The Kenny Moore replacement project

(AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper)

Following the breaking news late last week of The Colts and cornerback Kenny Moore mutually coming to an agreement to seek a trade, the Colts once again find themselves in the predicament of needing yet another defensive back. Could the Colts be thinking about snagging a short-term free agent? Adding a younger corner through a potential trade? Or are Chris Ballard and company once again looking ahead to the draft for a potential answer? 

While hard to predict, it’s easy to point to the Colts' most recent top thirty visits, in which they hosted a healthy number of cornerbacks that could replace Moore. But this isn’t ruling out the possibility of the Colts leaning on upcoming 2^nd year cornerback Justin Walley, who was looking to take the league by storm after an impressive training camp before his unfortunate season ending ACL injury. But is that an entirely logical move? Chris Ballard’s offseason goal has been to add depth, so why wouldn’t you take a chance on a young up and coming player through the draft to add insurance. Seeing as last season's collapse came partially due to the number of injuries the Colts sustained over that final two-month stretch at the end of 2025. 

There is no doubt that replacing such a tenured Colts player in Kenny Moore II will be difficult. Proudly wearing the horseshoe for most of his career, Moore has over 21 interceptions, 596 tackles, with close to 70 pass deflections and over 10 sacks with the Colts alone. With a clear and cut motivation, Moore did all of that with a 5’9 frame and his weight of only 190lbs; so, whoever the Colts look to acquire will have to also replace one of the best competitors, teammates and leaders on and off the field for the Circle City.  

Interestingly, with the question of who will step up to take Moore’s place lingering, one man is practically presenting himself as a Kenny Moore copy. Who? University of Indiana alumni and National champion D’Angelo Ponds. Similarly standing at 5’9 with an even smaller weight of 182lbs, Ponds has done nothing but impress thus far, as he continues to shoot up draft boards. He plays bigger than his size as a corner, taking full control of the field he is playing on, anticipating the quarterbacks every move. What has become one of his most famous plays from his collegiate career came in the college football playoff semifinal, the rematch of Oregon vs Indiana. Ponds, Quicker than you can bat an eye, jumps Oregon receiver Malik Bensons route and intercepts Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, scoring a pick six not even 20 seconds into the game on the first play from scrimmage. But there is so much more to admire about Ponds’ play; as he isn’t a cornerback who purely looks to get that next highlight reel type play. Ponds often looks to break up or do anything he needs to, to ensure the opposing offense is inept in their offensive progressions.  

Ponds’ production is off the charts, as he impressively scored first in production on NFL.com in combine performances. Every player does have their issues though; so Ponds’ lack of experience at the nickel position must be noted. Therefore, there is a level of concern about what his transition into the NFL might look like. As one can also point to the competition the Hoosiers faced throughout the season as a potential read on how Ponds handles elite competition, which is not even close to the quality of receivers he will eventually face in the NFL.  

With that being said, Ponds has an eye for film which translates directly to his play, as his IQ on the field stands out as one of his most attractive traits. With such an attentive football philosophy, Ponds should be able to adapt relatively quickly from an objective view despite his smaller size and lack of experience in the nickel role. Especially for the Colts, you would see them potentially banking on just that, as they know what they can get out of the Ponds type build ex. Kenny Moore, Mike Hilton. While their time playing under Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was limited, Anarumo always worked to scheme Moore and Hilton into the best situations for them to be able to play to their full potential and strengths, holding them to a high standard of consistent success. So, you can safely assume that with the news of Moore requesting a trade, Anarumo’s eyes wondered to Ponds as the replacement option. Especially with Ponds laying the framework for coaches to gain a certain comfortability with him in the building, as loyalty is one of the many words to describe him. Following current Hoosier's coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison University to Indiana was a risk, but Ponds trusted his coach and transferred to compete in the vision laid out by the 2024 and 2025 AP coach of the year. 

It can be considered quite bold to commit to a prospect being the guy to replace such an established piece of the Colts team. Especially with other intriguing slot/nickel prospects in the draft cycle including but not limited to; Keionte Scott (Miami), Jadon Canady (Oregon), or Chandler Rivers (Duke), all having strong upsides that could course the Colts in their direction. But none are as well established and as strong of a prospect as Ponds. Perhaps the only thing stopping Chris Ballard from pulling Ponds' card down from their big board on draft night is their need for other positions in the draft. Defensive end and linebacker remain glaring needs for the Colts; they are not a position the Colts can continue to hold out on and wait until the 5^th or 6^th round to draft.  

Ballard clearly intends on getting more picks in the draft, which could be one avenue the Colts could go down in order to make sure they get both good starting potential and depth at their positions of need. But D’Angelo Ponds is more than likely a late 1^st to mid 2^nd round pick judging by recent projections from various draft analysis sites. So, the Colts would need to evaluate if Ponds is enough of a fix to their new Kenny Moore problem for them to spend their first pick on him instead of another player.  

The Colts would find themselves once again looking at Justin Walley’s recovery, judging whether they can rely on him to fully recover and play to the level he was in camp a year ago. And with Walley unable to play last year at all, Ponds and Walley are likely to be at the same point experience wise, which makes the potential decision all the more strenuous.  

As we approach the NFL draft next week, expect conversations like this to continue. The hustle for the Colts to compete at the same rate as they did in the first half of the 2025 season is of utmost importance. D’Angelo Ponds contributing to that effort both makes sense and would get both Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen closer to the benchmark of making the postseason, therefore keeping their jobs. But we are in the prime nail-biting portion of the draft cycle. Waiting and seeing has never felt so hard. So, patience is all that can be preached in this next cluster of days leading up to April 23^rd-25^th. 

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