#5 – Colts trade for DeForest Buckner (2020)
The Colts weren’t going to let Tom Brady head to Tampa Bay and steal all of the headlines. In the wake of that maneuver, Indy made a big move to trade for DeForest Buckner in 2020.
The Colts sent the San Francisco 49ers the 13th overall pick in that year’s draft to acquire the Pro Bowl defensive tackle. In Buckner’s first year in Indianapolis, he became a first-team All-Pro defensive tackle and has been a pillar for the Colts defense.
The 13th and 245th overall picks from the 49ers were used to trade with the Buccaneers to acquire the 14th and 117th overall picks.
The Bucs used the 13th overall pick to take Tristan Wirfs, which is the reason this trade falls this low in the rankings. A player like Wirfs would have solidified the Colts offensive line in 2020 and 2021.
The 49ers ended using the 117th overall pick with the 31st and 176th to trade up to the 25th overall pick with the Minnesota Vikings to select Brandon Aiyuk.
#4 – Quincy Wilson traded to the Jets (2020)
This trade seemed insignificant at first because Ballard was moving on from the former second-round pick to get a sixth-round pick in return.
No one realized what the sixth-round pick would amount to, though. The Colts used that pick to draft little-known corner Isaiah Rodgers, who is turning into a solid player for the Colts defense.
In Rodgers’ two seasons on the Colts roster, he has already been more productive than Wilson ever was. This season, with Rock Ya-Sin being traded away, Rodgers will be competing for the starting position on the outside.
If Rodgers continues to develop, he could turn into an absolute stud in Indy on the outside for years to come.
#3 – Henry Anderson traded to the Jets (2018)
For a while there, the New York Jets were called the New York Colts, because they were getting a lot of ex-Colts players. Henry Anderson being traded in 2018 was the start of this thought process.
Anderson was a decent player, but never truly panned out for the Colts during his time. He was traded to the Jets for a sixth-round pick.
The sixth-round pick was used by the Colts to draft linebacker Zaire Franklin, who became an integral part of the special teams. Franklin became a special teams captain before earning a starting spot on the Colts defense.
Anderson was never has important as Franklin is, and this measurement earns Franklin a top spot in Ballard’s trade history.