Sports

The Indianapolis Colts' 5 Worst Draft Picks in the Last 10 Years

By HC Green Lindys Sports

Updated June 12, 2026 6:21 AM

Drafting is an inexact science. Even the best of the best miss for any number of reasons-injuries, poor scheme fit, off-the-field issues, lack of development, and so on. With the 2026 NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror, things should be quiet on the personnel side until training camps open in July.

With that in mind, it seems like the perfect time to go back over the last 10 drafts to identify picks which didn't pan out for each of the 32 clubs. Before we begin, let's set the ground rules: We're starting with the 2016 draft, so no players from the 2026 draft are eligible.

Now that we've established the parameters, here are the Indianapolis Colts' five worst draft picks of the past decade:

Dishonorable Mentions

DB T.J. Green (57th Overall, 2016)
LB Kemoko Turay (52nd Overall, 2018)
LB Ben Banogu (49th Overall, 2019)
TE Jelani Woods (73rd Overall, 2022)

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5) WR Parris Campbell, 59th Overall (2019)

Fans envisioned Campbell developing into a go-to target for Andrew Luck. Instead, Luck abruptly retired before the start of the 2019 season, and Campbell battled a series of injuries that limited him to 15 games across his first three years combined. He did catch 63 balls in 2022, but Indy let Campbell walk in free agency, and he'd catch just 26 passes over the remainder of his career before retiring this spring.

4) CB Julius Brents, 44th Overall (2023)

Brents was intimately familiar with the trainer's room in Indianapolis, battling wrist, hamstring, and quad injuries as a rookie, and then tearing his meniscus and MCL in 2024. He dealt with another bum hammy in camp before last season, leading to his release. One pick after Brents, the Lions selected Pro Bowl DB Brian Branch.

3) CB Quincy Wilson, 46th Overall (2017)

After failing to unseat Rashaan Melvin for a starting spot in camp, Wilson found himself a healthy scratch for much of his rookie year, only returning when injuries thinned the team's options at the position. Wilson did little the following two seasons and was dealt to the Jets for a seventh-round pick in 2020-he lasted three games with Gang Green before being let go.

2) WR Adonai Mitchell, 52nd Overall (2024)

A second-round pick just a little over two years ago, Mitchell wore out his welcome in near-record time. His lone "highlight" in 25 games with the Colts was a premature celebration where he fumbled the ball through the end zone for a touchback. Mitchell was traded to the Jets in November, along with two first-round picks, for Sauce Gardner.

1) QB Anthony Richardson, 4th Overall (2023)

Pick an issue, any issue. A supremely talented athlete, Richardson has been injury-prone, inaccurate, and even infamously removed himself from a game due to being out of breath. The team thinks so little of him that it handed Daniel Jones a two-year, $88 million deal even though Jones is coming off a torn Achilles. Richardson might resurrect his career somewhere someday, but from the Colts' perspective, this is a monumental bust.

This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 6:00 AM.