Do combine measurables matter to the Colts?

This week, the combine is in Indianapolis for it’s annual evaluation of the top prospects in football. Today is measurable day. Do those measurables matter to the brass running the Colts?

Measureables are a good indicator of what a player’s potential could be. It shows how athletic the player is and can be in the future. But they have never told the full story of how good a player is. And that begs the question; does Chris Ballard care about measurables?

To an extent, yes he does. All teams care how a player is built and what his size is. That again goes back to the athleticism part of it. But Ballard has shown that he cares more about production in college than he does pure measurables. He proved that in last year’s draft.

Darius Leonard didn’t blow anyone away last season with his workouts. And his measurables are pretty average. But he was an extremely productive player at South Carolina State at the FCS ranks. Ballard saw that, and decided to draft him in the second round. Now he’s an All-Pro guy.

That certainly won’t be the case with every player the Colts draft. Nyheim Hines got drafted because of how fast he ran the 40-yard dash at the combine. The Colts liked his speed. But pure workouts at the combine don’t mean as much as other things teams get to do with players.

Interviews matter much more to the Colts than their numbers at the combine. They want to make sure a player is a fit within their scheme and culturally within the organization. That is one thing that Ballard has stayed remarkably consistent with in his tenure.

Expect that to stay the same this year. Ballard will keep true to himself and his philosophy.