Colts listed among best teams at selecting first-round picks
The Indianapolis Colts have had only two first-round picks since Chris Ballard took over as general manager but the years before that also featured some strong selections on Day 1 of the NFL draft.
In listing the best teams at selecting first-round picks since 2010, the Colts came in at No. 5 overall thanks to two selections of former quarterback Andrew Luck and All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson.
We also went through each first-round pick for the Colts since 2000.
5. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Best pick(s): QB Andrew Luck (+2.15 WAR/season), G Quenton Nelson (+0.42)
Worst pick(s): DE Bjoern Werner (+0.01), WR Phillip Dorsett (+0.05)
It’s unlucky the Colts couldn’t get a longer career from Luck (ha!), but it was still as smooth as a transition from Peyton Manning that the franchise could’ve hoped for. Things haven’t been as easy in regards to finding a solution under center since Luck’s surprise retirement; at least whoever is under center will benefit from the single best first-round offensive lineman in WAR per season over the past decade in Nelson. The Colts truly deserve credit for their work drafting offensive linemen considering additional first-round talents OT Anthony Castonzo and C Ryan Kelly combined for plenty of success as well.
We’ve covered the Luck situation enough to not have to dive deep into it. The selection of Nelson is still one of Ballard’s best regardless of your views on positional value. Kelly is the anchor of the offensive line and will be for the next few years after signing his extension last season.
Castonzo was the left tackle for 10 years and likely an underrated asset at that before his retirement. There are the bombs of Werner, Dorsett and even Malik Hooker could be in that category as well.
Ballard will have just his third first-round pick since 2017 coming up in 2021, barring a big trade back, so it will be interesting to see what direction he goes in.
