Ballard: Colts Comfortable With Luck’s Health

Talking about the team’s current draft position, Colts GM Chris Ballard let everyone know that he expects Andrew Luck to be fully healthy next year.

During a press conference on Friday, Chris Ballard again gave an update on Andrew Luck’s health. He said that Luck still hasn’t thrown an NFL football and that’s okay. They want to make sure that they don’t skip steps in the rehab process.

But Ballard also reiterated that the team expects Luck to be fully healthy in time for the season. He explained that the move from three down to six in the draft showed that they are comfortable with Luck’s health.

Trading down to the sixth position did indicate that the team isn’t looking at quarterbacks. The Colts are expected to take one of three players in the sixth spot: guard Quenton Nelson, defensive end Bradley Chubb, or safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Running back Saquon Barkley is not expected to last that long.

Ballard also talked about how the Colts could potentially look later in the draft to get a pass rusher. If Chubb is off the board early, they could look later in the draft to get a good rusher. Ballard said that teams can get solid pass rushers later in the draft, and he very well could be right.

Luck’s overall health is the most important factor in this draft. Because the team expects him to be healthy, they can work on drafting players around him to improve the overall roster. The team needs help at almost every position, so it is helpful they don’t need to worry about quarterback.

Next: 2018 NFL Draft: Times for Colts Fans

Hopefully Luck will continue to improve in his rehab and progress the way the Colts need him to. If he’s back to full health before the season starts, the Colts will improve in a big way.