Re-Grading the Colts 2017 Draft

Let’s take a look back and regrade the Colts Drafts of the Chris Ballard era. Starting with the 1st year of his tenure: 2017.

Let’s go back to 2017…

Distracted boyfriend became the meme of the year.

Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 were hitting the big screens.

Kendrick Lamar dropped DAMN. and everyone was listening to Despacito.

It was a simpler time.

The Colts hired Chris Ballard to be their new General Manager after the tumultuous end to the Ryan Grigson era, kept Chuck Pagano as a lame duck Head Coach, and were hoping to get Andrew Luck to come back from his shoulder injury that required offseason work (spoiler alert: it took much longer than expected).

How did Ballard’s 1st draft class turn out? In this series, we will regrade all of Ballard’s drafts from 2017-2022 that have had the standard minimum of 3 seasons of tape needed to evaluate in chronological order. Let’s start with the one that started it all: 2017.

Full 2017 Draft Results

• Round 1, Pick 15: Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State | C+
• Round 2, Pick 46: Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida | F
• Round 3, Pick 80: Tarell Basham, DE, Ohio | F+
• Round 4, Pick 137: Zach Banner, T, USC | F+
• Round 4, Pick 143: Marlon Mack, RB, UCF | B+
• Round 4, Pick 144: Grover Stewart, DT, Albany State | A+
• Round 5, Pick 158: Nate Hairston, CB, Temple | C
• Round 5, Pick 161: Anthony Walker Jr., LB, Northwestern | A-

This one is a weird class to grade. On the one hand, none of Ballard’s first 4 draft picks were hits at their value (though Hooker is at the “meh” level rather than bust of the other 3). This class was also a perfect example of why you can’t evaluate a class after 1 or even 2 years, as many players had their careers take stark and sharp turns after Year 1 (or Year 2) that really changed how this class was graded.

Malik Hooker was a high impact ballhawking Free Safety, but injuries limited his availability to just 36/64 possible regular season games during his rookie deal, including ACL and MCL tears, 2 hip injuries, a pedal foot injury and a meniscus tear, leading to him not being retained afterwards. Ironically, Hooker has remained completely healthy since signing with the Cowboys in 2021, becoming a crucial starter for them over the last 4 years.

Ballard’s evaluation wasn’t off here, he took a risk on a fantastic collegiate playmaker who had some injury concerns coming out, and Hooker showed both the promise of playmaking (7 INTs in first 3 seasons, phenomenal deep safety ability) as well as other injury red flags popping up. Still for a mid 1st round pick, you hope the impact extends beyond 2 seasons’ worth of games in his rookie deal, as well as long term beyond the initial deal.

The next 3 picks Quincy Wilson, Tarell Bashem, and Zach Banner were each busts in Rounds 2-4.

Wilson showed some promise in 5 starts as a rookie in Pagano’s more man heavy coverage scheme, but struggled mightily in the next 2 years in Eberflus’ zone heavy coverage scheme, losing snaps as the years went on. He was traded to the Jets where he said that the day he was traded was one of the best days of his life because “It’s more aggressive, They (the Jets) coach you to make plays, not cover grass”.

Wilson ended up starting in just 1 game for the Jets and appeared in 1 game for the Steelers in 2022 for the rest of his career post-Colts.

Bashem recorded 2 sacks in limited snaps for the Colts in 2017, but was waived due to poor practice habits in 2018 under Eberflus. He went on to have 9 sacks, 28 QB Hits, and 11 Tackles For Loss from 2019-2021 as a rotational edge rusher for the Jets and Cowboys, before being waved in 2022 by the Cowboys and being on the Titans and Bengals practice squads in 2022 and 2023.

He gets a + for his okay rotational contributions on other teams post-Colts, but his impact for his draft team was minimal.

Banner didn’t even make the Colts opening 2017 roster and ended up bouncing around the league before landing in Pittsburgh and securing a role as a spot starter for them, having a solid 216 snaps in 2019 before getting only 64 in the next 2 seasons.

