The Indianapolis Colts will continue to wait before making their first selection after trading back from the 47th overall pick in a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This move doesn't come as a surprise, considering that GM Chris Ballard has hinted on a few occasions this offseason that he wanted to accumulate more draft capital.
"Don't construe aggressive for moving up," Ballard said in his pre-draft press conference. "Like to me, being aggressive can also be moving back and then moving around and acquiring more picks then moving -- like I just think we'll be active. That's probably a better word."
The Colts received picks 53, 135 (fourth round), and 237 (seventh round). In return, they traded picks 47 and 249 to Pittsburgh.
Breaking Colts - Steelers trade down with Rich Hill value chart
Using the Rich Hill trade value chart as our guide to judge this trade, this was a fair deal for both teams. Both teams acquired 125 points in draft pick value.
The Colts entered the draft with a modest seven picks in total, including only two in the top 100, but still have several needs to address. Ballard also believes that Day 2 into early Day 3 has good depth in this draft class.
The board has also fallen well for the Colts at key positions, giving them the confidence to trade back, accumulate picks, and still land players they are high on.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2026 NFL draft: Why did the Colts trade down in Round 2?