Kody Findley, Indianapolis: Is there a thought that we may trade down to acquire a player that will help this year and wait until next year for a QB?
JJ Stankevitz: This may be a stock answer, but it’s true – the only guarantee in this year’s draft is the Carolina Panthers will take a quarterback with the first overall pick. Yes, the Colts have a need for a young quarterback, but you can’t stack your draft board based on needs. That’s where general managers and franchises get in trouble – reaching for a need instead of taking the best player on their board.
So all general managers in Chris Ballard’s position have to find the line between having urgency to draft a young quarterback and sticking to your board.
“I think anytime, if you don’t feel like you have (a quarterback) that can absolutely change the franchise in terms of leading you every year, I think you’re always going to feel some pressure to get that player and I don’t think it’s any different for any team in the league,” Ballard said. “And now whether we need to take one at four, if the right one’s there for us that we feel good about, then we’ll do it.”
Having said that: While it’s plausible the Colts don’t take a quarterback in the first round, I don’t think they’d do it with an eye on next year’s quarterback class. Projecting a year out is dangerous – there’s so much uncertainty with what could happen over the next 365 days. You don’t know how good the 2024 class of quarterbacks will be, and you might have to endure quite a few losses to get one of the guys who emerges near the top of that group.
If the Colts pass on a quarterback in the first round, they always could still take one later this year – either on Day 2 or Day 3 – and potentially find a starter there.
“There are good players in this draft at every level,” Ballard said. “Everybody talks about the top 4, but there’s some more guys out there — pretty good players. And I think history has shown here, especially in the last few years…
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