The Indianapolis Colts entered the 2024 NFL Draft with seven picks, and through Chris Ballard’s strategy, they ended up selecting nine players. On top of getting some key guys and depth pieces, Ballard managed to silence a lot of criticism. Leading up to the draft, he had been criticized for being too conservative and has also been accused of not getting the best talent to help the team. This skepticism was nullified over the weekend as Ballard nailed this year’s NFL Draft.
How Chris Ballard Nailed the 2024 NFL Draft
Selecting the Best Defensive Player in the Draft
The 2024 NFL Draft started with the Ballard selecting the first defensive player of the night, edge rusher Laiatu Latu. Highly considered as one of the best defensive players in the draft, the Colts will certainly benefit from his talent. He played two healthy seasons at UCLA and in his last season, he was awarded the 2023 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. He also won the Ted Hendrick’s Award and the Vince Lombardi Award. In 2023, he also led the Pac-12 in sacks with 13 and tackles for loss with 22.
What makes Latu such a great fit is that he will alleviate a lot of pressure from the Colts’ young and inexperienced secondary. The hope is that Ballard will still try and get a veteran in free agency. However, until then, they have a weapon that can get after the quarterback. Thus being a great help to a struggling secondary. If the opposing quarterback does not have time to throw, the secondary’s job is easier.
Getting Anthony Richardson More Weapons
Chris Ballard selected two wide receivers in the 2024 NFL Draft. In the second round, Ballard traded back with the Carolina Panthers to get the 52nd pick and two additional fifth-round picks. With the 52nd overall pick, the Colts selected wide receiver Adonai Mitchell from the University of Texas. Mitchell is an intriguing pick at 52 because he was projected to go much higher. By all accounts, it would appear that the Colts got a steal with this pick. Mitchell is a deep threat who will pair well with Josh Downs and Michael Pittman Jr.
As mentioned, the Colts received two additional fifth-round picks and with one of those picks, they selected wide receiver Anthony Gould with the 142nd overall pick. Although, Gould is a smaller receiver at 5’8″ he is versatile because he can play on special teams as a return man and can be explosive in the slot.
Solidifying More Protection for Anthony Richardson
One of the keys to becoming an elite team is protecting the most important position on the field. Quarterback Anthony Richardson is the future of the Colts and therefore it is imperative to keep him healthy and give him the best chance to succeed as a passer. Teams can only achieve this by shoring up the offensive line. In this year’s NFL Draft, Chris Ballard did not forget the importance of protection. With back-to-back picks in the third and fourth rounds, the Colts selected two offensive tackles. The first was Matt Goncalves in the third round and the second was Tanor Bortolini in the fourth round.
Adding Young Depth on Defense
With the last four picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, Chris Ballard went all defense and selected two defensive backs, one linebacker, and one defensive tackle. To make this happen, he traded back one of his additional fifth-round picks with the Philadelphia Eagles for another sixth-round pick. Even though late-round draft picks get overlooked, Ballard has found some gems in almost every draft. Training camp will be the determiner of whether these players can make the roster and make an impact on defense. With Ballard’s track record, some of these guys might become starters within the first two years.
The Colts selected linebacker Jaylon Carlies in the fifth round. They selected cornerback Jaylin Simpson in the fifth round as well. In the sixth round, they selected cornerback Micah Abraham and with their final pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Chris Ballard and the Colts selected defensive tackle Jonah Laulu in the seventh round.
Main Photo: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
