Colts plan to draft best player available, rather than chase areas of need

“I do know this though, you can’t chase,” Ballard told reporters. “When you end up chasing a need or something that is, that’s when you make mistakes. So, we will let the board play out the way the board should play out. Of course, like in the first round you can already see how we have it stacked versus how the outside world has it stacked. I promise you, it is not the same.”

General Manager Chris Ballard enters his ninth NFL draft with the Indianapolis Colts as he finalizes the draft board before the AFC South rival Tennessee Titans are on the clock Thursday in Green Bay.

The 2025 draft class has been tagged as a starters draft, where NFL teams can discover hidden gems on Day 2 and Day 3 that can develop into future starters down the timeline. As the Colts still search to fill voids at areas like tight end, interior offensive line and linebacker, the fanbase just hopes to reap the benefits of the draft for some positivity in order to look forward to the upcoming season.

Not a single first-round draft pick has been traded, yet. Indianapolis owns the No. 14 pick and holds seven total picks in the seven-round draft, one pick in each round. Colts’ scouts have used their draft reports to trim down the board near 150 to 175 prospects. Despite the Colts being linked in mock drafts to the two best tight ends and the top linebacker in this year’s draft class, Ballard views his process differently.

“I do know this though, you can’t chase,” Ballard told reporters. “When you end up chasing a need or something that is, that’s when you make mistakes. So, we will let the board play out the way the board should play out. Of course, like in the first round you can already see how we have it stacked versus how the outside world has it stacked. I promise you, it is not the same.”

Teams should never feel beholden to chase a position of need and overreach to choose a prospect beyond his talent level and evaluation. The Colts two biggest offensive needs are tight end and interior offensive line, but should avoid chasing those needs if their top prospect is unavailable. If Penn State tight end Tyler Warren is taken before the Colts are on the clock, it would be unwise to select the next best player at his position higher than he would be drafted. If the Colts have zero interior o-linemen with a first round draft grade, then there’s no need to take a guard at pick No. 14. Take the best player available, or trade back to secure more picks and more opportunities to hit on future draft picks.

“I think it’s really important, because you’ve got to have a vision for the player that you draft,” Steichen said. “You have got to know how you’re going to use them obviously as coaches. The scouts do a heck of a job on the road going through, examining the prospects. They put so much time into it. Then as coaches, obviously, when we watch the tape, we’ve got to do a great job of explaining how we would use that player.”

Last season, Indianapolis’ second-year quarterback posted the lowest completion rate in the league and its tight end unit ranked 31st in production. The Colts aim to get more from both positions and have to replace another two starters on the o-line in 2025. The Colts began the voluntary offseason program Tuesday at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center in Indy as players build connections inside the locker room during workouts.

“Obviously, we got some spots to fill there too,” Steichen told reporters Tuesday. “There will be some good competition upfront. I like our receiving core, where that’s at. Obviously, we’re looking to add a pass-catching tight end, possibly. We’ll see how that plays out. But obviously JT (Jonathan Taylor) is a good runner for us. So we’ve got a nucleus of core players that are really good, and so we just need to build that chemistry.”

The Colts should be a viable contender to win the AFC South, but the main objective for the 2025 season should be to end the four-year playoff drought. In Steichen’s first two seasons, the Colts have an unremarkable 17-17 record, which is the 18th-best record in the league and ninth in the AFC. Indianapolis will gain more clarity on how far Shane Steichen can take the Colts in his third season at the helm.