Where they were drafted

• Daniel Scott, S, California: 5th round, No. 158 overall
• Titus Leo, DE, Wagner: 6th round, No. 211 overall
• Jake Witt, T, Northern Michigan: 7th round, No. 236 overall

The Big Picture

The Colts envisioned Daniel Scott as baseline a core special teams player with upside to play on defense as a rookie. But Scott tore his ACL in June – though he was a constant presence around his teammates at practice during his rookie season. 

That last part left a positive impression on general manager Chris Ballard, who specifically mentioned Scott during his post-season January press conference. 

"We were really excited about Scott," Ballard said. "He tears his ACL during OTAs – let me tell you about him, he did not miss one day of practice. I don't know if I've ever been around a kid that just every day in the same spot paying attention, dialing in mentally – every single day from training camp to the end of the year. The kid didn't miss a day. So, getting him back will be good for our back end.

"He's smart. He's athletic. We really liked what we saw the limited time that we had him."

Titus Leo was the only one of this group to appear in the Colts' three preseason games – he totaled 10 tackles, one sack and one pass break-up before sustaining an injury in the Colts' preseason finale that landed him on injured reserve. 

The Colts plucked Leo from an under-the-radar Wagner program, with his athleticism and physicality standing out. 

"He's got speed and toughness," Ballard said. "(Those are) good traits to work with."

With their final pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Colts took a flier on Jake Witt, whose football backstory is legitimately unique. Pointing to Witt's off-the-charts athletic testing numbers for a 6-foot-7, 300-pound player and his eagerness to learn, the Colts figured he was worth a draft pick – instead of risking him signing elsewhere as an undrafted free agent. 

"I remember sitting in the draft room (in the spring) just watching his workout and I was like, 'Dang, I'm going to draft this dude just off the workout,'" Ballard said. "Look, he's raw and it's going to take him some time. Remember when we signed Mo (Alie-Cox) a few years back, basketball player.

"Now, (Witt) had some experience playing, but I mean he's 6-7, 300 pounds. He ran 4.8, he verticaled 37 (inches). He's got all the athletic traits you look for. He hasn't played a lot of football. So, we'll see if we can develop him. I think we can.

"We sent Tony (Sparano Jr.) to work him out. Tony came back raving saying, 'Look, I think we can make this guy a player.' Then I knew the competition was going to be so heavy after the draft, I said, 'Screw it. We're just going to draft him.'"