The Indianapolis Colts haven’t been able to hit on all of their draft picks and it may be time to grant a recent draft miss a fresh start.
Historically, the Indianapolis Colts have been pretty good in the NFL Draft. That trend continued when Chris Ballard took over as the team’s general manager back in 2017. Ballard has developed a reputation for excellent draft selections as well as quality draft-day trades.
However, perfection doesn’t exist in professional sports, and Ballard and the Colts have certainly had some misses as well. One of the most highlighted draft misses in recent years is defensive end Ben Banogu.
Banogu was Indy’s second selection of the 2019 Draft and was one of three second-round picks for the Colts that year. He has unfortunately become one of the names thrown out when it’s discussed how Indianapolis passed up on so many of the quality receivers in the 2019 Draft.
In his three seasons with Indy, Banogu has struggled to find his footing, playing in 34 games, starting zero, and racking up just 2.5 sacks— all three sacks coming in his rookie season. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that Banogu’s time with the Colts is coming to an end.
With the recent additions in Indy, there’s a chance that Banogu doesn’t even make it through camp with Indy. However, it may be time for a fresh start somewhere else. Ian Wharton from Bleacher Report makes that case in a recent piece detailing one trade offer every team should make before training camp.
Wharton argues that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should trade wide receiver Tyler Johnson to the Colts for Ben Banogu. This trade could benefit both franchises as well as the players.
First pro sack for Ben Banogu: ✅ #INDvsLAC pic.twitter.com/JNCWggEAi9
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) September 8, 2019
Colts can use Ben Banogu to acquire a receiver
Wharton highlights that the Buccaneers have more talented receivers than they could use, so it may be worth moving one like Tyler Johnson to build depth at another position. Although Banogu has struggled in Indy, Wharton makes the case that he may be a better fit for Tampa’s 3-4 defense.
For the Colts, it’s been well-publicized how much help they need at receiver. Johnson isn’t really an elite option that can save Indy’s receiving room, but he is a depth piece that can contribute. Because of that, it would make sense to acquire him by moving a player like Ben Banogu.
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