Stampede Blue
According to ESPN’s ‘panel of football experts,’ which includes analysts Ben Solak, Louis Riddick, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder, the Indianapolis Colts rank just 27th in ‘future power rankings’ ahead of the 2025 campaign:
7. Indianapolis Colts
Overall score: 70.6
Reason for hope: Optimism abounds already in Indianapolis, where Anthony Richardson Sr. is stacking solid days during training camp. If he can stay healthy and emerge with the rest of the young corps of targets coalescing around him, the Colts will fly up these rankings — especially if their two new starters on the offensive line, Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves, hit. Can they get a better season out of edge rusher Laiatu Latu in Year 2 as well? — Solak
Reason for concern: Can Richardson overcome questions surrounding his ability to play at a consistently high level from an execution standpoint? When you invest the No. 4 pick in the quarterback position as an organization, you have to get better ROI than what the Colts have received from Richardson so far. — Riddick
Nugget to know: There are a number of models for completion percentage over expected that are adjusted based on the depth of passes. But based on my model, Richardson had a minus-10.4% CPOE last season. That’s the worst figure for any quarterback with at least 200 pass attempts since Blaine Gabbert posted a minus-10.5% in 2011. — Schatz
Bold prediction: Second-year Colts quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, selected early in the 2026 draft after a season that made it clear neither Richardson nor Daniel Jones was Indianapolis’ future, will finish in the top 10 in QBR, giving the Colts hope for a bright future. — Walder
For those keeping score at home, the Colts are only ahead of the Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, and New Orleans Saints in these 2025 future power rankings respectively.
Right now, the Colts best players are defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (31), left guard Quenton Nelson (29), and running back Jonathan Taylor (26).
It’s an Indianapolis roster that currently lacks stars at premium positions and really clearly blossoming standouts under the age of 25-years-old.
That’s not to say there isn’t young talent.
Anthony Richardson is talented.
AD Mitchell is talented.
Laiatu Latu is talented.
Tyler Warren is talented.
None of them have shown it consistently on the field for an entire season (*although in Warren’s case, to be fair, he’s a brand new rookie and hasn’t even had the opportunity yet).
The Colts could truly ascend these rankings if it all clicks for Anthony Richardson both on-and-off the field, but time will tell, as the still 23-year-old quarterback has been inconsistent and injury prone to-date.
