The 2020 NFL ‘Virtual’ Draft promises to be unusual for Colts fans on many fronts.
There’s the obvious procedural concern that technical glitches will disrupt the selection process – here’s hoping nothing happens when Indianapolis is ‘on the clock’.
Then there’s the fact that the Colts only have seven picks to play with, the fewest in the Chris Ballard era.
Matt Taylor, the radio voice of the Colts, pointed out some of Ballard’s draft trends on Wednesday’s Dan Dakich Show that are worth keeping in mind heading into tomorrow:
“[The Colts] have had three drafts under Chris [Ballard],” Taylor said. “He’s moved back 6 times. He’s picked 29 players, which I think is 4th most in the NFL in that span. And it’s interesting, 18 of his 29 picks have been on the defensive side of the ball, and 9 of his top 12 picks…in the first round or second round have been on the defensive side as well.”
On the contrary, countless mock drafts and projections agree that Indy will likely spend the majority of its picks on offense in 2020, where receiver and tight end are two of the biggest team needs. Taylor’s thoughts?
“I don’t know about second round or third round or anything like that, but [wide receiver] has to be a huge priority. You can’t bring in a 38 year-old pretty much immobile quarterback to a new team without giving him plenty of weapons to throw the ball to.”
“I think it’s safe to say that most of the draft, or a lot of the draft, would be spent on offense,” Taylor told Dan. “But as soon as I say that, Chris Ballard is gonna make a move that, you know, just is out of left field, that makes a lot of sense, that makes the defense better.”
Ballard has clearly focused on improving the defense since taking over as general manager in 2017, but his eye for offense is often overlooked. Over the past three years, the Colts have selected only five offensive players in the first four rounds: Marlon Mack, Quenton Nelson, Braden Smith, Nyheim Hines, and Parris Campbell.
Not a bad track record. Colts fans should have confidence that picks 34 and 44 will be spent well, whichever side of the ball they fall on. Matt Taylor is sure of one thing, though:
“I think it’s gonna be a wild draft, and one that’s pretty unpredictable.”
Subscribe to The Dan Dakich Show Podcast
