Where does Colts GM Chris Ballard rank amongst all NFL general managers?

Chris Ballard has been the general manager of the Indianapolis Colts for over half a decade. How does Ballard compare to the rest of the GMs in the NFL?

Not long ago, people were considering Indianapolis Colts general manager, Chris Ballard, one of the best in the business. Ballard was putting together successful draft classes, retaining homegrown talent, and getting good value in trades. However, in recent years, the perception of Ballard has started to change.

After a few quarterback moves that didn’t pan out, and a couple of unsuccessful seasons for the Colts, some people have called for Ballard’s job, and he has received much more criticism than in year’s past. However, team owner Jim Irsay has continued to support Ballard, as they both work to turn things around for Indianapolis.

How exactly is Ballard doing at his job comparatively? He’s not the best general manager in the NFL but he’s not the worst either. So where would he rank? Gregg Rosenthal answered this in a recent general manager power rankings piece for NFL.com. In Rosenthal’s rankings, Ballard was listed at No. 18.

Chris Ballard ranked as 18th-best GM in NFL

There’s certainly plenty of room for improvement with this ranking. Rosenthal explained that Ballard’s below-average ranking is mostly because of his misses at quarterback, the average wide receiver unit, and the deteriorating offensive line. Rosenthal did highlight Jonathan Taylor and the defensive line as something postibe to build around.

There are several talented players on Indy’s roster, mostly found through the draft, that Ballard must continue to build around. This offseason may be the most pivotal one of Ballard’s career as a general manager. First he hired a coach, and now he has to find a quarterback in the first few picks of the draft.

If both of those decisions work out, the Colts should be back to contender status, Ballard should be employed as Indy’s general manager for many more years, and his ranking on this list should improve drastically.

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