Why Did Chris Ballard Draft A Smaller Cornerback?
INDIANAPOLIS – If you were curious how Chris Ballard really felt about Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley, he let the entire world know.
During the team-produced ‘Behind the Colts’ piece on the team’s 2025 Draft, you have Ballard alerting his scouts know that he will be in a “bad mood” if the team was to lose out on Walley.
So as Round 3 moved along in the 2025 Draft, Ballard was embarking on his first draft in 8 straight years of not making a single trade (mostly trade backs) in the first three rounds.
If Ballard was to avoid the “bad mood,” he felt the need to break norm, in more ways than one, by choosing Walley at No. 80 overall.
No trade back would have to happen, even though Ballard’s opinion on Walley in Round 3 seemed to differ from many draft pundits pegging the 5-10 corner for later in the draft.
And Ballard would be drafting a cornerback standing just 5-10, not meeting the normally stringent height standard the Colts GM has at that position.
“He’s freaking good,” Ballard said in describing Walley. “He is really good. Let me tell you this, he’s got a wrist (injury) right now. He broke his wrist. In a time when people don’t want to work out, I mean, we have guys ducking it, he does everything with a wrist and runs 4.37 (in the 40-yard dash), with a cast on his wrist. He does everything, every drill, and it shows up on tape.
‘You are talking about a 40-game starter in the Big 10. The USC game is what did it for me. Like at the end of the USC game, he made some game-winning stops in coverage. He’s athletic, he’s fast, he can play outside and in. He gives us a lot of flexibility, plus he’s got top flight football character and character. So, he was a really good fit for us.”
While draft pundits seemed a tad skeptical on Walley going No. 80 overall, some others around the NFL feel different.
There’s belief out there he is a future nickel cornerback (29-year-old Kenny Moore II is under contract through 2026). In making up for a lack of size, Walley is praised for his twitchiness and intelligence.
Ballard said the pick of Walley is not some indication of Lou Anarumo wanting, or being more willing to draft, smaller corners.
“No, not necessarily,” the GM says. “I think everybody wants them big, if we can get them big. But his speed is unique and his toughness is unique. One thing we always ask is, what unique do they have if they’re shorter to overcome it?”
In 2025, it’s not super clear how Walley will project to the Colts starting defense upon Anarumo’s arrival.
Big free agent signee Charvarius Ward is a lock for an outside cornerback spot. And Kenny Moore II is your slot, with outside duties also on his plate in base personnel groupings (4 defensive backs).
On paper, Jaylon Jones is the likely other outside cornerback when the Colts put 3 cornerbacks on the field.
And the Colts are giving JuJu Brents another chance to prove himself, as he heads into Year 3 of a 4-year rookie contract.
“We still like JuJu,” Ballard says. “Let’s don’t just flush him. We still like him. So, I think just the more good players you have in the room, the chance they all have a chance to get better and compete and help. And look, at some point you’re going to need them all. I try to emphasize with our guys, if they’re on the 53, they’re a starter. You have to look at it that way because at some point during the season, they’re going to get thrown in a game, in a crucial moment, and have to play. That’s real. Your fourth in and all sudden, you’re looking up and he’s playing 50 snaps. I mean that’s just the NFL. That’s across the league. So, like backup, yes, but they’ve got to be ready to play. You can’t just say, ‘OK, this guy is a backup.’ No, every guy is important. Every guy that dresses on game day is important.”
And when Ballard hears those draft takes on where his newest cornerback was projected, cue up some of those negative feelings he wanted to avoid.
“I don’t care where everybody thinks they’re going to go – I don’t,” Ballard says. “We grade them and we take them. We think he’s got a chance to be a really good starting corner in this league.”
