010 won an average of 7.6 games in 2014.

"

The Colts fall in the "below-average" category in that regard, picking just 35 players since 2010.

If the Colts wish to get the most value out of the loaded middle rounds in this draft, trading down might be the way to do it.

Draft All Defense in the First Four Rounds

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The Colts have needs on offense, that much is certain. Even if you ignore the potential long-term wide receiver need, the team still has holes on the offensive line and running back.

But even with all of those needs, the team could very feasibly ignore them altogether in the early rounds of the 2015 NFL draft, with good reason.

The Colts have just one young defensive player worth building around, and that's Vontae Davis. The stud cornerback played lights out in 2014, but he alone won't make for a strong defensive unit (even with today's focus on the passing game). The struggles are directly related to the Colts' drafting of defensive players, or lack thereof.

Since Ryan Grigson was brought in, the Colts have spent just one early (first four rounds) pick on a defensive player. With that player being the disappointing Bjoern Werner, it's easy to see how the defense has struggled. The ineptitude in defensive drafting goes back to before Grigson as well. From 2005-2014, the Colts drafted 19 defenders in the first four rounds, with none of them panning out into stud players. The only players that really developed were Jerry Hughes and Tim Jennings, both of whom didn't burst onto the scene until they left Indianapolis.

The Colts need core defensive players, and after spending the first three drafts of his tenure drafting offense early, don't be surprised if Grigson swings the other way in 2015.

Use Draft Assets to Trade Up for a Stud

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

While trading back and stockpiling picks is trendy, it's not exactly Ryan Grigson's style.

The Colts have never traded back on draft day under Grigson. What they have done is trade up, trading a 2013 fifth rounder to move up five spots in 2012 for T.Y. Hilton and trading a 2014 fourth-rounder for a 2013 fifth-rounder to select Montori Hughes.

With nine draft picks this year, the most in Grigson's career, the Colts may be able to trade up without mortgaging future draft picks for the first time. There are several other reasons, besides Grigson's history, that it would make sense for the 2015 Colts.

For one, the Colts have plenty of depth at most positions. The team doesn't lack for developmental players, it lacks studs, long-term blue-chip players that can be the face of the franchise, especially on the defensive end. If the team can have a better chance at blue-chip players by trading a few of their late-round picks, it would fit the make up of the roster better.

The other reason, which is connected to the first, is that the team probably doesn't have nine open spots on the roster, at least not the 53-man roster the team will cut down to for September. While Grigson and the Colts probably aren't too worried about that (each of the three drafts previous have had at least one rookie get cut from the active roster before the regular season), the team does need to think about how it can most efficiently use its draft capital.

Those two reasons, combined with Grigson's history, there's a strong chance that the Colts move up at some point in the 2015 draft, the question is where it will occur. Fans would likely appreciate a flashy move in the first round, but a more likely scenario would be in the second, third or fourth round, where it costs less to move farther up the board.

Ignore the Defensive Line

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

The most glaring need for the Indianapolis Colts, in the public's eye, is the Colts' defensive line.

The Colts spent the last three matchups with the New England Patriots getting run over on the ground, and an upgrade on the defensive line could be a big boost in getting past the defending champions. To be the best, you have to beat the best, and that's especially true in the AFC.

But, at the same time, the Colts seem oddly comfortable with what they have on the line. The team let veteran Cory Redding go in free agency, signing Kendall Langford to take his place at the 5-tech position. There is confidence in the organization that Arthur Jones will bounce back from an injury-hampered season in 2015, and Josh Chapman was a decent run-plugger last year.

Even more, the Colts have confidence in the team's young interior linemen, namely Zach Kerr, Montori Hughes and Kelcy Quarles, per Colts.com's Kevin Bowen.

In the last three seasons, the Colts have kept six defensive linemen twice, and seven once. With six linemen already projected to potentially make the roster, it's possible that the Colts opt to wait and see on some of their developmental linemen while stocking other positions.