A backup journeyman Tackle in Round 4 who never suited up for his draft team is a clear bust.

6 and 7 picks after Banner, Ballard’s 2017 class finally started to have hits. As Anakin Skywalker once said:

“This is where the fun begins”

Marlon Mack began his pro career as the backup back to legendary ironman and likely Hall of Fame RB Frank Gore, who despite some terrible Colts run blocking units produced 2,955 rushing yards in Indianapolis in 3 years. Gore’s final season with the Colts was in Mack’s rookie year, and Mack as his back up put up a quiet 358 rushing yards and 3 TDs on 3.8 Yards per Carry (583 Scrimmage Yards and 4 Total TDs). Mack studied Gore and waited patiently for his time to shine, and he shine he did from 2018-2019.

Mack and the Colts run blocking unit took a significant step forward in 2018, with the former UCF Knights’ role as the Colts top back firmly secured. Mack averaged 4.7 YPC in 2018, producing 908 Rushing Yards (1,011 Scrimmage Yards) and 9 Rushing TDs (10 Total TDs) in just 12 games (10 starts) in 2018. He followed that up with a 4.4 YPC season that produced 1,091 Rushing Yards (1,173 Scrimmage Yards) and 8 Rushing TDs in 2019, becoming a solid if underrated starting back in the NFL. Things were looking up for Marlon Mack.

In 2020, the Colts traded up to draft Jonathan Taylor (more on him in a future Draft Regrade Article…), and the meme comments of “What does this mean for Marlon Mack” emerged after the Taylor pick on the Sleeper App, as many speculated what his role would be with Taylor entering the fold. The Colts had plans to have Mack as the lead back initially in this dual headed monster of a rushing attack to boost new QB Philip Rivers. Week 1 against the Jaguars in Duval began with such promise for Mack, who in his first 10 Offensive snaps produced:

• 26 Rushing Yards on 4 carries (6.5 YPC)
• 3 Catches on 3 Targets for 30 Yards (10 YPR)

On his 11th snap of the season, Mack tragically suffered an Achilles tear, costing him the rest of his 2020 season and forever altering his career. Despite this injury, Mack was crucial to the 2020 season and beyond for the Colts, as his mentorship of Jonathan Taylor (who initially struggled as a rookie in vision and thus production) was directly credited by Taylor himself in helping slow the game down and figure things out at the NFL level.

Mack deserves his flowers as a Colt not just for his 2 seasons as a starting back for the team, but his continued impact in helping get Jonathan Taylor’s career afterwards up and running as well. While he didn’t return to the same level of impact in 2021 with the Colts due to his Achilles recovery, nor did he find a long term career post-Colts in 2022 before re-injuring his Achilles in practice, Mack earned his B+ grade as a strong value and hit as a 4th Round pick.

1 pick after Marlon Mack, the Colts took one of the best Day 3 Value picks (behind RB Aaron Jones and TE George Kittle) of the draft in Nose Tackle Grover Stewart. After starting his first 2 careers as a backup rotational run stuffing DT, Stewart emerged as one of the NFL’s best interior run defending DTs in 2019, a title he has kept ever since.

He has formed a dynamic interior duo with DeForest Buckner since 2020 for the Colts, and while Buckner may get most of the acclaim nationally, Colts fans are very familiar with the impact that Grover brings even if it doesn’t always result in box score stats as a gap plugging, double/team eating 1 Technique. His dominant job has helped enable the Colts long history of strong run defense and LB play during Ballard’s tenure, as well as make Buckner’s job as a gap shooting and penetrating 3 Technique much easier.

Grover the Guard Butcher is an easy A+ graded pick, as he has made a huge-if-underrated impact as a top starter at his position for 6 years with the Colts, and is still going strong as he enters his age 32 season in 2025 with the Colts. Not bad at all for a late 4th Round pick out of Albany State.

