1 month ago
4
Indianapolis Colts outside linebacker Darius Leonard (53) celebrates after making an interception Sunday, Jan. 2, 2022, during a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Colts have been down this road before. Chris Ballard is no stranger to being without a first-round pick. Whether trading out of the first round or using the pick to acquire DeForest Buckner and Carson Wentz, Ballard has shown an ability to make it work. He will have to come up big again as Sauce Gardner serves as the number one pick this year. Considering what past results have been, it shouldn’t be a time to panic.
Ballard has plenty of issues when it comes to the draft, but his knack for using Day 2 to fill out a roster has produced some definite gems. There are some less than stellar selections like Tarell Basham, Ben Banogu, Jelani Woods, JuJu Brents, and Adonai Mitchell that stand out, but that lack of success doesn’t always fall squarely on Ballard. He has had some masterful draft cards turned in on Day 2 that have shaped the roster in significant ways.
Current contributors like Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, Bernhard Raimann, and Matt Goncalves were all selected in the second and mainly third rounds. Let’s also drop in a major contributor in Jonathan Taylor who wins games single handedly sometimes. Michael Pittman Jr. and Nick Cross left this offseason, but their contributions cannot be overlooked as well.
2020 is a close second with Pittman, Taylor, and Julian Blackmon, but the 2018 class might just edge them out, at least when looking at the overall draft. Day 2 produced Tyquan Lewis, Braden Smith, and Shaquille Leonard. Leonard himself made this one of the better Day 2s because he was unknown yet took the league by storm. It was a short ride, but he was one of the most disruptive players with a nose for making big plays that the Colts have ever seen.
Day 2 is always key, but this year, it is essential. The margin for error is greatly reduced and filling out a competent roster requires hitting on both picks. The Colts need defensive help and most likely a receiver. Expect them to look there. Whatever they do, it needs to hit like Jonathan Taylor in 2020 or Shaquille Leonard in 2018. Anything less and this might be all she wrote when it comes to Chris Ballard’s time with the Colts.
