Fancy Combine numbers won’t sway Colts

The Colts won’t get wooed by flashy numbers at this week’s combine. Expect them to stay measured in their approach.

There are Combine wonders every single year. Players put up flashy numbers and then skyrocket up draft boards. D.K. Metcalf is one name from last season that did that exact thing. In that case, it worked out as he had a great rookie season for the Seahawks.

But for every Metcalf there is a Darrius Heyward-Bey. Receiver is a position that is notorious for teams reaching because of gaudy Combine numbers, namely the 40 yard-dash. Receiver is a position of need this season for the Colts, but don’t expect them to deviate from their plan at all.

While Chris Ballard has said a draft prospect needs to hit certain number thresholds, he has made it clear that combine interview matter far more to him and his team. It’s what allowed Bobby Okereke to sneak his way onto the team after some documented troubles at Stanford.

Ballard cares way more about the mental makeup than he does the physical traits. He wants players who are smart, hard-working, and unselfish. Those type of players fit into the culture that he has built in Indianapolis. There’s no doubt he has a list of players in his office that fit just that mold from this year’s draft.

If you want to know who the team is really interested in drafting, look at who they have in for draft interviews. Those will be the players atop Ballard’s draft board and are most likely to become future Colts.