Insider: Colts double down on defense in NFL draft
INDIANAPOLIS – Sometimes, it’s best to not overcomplicate things.
The Indianapolis Colts knew exactly who they were coming into the 2017 NFL draft and never pretended to be something they are not.
They were a team with massive defensive liabilities entering the 2017 offseason. And they have done exactly what a team in that predicament should.
By the time the Colts were done with their draft on Saturday afternoon, six of the team’s eight picks had come on defense.
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The goal was not to turn the old, slow, porous defense into a championship-caliber unit overnight. Heck, the Colts would settle for mediocre. And today, they seem a bit closer.
“The good thing is, if we can get to where we are just in the middle of the pack defensively, we’ve got a chance to take another step,” general manager Chris Ballard said, citing the Andrew Luck-led offense as the reason. “The last few years, they’ve been at the bottom of the league.”
The effort began with Ohio State safety Malik Hooker in the first round, Florida cornerback Quincy Wilson in the second and Ohio pass rusher Tarell Bashum in the third. It continued on Saturday with four more defensive players, the streak broken up only by a pair of fourth rounders: offensive tackle Zach Banner of USC and running back Marlon Mack of South Florida.
The Colts, who picked up an extra fifth-round selection by swapping one of their three fourth-round choices with the 49ers, then added a trio of defenders to close things out.
They grabbed Albany State defensive tackle Grover Stewart, who is something of a project, late in the fourth round. Temple cornerback Nate Hairston and Northwestern inside linebacker Anthony Walker, Jr. closed things out in the fifth round.
Throw in the free-agency additions of defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, he of the $30 million price tag, linebackers Jabaal Sheard, John Simon, Sean Spence and Jon Bostic, and the defensive transformation is well underway.
“I think it would have been pretty hard not to see at least a majority of the picks … on defense,” owner Jim Irsay said. “It wasn’t an impossibility that we could pick a receiver, pick a tight end, pick an (earlier) running back, another offensive lineman. Not a question by any stretch.
“But we’re looking for defensive guys.”
It’s what the situation calls for. You knew it. The Colts knew it.
“I think we have a lot of needs on defense,” Irsay said. “We’re addressing them and we hope to see we’ve really made some progress there. The opening game last year speaks for itself. You score 35 points at home and you can’t win the game? That’s a problem.”
That was a reference to the Colts’ loss to the Detroit Lions in September, a game in which the defense could not protect 35-31 lead in the final minute.
The effort at preventing the kind of breakdowns that led to that loss is well underway. The Hooker and Wilson picks were aimed at solidifying the back end, with the Bashum choice meant to turn up some needed pressure on quarterbacks.
On Saturday, the Colts doubled down. The Stewart pick was a bit of a surprise in the fourth round given his status as a Division II college player, but the Colts are intrigued by his size (6-5, 334) and ability to play nose tackle and defensive tackle. Size is a staple Ballard looks for on scouting reports, and Stewart certainly has that. Ballard said that Stewart outperformed all other defensive linemen in the NFLPA’s postseason all-star, a performance that helped the Colts bring his talents into focus.
With Hairston, speed and athleticism will be his meal tickets, Ballard said. Hairston played just two seasons of cornerback after arriving at Temple as a receiver and playing the position until his redshirt sophomore season. Walker is a player the Colts think has elite football IQ and closing speed on ball carriers. He’ll compete with a big stable of inside linebackers.
But the Colts never set out to ignore offense.
“There were offensive players in play in about every round,” Ballard said. “This is just the way it worked out. Good for us, it was a very deep defensive draft.”
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Banner is absolutely massive at 6-8 and 353 pounds. The Colts anticipate this “giant of a man,” as Ballard called him, to need some development, especially in pass protection. But what if he does?
Asked about his physicality, Banner said, “when I get my hands on people it’s usually over.”
In Mack, the Colts got exactly what they sought in a mid- to late-round running back: Speed. South Florida’s all-time leading rusher will, the Colts hope, add some pop to the team’s plodding running game. He plays much faster than his 4.5-second 40-yard dash time and broke six touchdown runs last season of at least 43 yards.
But no matter how much the offensive picks contribute, this draft will likely forever be defined by defense. Yet, whether it is remembered as successful or not is very much an open question.
“We’ve added some upside talent,” Ballard said of his defense. “But they’re like all of us: Now you’ve got to prove it. We’re all in the prove-it business every day.”
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