There’s a profile to the typical Indianapolis Colts draft selection since Chris Ballard became the franchise’s primary football decision-maker in 2017.
The quintessential Ballard pick is a defensive player – likely a defensive back – from a Big Ten program. He’ll play in the NFL for almost four years. He’ll have a 40 percent chance of developing into an NFL starter.
To get a sense of how Ballard might utilize his selections in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, we analyzed all 82 of his selections since 2017 and compared them against the NFL averages during that same time. Some interesting patterns emerged.
League average, with an asterisk: The Indianapolis Colts' Chris Ballard way
Good teams need great players, and Ballard is close to the league average in identifying impact performers. He’s drafted three All-Pro players (3.7 percent of his picks, compared to 3.4 percent for the rest of the league) and five Pro Bowl honorees (6.1 percent of his picks compared to 8.7 percent league-wide).
However, most of Ballard’s greatest hits happened years ago. Ballard hasn’t drafted an All-Pro player since Jonathan Taylor in 2020. Tyler Warren, this past year, is the only Pro Bowl pick since Taylor. The inability to add impact players in the last five drafts goes a long way toward explaining why the Colts haven’t won more than nine games in a season during that span.
Seventh-round strength
If every team had to cut everyone except their seventh-round draft picks, the Colts would become instant Super Bowl contenders. Ballard has a remarkable record with his final-round selections. Almost half of his seventh-round picks (5 of 11) started for at least one year, most notably linebacker Zaire Franklin. Just 10.7 percent of seventh-round picks across the rest of the league have developed into starters.
The seventh-round formula seems to be an emphasis on linemen and defensive players, who are more likely to work their way into the lineup than a skill position player. Ballard has used 10 of 11 seventh-round picks on linemen and defensive players.
Chris Ballard is a Big Ten guy
Ballard attended Wisconsin, a Big Ten school. His picks have a Big Ten flavor. Ballard has picked 18 Big Ten players in nine drafts, representing 22 percent of his selections. The best of the bunch has been Taylor, a fellow former Badger.
The Big Ten preference goes a bit against the grain. The Southeastern Conference (24 percent) produces the most draft picks for the rest of the league.
Not surprisingly, the individual school that has produced the most Colts picks during Ballard’s tenure is a Big Ten program. Ballard has drafted four players from Ohio State. He’s also taken three apiece from Penn State, Wisconsin, USC, Florida, and, interestingly, Northwestern. Also, not surprisingly, the school that has produced the most draftees for the rest of the league is Alabama.
Slight preference for defense
Ballard is slightly more likely to draft a defensive player (53.7 percent compared to 49.6 percent for the rest of the league). The most frequent selections are defensive backs (23.2 percent). He hasn’t spent any draft capital on specialists (kickers, punters, and long snappers).
His selections have played in the NFL for an average of 3.9 years, which is slightly above the league average over the same span (3.7). About 40 percent have developed into starters, also a smidge above the league average (39 percent).
Chris Ballard gave FCS players a chance
Ballard has picked eight players from the Football Championship Series, the “lower” half of the NCAA’s Division I. That’s 9.8 percent of his picks, which is more than double the percentage of FCS picks for the rest of the league. The most notable was Shaquille Leonard, who was a three-time All-Pro linebacker before injuries hastened the end of his career.
That percentage likely will decrease in the coming years as more FCS players with NFL abilities likely will follow NIL money to power programs before the end of their college careers.
First pick was a trendsetter
Add it all up, and the “average” Ballard pick is an Ohio State defensive back who plays in the NFL for four years.
Ballard’s very first pick as the Colts’ GM? Malik Hooker. A defensive back from Ohio State who played four years with the Colts (before moving on to Dallas).