Indianapolis Colts: Analyzing Latest NFL Draft Rumors and Reports

With the NFL draft approaching on Thursday, April 30, information and rumors are leaking at a frenetic pace.

For the Indianapolis Colts, the potential directions in the draft are limitless, even if our focus is just limited to the first round. Drafting so late means that your draft is, in essence, dictated by what every other team in the league does.

Also complicating the issue is the Colts' multitude of needs. Sometimes, you know one or two positions need early-round help; for the Colts, however, you can really only identify two positions that don't need help (quarterback, tight end). To some extent, it's a blessing, as it allows the Colts to go with the players at the top of their board without worrying much about need—although it doesn't help anybody in terms of predictions.

Still, the rumor mill is buzzing at this time, and there are a few hints as to who the Colts are aiming for and where the team is at heading into the draft. With that, we take a look into the most recent rumors.

Colts Are Interested in Ereck Flowers

Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

If the Colts don't look for a defensive playmaker in the first round, the only other plausible target would be an offensive lineman. Though many, including myself, think that defensive cornerstones are a bigger need than the offensive line, there is a long-term void at offensive tackle that could be addressed with an early pick.

One particular offensive tackle that has received a lot of recent hype is Miami's Ereck Flowers. Flowers has been the subject of numerous mock drafts, and he was also the subject of a tweet from the popular NFL Draft Bites Twitter account that linked the tackle and the Colts:

"

Panthers & Colts VERY interested Miami's Ereck Flowers. Though Panthers didn't bring Andrus Peat in visit, high on board. Flowers is higher.

— NFL_DRAFT_Bites (@NFLDraftBites) April 24, 2015"

On its own, the tweet wouldn't mean much, but when you link it to mocks by plugged-in media members like NFL.com's Lance Zierlein  and NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah (who has a strong relationship with Ryan Grigson), the pieces start to make sense.

The Colts' willingness to take a tackle early seems legitimate, and Flowers could be one specific target. He's a little too raw for my taste in the first round, but the Colts do have time for him to develop if Gosder Cherilus can make it through another year.

How Much Does Ryan Grigson Love Landon Collins?

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The Colts haven't spoken out about a lot of individual prospects, instead talking about the draft as a whole.

However, in his predraft press conference with the media last week, general manager Ryan Grigson's comments on Alabama safety Landon Collins, the consensus No. 1 safety in the draft, stuck out:

"

GM Ryan Grigson was definitely excited to talk about safety Landon Collins today.

— Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNFL) April 23, 2015"

"

Grigson: Safety is tricky position. Guy like S Landon Collins can do it all.

— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) April 23, 2015"

"

Grigson: We've been digging for safeties. No sure things beyond Collins high in first round.

— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) April 23, 2015"

If you're keeping track at home, that's direct confirmation or strong inferential evidence that Grigson is excited about Collins as a prospect, thinks he's well-rounded and sticks out in this class as a "sure thing."

That's a pretty good checklist for a potential first-round pick. As a former scout, Grigson needs prospects that get him and the room excited; the team won't draft somebody they aren't convinced about. They also need a well-rounded safety, as the team's scheme uses the safeties interchangeably. Being the top safety in a thin class is key too, and it may inflate his worth.

He may be gone by pick No. 29, but there is also a sense that many teams late in the draft aren't completely sold on Collins, according to The Monday Morning Quarterback's Robert Klemko. If other teams' indecision leaves Collins on the board at No. 29, it's hard to imagine the Colts passing on him.

Will the Colts Trade Up?

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

The Colts have traded up twice under Ryan Grigson, but they have never traded down.

Trading up from No. 97 overall to No. 92 in 2012, the Colts used an extra fifth-round pick to ensure the drafting of T.Y. Hilton. In 2013, the Colts used a 2014 fourth-rounder to acquire a fifth-round pick and select Montori Hughes.

Grigson talked about trading up at his predraft press conference last week:

"

Grigson: Might move up if a player is screaming at you from the board. Like TY and Montori Hughes.

— Bob Kravitz (@bkravitz) April 23, 2015"

I don't know if the Colts will have anybody "screaming" at them next week, but I do know that they have plenty of ammo to move around during the draft. With nine picks, Grigson has the most assets to work with since the 2012 draft, when the Colts had 10 picks and came out with a stellar draft.

If an opportunity arises, don't expect the Colts to pass up the situation.

Wide Receiver Is a 'Value Pick'

Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press

Wide receiver wouldn't necessarily come to mind for many people when creating a list of the Colts' biggest needs. After all, the team has T.Y. Hilton, last year's third-round pick Donte Moncrief and recently signed Andre Johnson and potential project Duron Carter.

At the same time, the Colts don't have any sure things after Hilton and Johnson, and the latter will only give the Colts two years at most. It wouldn't be the worst idea in the world to invest in more potential depth at the position.

Fortunately for the Colts, this draft is loaded with wide receivers, and Ryan Grigson agrees:

"

Colts GM Ryan Grigson said there are "value picks" at WR and RB that will be pushed down in the draft.

— Armando Salguero (@ArmandoSalguero) April 23, 2015"

Because of Grigson's comments and the Colts' relative security in the starting lineup at wide receiver, I wouldn't expect an early pick to be used on a receiver, but a late-round pick is very possible, perhaps even probable.

Super Bowl or Bust?

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The Colts made national news when head coach Chuck Pagano's contract extension status was leaked earlier this summer. Despite a 33-15 record over the last three years, three playoff appearances and a trip to the AFC Championship Game last year, Pagano wasn't offered a substantial extension this offseason.

The lack of an extension led to some speculation that this season was, in essence, a "Super Bowl or Bust" season for the Colts and Pagano. With Jim Irsay's ever-growing age, the Colts aren't holding back in their quest for a championship.

But Irsay spoke out this past weekend regarding Pagano, explicitly saying that the season was not a "Super Bowl or Bust" campaign for Pagano and hinting that a contract extension may still happen before the 2015 season, per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star.

Really, there was never any reason to be overly concerned about Pagano's future in Indianapolis. The contract situation is more about both sides wanting to have the most information possible in order to compromise on the money level than it was about whether Pagano was the guy the Colts wanted.

But that doesn't mean this season's expectations have changed.

Steve Andress of Colts.com called the Super Bowl the "unspoken, but understood" goal of the Colts locker room after the first week of OTAs last week. After reaching the conference championship last year, the Colts have thrust themselves into the Super Bowl conversation. Regression is always the enemy. Even if the Colts don't actually make the Super Bowl, they must prove themselves to be a Super Bowl-caliber franchise this season.

That means being among the league's elite teams during the regular season and not rolling over in the postseason, neither of which have happened so far.