Chris Ballard provided some insight into the pre-draft process during his last press conference ahead of the NFL Draft.
It’s no secret that the Indianapolis Colts are in desperate need of a starting tight end who will move the needle; therefore, the influx of position-related questions hurled at Colts general manager Chris Ballard in his last press conference before the NFL Draft makes sense.
It’s been covered so much that it’s essentially become common knowledge amongst NFL fans across the league, but the Colts are coming off a year that saw its tight end room produce the least amount of any room in the NFL. Collectively, it’s a group that leaves much to be desired, and as of now, that same room is set to return.
Those who closely follow the NFL Draft cycle, particularly throughout its pre-draft process, understand that this draft class is littered with viable talent at the tight end position. There’s currently a trio in Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, and Mason Taylor that headlines this group, but front offices across the league believe the names that follow are nothing to scoff at.
While the Colts are in prime position to land one of the aforementioned top names with their first-round pick, therein lies a reality where Chris Ballard and Co. are willing to kick the can on the position until later in the draft so that other pressing areas of need can be addressed in the first round.
When asked if this draft presents an opportunity to ‘take care of the tight end position,’ Chris Ballard expressed that the team is not opposed to using its first-round pick on a tight end but warns of the potential downfalls to drafting a position of need:
“I think we all know we like the group we have — their subset, what they can do. We have two really good blockers. We have a young kid that we think’s got speed and some upside, but saying that, if we had a chance to take one that we think can really make a difference, we will do it. I do know this, though, you can’t chase. When you end up chasing a need, that’s when you make mistakes. So, we’ll let the board play out the way the board should play out. Of course, in the first round, you can already see how we have it stacked versus how the outside world has it stacked, I promise you is not the same. It’s not. They don’t have anything on the line. Like, I always laugh when everybody says, ‘Well, you reached or took him too high.’ Well, by whose standard? Whose standard is that criticism coming from? So, we line it up and we draft them as we think is best for our team.”
It’s almost as if Chris Ballard was playing both sides in his answer, reassuring the staff’s belief in the current tight end room while also addressing the trickiness that comes with drafting a player at a non-premium position high in the draft.
While both things can be true, his next answered question regarding tight ends might lead you to believe that the Colts like some of the middle-round prospects more than the consensus. When asked to generally characterize the tight end class as a whole, Ballard responded with enthusiasm about its depth:
“It’s good. It’s a really good class, I think, at every level. It’s a good class. If you look at some of the better tight ends in this league. Man, they come from everywhere. [Travis] Kelce was a 3. [Mark] Andrews was a 3. [George] Kittle was a 5. [Brock] Bowers was a 1 last year. They come from everywhere. We think there’s some good depth in this class.”
While Ballard and Co. are high on the tight end class as a whole, the Colts’ tight end room really only has room for one archetype: a reliable passcatcher. Obviously, the main goal is to come away from the draft with a do-it-all type of player that takes the starting job and remains the guy for the foreseeable future, but as it stands, the Colts have a handful of guys who excel at one thing and one that none of them possess is reliability as receivers.
When it comes to what exactly they’re looking for, as in what traits they’re seeking, Ballard spoke directly and even used former Colt Jack Doyle to exemplify what it is they’re looking for:
“Look, you’d like to have a guy that can do [everything]. They have to be able to play on all three downs, but one that can affect the middle of the field. One of the most underappreciated players to ever come through this program is Jack Doyle. The guy was great. I don’t think everybody recognized that, but all he did was block the edge consistently, do all the dirty work, and catch every ball thrown to him. That’s all he did. He gave us a real threat in the middle of the field. Was he a dynamic 15-16 yards per catch? No, but he was a damn good player.”
This recollection of Jack Doyle was twofold: a reminder of a player who was far too underappreciated and also a precursor to Ballard’s eventual answer on the topic at hand. He essentially reads a scouting report of Doyle for his answer on what kind of tight end they’re looking for:
“I want somebody who can be consistent and actually be a guy that the defense has to account for. The three down part is big because — and look, all of them have to be functional enough to block. That’s, to me, the hard one to find. The second you don’t have a guy that can block is the second the coaching staff is griping and saying, ‘We’ve gotta have a guy that can block.’ But to be able to play on all three downs, to be able to be functional in the run game to where you don’t necessarily know it’s a pass when he’s in the game, and then to be able to finish and make plays at critical times and give the quarterback an option in the middle of the field.”
The Colts’ potential tight end of the future won’t be revealed for at least 72 hours, give or take, when the NFL Draft officially kicks off, and while we don’t know who will be selected, a few more puzzle pieces can be placed for now. They’ve nearly forced themselves into this position, but the Colts will be drafting a tight end in the 2025 NFL Draft. The only remaining question is when during the draft will they be doing so?
