NFL: Why the Indianapolis Colts are set up for success

Chris Ballard collecting draft capital and other assets

About two years ago I said that the Colts and the Jets were competing for who had the worst roster in the NFL. From their 20 draft picks between 2013 and 2015, there are only two players remaining on this Indy team today.

So in the midst of the playoffs at the start of 2017 they had to bring someone in to turn things around and build a team that could compete for a championship down the road. With that in mind, they decided to hire Chris Ballard as their GM after he had worked as director of player personnel and then football operations for the Chiefs.

When he first started the job, instead of reaching for high-priced free agent he opted to sign some under-the-radar guys like Jabaal Sheard, Al Woods, Margus Hunt and others to bolster the defensive front. While they decided to release some other guys, none of those contracts really restricted the organizations going forward.

When April rolled around, Ballard put together an outstanding first draft class and I thought he showed veteran savvy with the patience he put on display. With three trades for quarterbacks ahead of their first pick and the way the board shook up, nobody from the 10th pick on was really a threat to pick a safety and the Colts ended up with Malik Hooker at 15 overall, who I thought was a top-five prospect.

With a rangy free safety in his pocket, Ballard went for a physical press-corner in Quincy Wilson and a gifted edge rusher in Tarrell Basham the next two rounds. However, it’s what he did later on drafting future starters in Marlon Mack, Nate Hairston and Anthony Walker that really stands out to me.

He also was one of the few people I can remember that actually got the better in deals with Belichick, receiving a fourth-round pick for tight-end Dwayne Allen because he knew what he had in Jack Doyle and then giving up former first-round pick Phillip Dorsett the following September, who clearly failed to reach expectations, in favor of Jacoby Brissett, who ended up starting all but the season-opener in 2017 with Luck recovering and to me is better than about five or six starters in this league.

Since the rebuild was still in progress the Colts, they had to let go of Chuck Pagano and find a new head coach. In one of the weirdest sequences in recent memory, Josh McDaniels decided to pull back and remain the Patriots offensive coordinator, after the Colts had already set up his opening press conference.

However, not only did I like Ballard’s comments of the rivalry being back on, his second option in Frank Reich might be the best hire among all new coaches. Indy also ended up with the third overall pick in this year’s draft and that will prove to be a major key in this process.

With the Jets desperate for a franchise quarterback, Ballard robbed them for two second-round picks this year and another two in 2019, plus their fifth overall pick obviously. After making what the GM called “the easiest pick in his career” by selecting Quenton Nelson, he drafted my Defensive Rookie of the Year in Darius Leonard and another starter in Braden Smith with the next two selections.

When the 49th pick rolled around and he realized none of the next four teams were looking for an edge guy, he traded down to 52 and still got Kemoko Turay from Rutgers, who I already said I think could develop into a true impact player, and with the additional fifth-round pick he got running back Jordan Wilkins, who started their first three games.

Ballard also drafted a former Big Ten D-lineman of the year in Tyquan Lewis, a gadget player in Nyheim Hines and although he got hurt, a sixth-round steal in Clemson WR Deion Cain.

These two draft classes combined with some of the key free agents and the fact that they didn’t just throw money at the big names on the market has put the Colts on its way to building one the premiere rosters in the league, after I thought they had one of the worst just a couple of years ago.

Ballard has assembled a load of young talent, still has an extra second-round pick next April and the only team ahead of them in total cap space are the Browns, as they have more than 50 million dollars to spend next offseason.