Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard has now presided over ten NFL drafts. Last Friday, on day two of the 2026 rendition, he made Georgia linebacker CJ Allen his tenth first pick. Allen represented the third time in his tenure that Ballard did not have a pick in the first round.
After trading his native pick in the second round, Allen was chosen with the 53rd selection – the lowest ranking of any first pick Ballard has ever made.
How is Allen likely to perform? Where will he eventually rank amongst all the top picks that Ballard has made since assuming the GM role to 2017?
Will CJ Allen be a gem or a dud for the Indianapolis Colts?
Before we try to answer that, let’s review those previous nine selections, and while we’re at it, let’s put them in order, from worst to best. What we will find when doing this is that Chris Ballard, who has been much maligned for a rather dismal track record of getting his team into the postseason, has done a rather good job of acquiring talent early in the draft.
This actually shouldn’t come as a major surprise. Ballard earned his stripes working in advanced personnel positions for the Kansas City Chiefs in the mid-2010s. During his four years with the Chiefs, they drafted players like Travis Kelce, Eric Fisher, Marcus Peters, Mitch Morse, Chris Jones, and Tyreek Hill.
That’s some good talent evaluation.
Of course, that is not all a successful GM must do. Having an overall philosophy and knowing when to be aggressive and when to stay conservative is perhaps even more important than identifying the good prospects. Chris Ballard has failed in several key areas, and that has left the Colts mired in mediocrity despite having plenty of worthy talent.
We have discussed those failures before and will no doubt do it again, but for today, let’s focus on those ten top picks. In reverse order of success, they are…
Anthony Richardson – Round one, Pick four, quarterback (2023)
This is the defining pick in Ballard’s tenure, and it is a failure. Richardson was the highest draft pick Ballard ever made – one of only two top ten picks. He plays the most important position on the field. It was a position that Ballard had been patching with short-term veterans. Richardson was supposed to be the long-term answer.
He wasn’t. A fabulous physical talent with limited college experience and obvious flaws, Richardson represented a massive overreach. It is the kind of pick that gets GMs fired. But Ballard stayed in the job, perhaps because he did have genuine success with other picks.
Rock Ya-Sin – R2, P34, cornerback (2019)
The Colts did not have a first-round pick in 2019. Early in the second round, they took Rock Ya-Sin from Temple, who looked the part of a solid perimeter corner. Ya-Sin has had a journeyman’s career, logging time with five different clubs in seven years.
Though he never played up to an early round two pedigree, the fact that he remains in the league shows that he was not a total bust. And that’s actually a fairly good reflection on Ballard’s talent evaluation.
Malik Hooker – R1, P15, safety, (2017)
Ballard’s first pick as GM. Pretty much everybody loved Hooker. Some injury issues before the draft depressed his stock a bit, allowing Ballard to get him in the middle of the first round. He had size and speed and great instincts. But he turned out to be a fairly average performer.
The Colts had already decided not to pick up his fifth-year option – the surest sign that a first-round draft pick is falling short of expectations – before Hooker tore his Achilles in 2020, which all but ensured his time in Indianapolis was over. He went on to play five modest seasons in Dallas.
Kwity Paye – R1, P21, defensive end (2021)
Paye’s relatively poor ranking on this list is another indication of Ballard’s ability to identify talent. Paye was a solid performer, making 74 starts and collecting 30 sacks in his five seasons. The problem was he was supposed to do more, particularly as a pass rusher.
He offered a rare combination of size, speed, and power, but never really developed into a feared presence for the Colts. He will now be trying his luck with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Tyler Warren – R1, P14, tight end, (2025)
Warren hit the ground running in his rookie season. Like the rest of the Colts team, he was unable to sustain his early pace, but still finished his rookie season as one of the most promising young tight ends in the league. If he builds on his early success, he will be ranked higher when writers do this kind of list down the road.
Laiatu Latu – R1, P15, edge rusher (2024)
In his second season, Latu emerged as a potential star. As the Colts defensive tackles age, and its other edges and linebackers disappear, Latu is clearly the best player they have on their defensive front seven. If he continues his improvement, Pro Bowls are in the picture.
Alec Pierce – R2, P53, wide receiver (2022)
Two years ago, Alec Pierce would have seemed like an average draft pick at best. Last year, he would have been deemed a solid player, but entirely one-dimensional. His growth throughout the 2025 season earned him a top-15 contract at one of the NFL’s most glamorous positions. I suspect that given consistent QB play, he will continue to grow into a Pro Bowler and more.
Michael Pittman Jr. – R2, P34, wide receiver (2020)
Pittman’s legacy is marred ever so slightly because he was never going to be a big-play receiver. He was not Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, or TY Hilton. Pittman did not have the speed to grow into a truly dangerous threat.
But he made up for that by being as reliable and steady as they come. He is a classic possession receiver who, without anyone better, became the Colts’ de facto WR1 for five years. Now off to Pittsburgh, where I predict he will thrive, he leaves Indy number five in career receptions and number eight in receiving yards. That discrepancy really sums up Pittman’s legacy in a couple of stats.
Quenton Nelson – R1, P6, guard (2018)
Ballard’s best top pick came in his second draft. He had a high pick, and he nailed it. This pick was made even better by the fact that Ballard traded back and still got a future Hall of Famer. The Jets wanted Sam Darnold and sacrificed quite a bit to get him. Indy also got Braden Smith, Jordan Wilkins, and the aforementioned Rock Ya-Sin in the fallout of this deal.
Of course, none of that matters because getting the six-time All Pro would have been enough.
OK – so where will CJ Allen eventually rank on this list? The top half is a pretty tough group to crack. Nevertheless, even though he was drafted in the second round, I predict Allen will one day rank even with Tyler Warren, tied for fifth. That would represent excellent value for a second-round pick.
Allen is going to a team that desperately needs him. He will be given every chance to shine immediately. And he has a couple of things going for him. On an intangible level, Allen comes into the league feeling disrespected.
Many scouts had him as a first-round talent. But he was the sixth linebacker chosen, after the likes of Josiah Trotter and Jake Golday. Allen already has the motivation to excel.
And on a more practical level, the Colts can provide a linebacker's best friend – DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart playing in front of him. Allen is speedy with great instincts, but he is not the biggest guy. That may be why he fell a bit. Having two big, tough, experienced tackles in front of him should allow him to shine.
If that happens, he has the talent and smarts to emerge quickly as a defensive leader who will go down as a very solid top pick.
Chris Ballard finds talent. He may have trouble making all the right moves to build that talent into a championship roster, but the players he locates often succeed. I expect CJ Allen will continue that trend.
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