Colts draft TE Will Mallory in 5th round

The Indianapolis Colts selected Miami tight end Will Mallory in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 162nd overall.

Mallory put up a career-high 538 yards on 42 receptions in 2022.

He was the Colts' fourth pick of Day 3, with BYU offensive tackle Blake Freeland, Northwestern defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore, and South Carolina cornerback Darius Rush selected before him.

Indianapolis struggled to get much production from its tight ends last season. Jelani Woods led the position group with 312 receiving yards.

Pre-draft profile

Despite playing tight end for the Hurricanes, Mallory may be better suited as a receiver in the NFL. He's got the speed (4.54 40-yard dash), leaping ability (36.5-inch vertical), and catch-and-run skills to be a big slot, occasionally lining up at tight end to be a mismatch on interior linebackers. Mallory ran a lot of underneath routes that relied on him making defenders miss or breaking tackles to pick up yardage and did so to great effect. There's room for improvement at the top of his routes, as he lacks some of the speed adjustments and hesitations that elite route-runners show off to gain extra separation. Mallory is also susceptible to being knocked off his desired path and taking big hits after the catch, but that concern would be alleviated, at least partially, if he moved to receiver. Putting on extra muscle and getting more creative with his routes will benefit Mallory regardless of where he lines up.