Colts GM: 'Misconception' About Draft Plans amid Will Levis, C.J. Stroud, QB Rumors

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard is pushing back against some of the recent reports about his team's plans going into the 2023 NFL draft.

Speaking to reporters on Friday, Ballard called it a "misconception" that the Colts are targeting one specific player.

While the veteran GM didn't specifically name the player, there has been growing speculation that Will Levis is the Colts' preferred choice with the No. 4 pick.

NFL Network's Peter Schrager said on Thursday's episode of Good Morning Football he's heard "Colts, Colts, Colts" for Levis from people in the NFL after he put out his mock draft earlier in the week.

Schrager's mock actually had the Colts trading up to get the No. 2 overall pick from the Houston Texans to select Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.

ESPN's Matt Miller reported on Friday one AFC scout said the Colts "want" Levis, but things would get complicated for them if Stroud is still on the board.

"The Colts would probably love for someone to jump them and select Stroud so they can take Levis," another scout told Miller.

Things at the top of the draft could be getting more unsettled amid rumors that the Texans could pass on a quarterback with the second pick if Bryce Young ends up going No. 1 to the Carolina Panthers.

Miller previously reported Houston "isn't sold" on the potential first-round quarterbacks after Young, and Alabama edge Will Anderson Jr. is the top-ranked prospect overall on the team's draft board.

Even though everything teams say leading up to the draft should be taken with a grain of salt, Ballard's statement that the Colts aren't locked in on a single player is probably as close to absolute truth as any general manager will give right now.

It seems likely at this point that Levis could be available to the Colts at No. 4, but what happens if a quarterback-needy team really likes him and moves into the No. 3 spot by trading with the Arizona Cardinals?

Other than the Panthers, who control the draft with top overall pick, it would be foolish for any team to only be targeting one player right now.