Fantasy implications of Colts drafting QB Sam Ehlinger with No. 218 pick

The Indianapolis Colts have drafted former Texas QB Sam Ehlinger with the No. 218 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He joins Carson Wentz, who was recently traded to the team from the Philadelphia Eagles, along with backup Jacob Eason, selected in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

In his fourth season as the Texas Longhorns starting quarterback, Ehlinger completed 60.2% of his passes for 2,566 yards to go along with 26 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also rushed for eight touchdowns and 377 yards in 2020.

Fantasy football impact

Rookie

Outside of an injury to Carson Wentz, it’s unlikely Ehlinger will be a factor in his rookie season. However, Wentz does have an injury history and struggles to protect himself, so the backup quarterback position should be an important race between Ehlinger and Eason. If Ehlinger lands the job, he could be worthy of consideration as a streaming QB if Wentz has to miss any time as he is a tough player and can gain yards with his legs.

Long-term

Ehlinger’s ceiling is not particularly high all of his strengths and weaknesses were on display for four years in college. With so much experience at a high-profile school, there is not a whole lot we do not know about him. Ehlinger has the leadership skills to be an NFL quarterback, but he struggled with accuracy at the college level. If he can find the field at some point, Ehlinger will need to take advantage of it and show he can make a difference as a pro. He projects to be a career backup with an outside chance at being a back-end QB1 at some point.