Nate Hairston had a high impact rookie year as a rotational Corner and special teamer. He recorded an INT, 5 Passes Defended, 2 Sacks, 2 Tackles For Loss (35 total tackles and 26 solo), and 1 Safety. He thrived in Pagano’s scheme and earned 7 starts the next year in Eberflus’ scheme. Hairston didn’t replicate that impact in 2018 in a new scheme, not recording any INTs, only 1 Pass Defended, having no sacks or tackles for loss in 7 starts.

Like fellow 2017 draftmate Quincy Wilson, Hairston was traded to the Jets. In 2019 he started 6 games for the Jets and had 3 Passes Defended, but allowed 1 more TD than in 2018 and his tackling efficiency was far lower than his time in Indy. He bounced around the NFL and briefly started for the Broncos in 2021, and was last seen on an NFL camp in 2023 with the Cardinals before being cut before the season.

Getting 1-2 years of good rotational/starting Corner play as well as special teams impact out of a 5th Round Pick is okay value, albeit not a long term impact.

The Colts rounded out their 2017 Draft by selecting Anthony Walker Jr. out of Northwestern, who had a slow start to his career with only 22 tackles (11 solo), and 1 Tackle For Loss in 10 games and 2 starts rookie in 2017. But once Walker took over the starting MLB job in 2018, his career took off.

From 2018-2020 with the Colts, the former Wildcat recorded:

• 321 Tackles
• 218 Solos
• 18 Tackles For Loss
• 9 QB Hits
• 3.5 Sacks
• 1 Forced Fumble
• 2 Fumble Recoveries
• 11 Passes Defended
• 3 INTs

He was Darius Shaquille Leonard’s 1st running mate and leader in the linebacker corps, and in charge of getting the defense set and adjusting to what the offense was doing pre-snap. He was the quarterback of the defense, which was 10th in points allowed in both 2018 and 2020.

His 2018-2020 performance earned him a nice payday with the Cleveland Browns in the 2021 offseason, and he performed at his usual level for them in 2021. However in 2022 he suffered a quadricep injury that ended his season in September. He returned to the Browns in 2023 but was not at the same level of play (ending on IR again, this time with a knee injury) and journeyed down to Miami in 2024 with the Dolphins for a semi-bounce back season.

The Colts got 3 seasons of strong starting level play out of Anthony Walker Jr. for the Cost of a 5th Round Pick, making his pick grade an easy A-. Had he stuck around after his rookie deal and provided more long term value at his prior level of play, this pick would have been an A grade.

Honorable mention as a 2017 Draft Class addition: Cornerback Kenny Moore II. Fans know who Kenny Moore II is. The small slot Corner has been one of the best nickel defenders in the NFL since 2018, a Walter Payton Man of the Year Nominee due to his constant community service, and a fan favorite as a Pro Bowl level player with a energetic personality.

Moore II was an undrafted Free Agent in 2017, however he unfortunately doesn’t count toward this exercise as he was signed as a UDFA by the New England Patriots for their Training Camp before being waived shortly before the season began. The Colts promptly claimed him the next day and the rest is history, but unfortunately he doesn’t fit the criteria of a 2017 Draft / UDFA addition.

IF Kenny Moore II was counted as a member of the Colts 2017 draft haul however, the final draft grade would go up by AT LEAST a letter grade.

Irregardless, how did Chris Ballard’s 1st draft in 2017 fully grade out?

2017 Draft Class Grade: C+

The trio of Round 2-4 busts of Quincy Wilson, Tarell Bashem, and Zach Banner loom large, as well as the promising but all to often on the sideline impact of Malik Hooker as their Round 1 pick.

Still, this class is redeemed by the strong Day 3 contributions of Marlon Mack, Anthony Walker Jr., and Grover Stewart. While only Stewart had an on the field impact beyond his rookie deal, the impacts of Marlon Mack on Jonathan Taylor and Anthony Walker Jr. on Darius Shaquille Leonard’s careers continued even after both left the team, with each of their successors/running mates having even bigger impacts.

Overall, getting 3-4 multi-year good to great level starters (Hooker, Mack, Stewart, Walker Jr.) on the Colts in this draft regardless of where they were drafted is a solid haul.