Apr 24, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Select NFL prospects stand atop the marquee before for the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

After months of scouting, analyzing, debating, and  waiting, Day 1 of the 2013 NFL Draft is here! By week’s end, six new young and promising players will join the Horseshoe with hopes of making an immediate impact in the NFL and contributing to a winning season for Indianapolis in 2013. Will GM Ryan Grigson choose the right players? If the outcomes of last year’s draft are any indication, Colts fans have a lot to be excited about.

The Colts have a need at several positions, but thankfully quarterback isn’t one of them. Andrew Luck could, however, use some help in the form of protection on the offensive line. A nice tackle, guard, or center would be a nice addition.

Help could also come in the form of a pass rusher, since Dwight Freeney left the team in the offseason as a free agent. And with Donald Brown going in to a contract year, another running back could find himself on the Colts’ roster very soon.

If you were the Colts’ GM, which position would you look to upgrade with the 24th overall pick?

Horseshoe Hero

The Colts have a bye this week, and while their NFL rivals continue to battle it out on the field, the players and coaches of the Horseshoe will sit back and observe. Though the bye comes early for the team this year, long before many of the players – especially the eager rookies – are too fatigued, the timing may actually be ideal. The team will need the extra week to prepare for their next opponents, for they face Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on October 7th. The players will also use the time to rest and hopefully nurse some injuries.

Currently ailing on the Colts are key defensive players Cory Redding, Dwight Freeney, and Pat Angerer. Angerer has vocalized a desire to play next week, and I’m sure the team shares that sentiment. Angerer led the Colts in tackles last year and had a breakout season, but he has yet to see the field this year. The Colts could use his explosiveness, and you can bet Angerer is squeezing every ounce of rehab time that he can out of the bye.

On offense, center Samson Satele will look to mend his ailing knee. The team will also use the bye to familiarize newly-signed receiver Nathan Palmer to the playbook. With Austin Collie out for the year with a knee injury, Palmer will look to make an immediate impact. Guard Joe Reitz will also look to get back on the field.

It will be interesting to see how the Colts’ injury report changes after having a full week of rest. You can be sure the team will come out firing on all cylinders when they hit the field again next week.

Horseshoe Hero will have all the details for you then, but for more Colts news and commentary, you can follow me on Twitter at @catierae08.

Football season is officially back! The Indianapolis Colts will kick off against the St. Louis Rams in their preseason opener at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Shortly thereafter, Andrew Luck will take his first snap as the Colts’ starting quarterback, just the second different starting quarterback in the last 14 years. There’s a lot of buzz and excitement surrounding the new-look 2012 Colts, but there’s also a lot of uncertainty. Roughly 60% of the team’s current roster is new to the Horseshoe; therefore few have proven themselves as reliable team assets. The upside is: We will find out soon enough.

The Colts released their first official depth charts this week for offense, defense, and special teams. They are as follows:

Offense

Defense

Special Teams

The depth charts reflect how the Colts will be positioned in the preseason opener. Keep in mind that things change frequently and dramatically throughout the entirety of training camp and the preseason. I can guarantee the final depth charts the team release will look vastly different from these (except for maybe the quarterback position). To help you get to know the current state of this fresh new team, I recommend reading Paul Kuharsky‘s (writer of ESPN’s AFC South blog) fantastic review of the Colts leading up to their first outing in 2012.

Injured Reserve

It’s not the best way to start off a season, but the Colts also have two players already placed on Injured Reserve, and they will remain there for the entirety of the preseason, regular season, and (if applicable) the playoffs. Both Ben Ijalana and A.J. Edds cleared waivers after suffering season-ending ACL injuries last week. They will remain with the team this year while they heal.

Blackouts, Shmackouts

If preseason sales are any indication, the Colts will not have to black out any televised games this year. The Colts-Rams contest is completely sold out (The only way to win tickets is to win one of Jim Irsay’s highly competitive Twitter contests). I’m thrilled about this early outpouring of fan support. Hopefully support does in fact remain high the entire season, regardless of the outcomes of games. Rebuilding takes time. Success may not be immediate, but it will come at some point.

I hope you are as ready and excited for the Colts’ first preseason outing as I am! I also hope you have enjoyed reading #HorseBytes this offseason. From now on, you can read my post-Colts game reviews in the return of my weekly column “Horseshoe Hero.”

Happy reading, and Go Colts!