The Indianapolis Colts are, to everyone's shock, keeping general manager Chris Ballard around for another year. While this is a huge shock, it will hopefully pay off in the one area Ballard is known to do well in: the draft.
For all of Ballard's issues, he has gotten a reputation for bringing a lot of good talent to Indy from the draft. Of course, that's a tall task this year: thanks to the Sauce Gardner trade, Ballard doesn't have a first-round pick, so the Colts are stuck with the 47th pick.
Indianapolis was in much better shape before the Gardner trade took place, so to be fair, Ballard couldn't have known just how major the collapse in Indy was going to be. But because the season ended so badly, Ballard will need to hit a home run on this draft, even with the limited opportunities he will have.
The Indianapolis Colts have a clear draft priority, and Chris Ballard can't get it wrong
The Colts' top need, assuming Ballard chooses to run it back with Daniel Jones at QB, is to get more depth at defensive end. The Indianapolis pass rush was seriously lacking this past season, and as promising as Laiatu Latu might be, Indy still needs more. Making matters worse is that Kwity Paye, Samson Ebukam, and Tyquan Lewis are all set to be free agents.
Thankfully for the Colts, there are a good number of edge defenders available in this year's draft. And while really, the entire defense needs work, the defensive end needs to take precedence. Not having a first-round pick will make it harder to land an ace, but not impossible.
Ballard has been known to work some draft magic before, and hopefully, we'll see it again this year. With so many good pass rushers to choose from, he should be able to find someone to work well alongside Latu and revitalize the edge.
R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma
Ballard has specifically mentioned that the defense needs more "fuel," and Thomas can absolutely provide that. He is explosive and aggressive, which more than makes up for being a bit smaller than the NFL would typically like. He won't contribute much to run defense or in coverage, but for the pass rush, he would be an A+ pick.
Cashius Howell, Texas A&M
Howell is another defensive end the Colts should be interested in. He received unanimous All-America honors in 2025, and it isn't hard to see why. He is fluid, incredibly fast, and has a huge pass rush arsenal, making him a real threat for any QB he goes up against.
Derrick Moore, Michigan
Another elite pass-rusher, Moore, is someone Ballard should have his eye on for this year's draft. There will almost certainly be other teams interested, and it's not hard to see why; Moore has a powerful bull rush and can be effective against tight ends. He's not only fast, but powerful, and has been able to consistently collapse the pocket.
Keyron Crawford, Auburn
Crawford will likely be a more underrated draft prospect, which could make him an appealing option for the Colts to consider. He had a huge jump in production from 2024 to 2025 and has seen a lot of good development at Auburn, becoming a key part of the team's pass rush.
He still could use more development, but he could be a decent choice for having more depth at the position behind Latu and Paye.
In a way, the Colts got lucky. This year's draft class has a lot of options for their most at-need positions; consider, for example, if Indy needed to try to land a QB this season. There aren't many great options, and the Colts won't have a first-round pick.
But there is a lot to be optimistic about when it comes to bolstering the defense. Ballard could still turn this team around, starting by seriously bolstering the defense and making the Indianapolis pass rush something for the league to fear.