In The Athletic’s most recent mock draft, the Indianapolis Colts discussed the linebacker position in the second round.
With no first-round picks in this year’s NFL draft, the Colts’ first pick wouldn’t come until the next day at No. 47.
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In Nick Baumgardner’s latest mock draft, the Colts select Cincinnati linebacker Jack Goldy.
Goldie, who is listed at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, played more than 2,000 defensive snaps during his career at the collegiate level. He excelled as a blitzer and in 2025, he became one of PFF’s highest-graded running backs at the linebacker position.
Defensively, he held opponents to less than 9.0 yards per catch while forcing three pass breakups.
For more on Golday, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein writes in his draft profile:
“Gorday is a long, explosive linebacker best suited to work near the line of scrimmage. He attacks climb blockers with heavy, aggressive hands. He also displays the power to stack, compress gaps and finish with authority. While he excels at the point of attack, he can be a little late in diagnosing play design and sometimes needs to use a more preemptive downhill trigger. He is more powerful than elusive as a blitzer and is average in coverage.”
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It felt like there was quite a need at linebacker last offseason. However, the issue remained largely unresolved until the start of the 2025 season, when general manager Chris Ballard signed Germaine Pratt after he was fired by Las Vegas.
Now this offseason, linebacker appears to be a priority once again. On the one hand, depth is necessary, but Ballard also mentioned the defense as a whole needs to get younger and faster. While he didn’t specifically mention linebacker when making these comments, it seems to apply directly to the position.
As Zierlein noted, Goldie performed better closer to the line of scrimmage and was “average” in coverage. With Zaire Franklin still under contract, the Colts are closer to the line of scrimmage but will need more coverage help at the position.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Indianapolis Colts address linebackers in recent mocks
