Colts feel like they hit the lottery in the NFL Draft

Mar 1, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard talks to the media during the 2022 NFL Combine. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard talks to the media during the 2022 NFL Combine. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Indianapolis Colts have released footage from the Draft weekend that shows how pleased they are with their selections.

Entering the NFL Draft, teams always have a plan of what they want to happen but it’s pretty rare that things unfold that way. Once the chaos of the Draft starts, teams are trading, players are flying off the board, and franchises just have to make do.

However, every now and then, things fall perfectly into place for teams. They have a special weekend where they’re lucky enough to leave the Draft with the players that were atop their big board.

That was the Indianapolis Colts in the 2022 NFL Draft. Indy didn’t even have a first-round pick and the team traded back deeper into the second round.

However, the Colts were able to land all three guys that they thought they would have to decide between with their first pick. Indy detailed the special night in the final installment of their draft series “With The Next Pick.”

Colts documented the perfect draft night

In the 24-minute finale episode, Indy’s war room made the calculated decision to move back in the second round. Then, they are captured debating whether they should select Alec Pierce or Jelani Woods at No. 53.

Head coach Frank Reich said it was a 50-50 call and that he struggled to pick one guy because he sees them as a combination.

The Colts ultimately decided on Pierce and showed footage from early April to show how long they’ve been high on him. However, they were still able to complete their package deal.

In the third round, when Indy was back on the clock at No. 73, Woods was still available for the team to select. Once it became a reality, Ballard jumped out of his seat and said that he’s “sweated that for the last hour and a half.”

Going two-for-two would’ve been great, a lot better than most teams do. But, the unthinkable happened, and Bernhard Raimann slid into the third round and Indianapolis was able to select him 77th overall.

Once the pick was in, Ballard said, “How about that. We got all three of them.”

Teams couldn’t ask for a better draft day than the one the Colts had. Their first three picks were guys they would’ve selected if they never moved from No. 42 overall.

However, they were able to trade back and acquire more selections to be able to get all three players. To make the night even better, Indy traded into the third round for one final pick and selected Nick Cross.

Indy said that night felt like the lottery and that’s a pretty good description because it’s extremely rare for a team to be able to go down their board like that. Now it’s time for the players to cash in the ticket and show out on the field.