Did you miss the GameStop stock craze? Well, if you did, we have good news for you, Indianapolis Colts fans.
You can always buy stock in general manager Chris Ballard, who’s established himself as one of the best executives in the NFL ever since coming on board in 2017.
His work on the trade market and during the draft is arguably unrivaled.
And if we specifically want to talk about the draft … well, he’s in a league of his own, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Colts official Twitter account took notice and put out the perfect (and absolutely hilarious) tweet in response to Ballard’s success and consistency during draft weekend.
In case you forgot, they’re here to remind you.
https://twitter.com/Colts/status/1367876148793913345?s=20
Petition to make Ballard the official Stonk Man! We need it. He’s got the face. He’s got the hair. He’s got the track record. Book it.
Speaking of the track record, shall we go through it? Yeah, why not. It makes us feel good, and it’ll get fans excited for this year’s draft, which actually isn’t far off. It’ll be here before you know it.
Colts GM Chris Ballard’s top draft picks since 2017
Here are the top names Ballard has selected since taking over four years ago:
2017 NFL Draft
- Malik Hooker
- Marlon Mack
- Grover Stewart
- Anthony Walker
2018 NFL Draft
- Quenton Nelson
- Darius Leonard
- Braden Smith
- Nyheim Hines
2019 NFL Draft
- Rock Ya-Sin
- Parris Campbell
- Bobby Okereke
- Khari Willis
- Marvell Tell
2020 NFL Draft
- Michael Pittman Jr.
- Jonathan Taylor
- Julian Blackmon
- Danny Pinter
- Rodrigo Blankenship (undrafted)
And don’t forget he traded the Colts’ 2020 first-round pick for DeForest Buckner!
When I announced the #Colts draft pick after waiting in the green room for 5 hours & Chris Ballard texted me & said they were trading the pick..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 10, 2021
I was so defeated but he texted me 1 minute before the pick & I was back in the game #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/K3Zf3C00Ub
He loves wheeling and dealing to acquire more assets, and he knows exactly how to make use of them — whether it’s hitting on picks or turning around and using those assets to get an impact player.
But this offseason, Ballard will be tasked with a much different challenge. He’s going to have to strike big in free agency. He already brought Carson Wentz to town and likely ended up on the better side of that deal. Now, luring in studs to support his new QB and bolster the already-promising defense will be crucial to finish off this job that’s been four years in the making.
We’re betting that his stock will be at an all-time high come May.
Colts draft: 3 defensive backs Indy can trade back for
The Colts' best course of action would be to trade down in the draft, get back some of the picks they lost, and try to conduct a DB-heavy draft.