The Indianapolis Colts knocked it out of the park in last year's NFL Draft, going with offensive lineman Quenton Nelson in the first round and linebacker Darius Leonard in the second round.
Both players ended up earning First-Team All-Pro selections, marking the first time in NFL history that a team's top two draft picks ended up as All-Pros in their rookie campaigns.
Based on that, you would expect the Colts to have another spectacular draft this week, but Indianapolis general manager Chris Ballard doesn't think it works that way, saying that last spring has no bearing on this year.
“Last year was last year,” said Ballard, according to Zak Keefer of The Indianapolis Star. “Nobody really cares about what we did last year at this point.”
And it's not just that Ballard and the Colts might not always hit home runs on their draft choices. It's also that the players in the draft are different from a year ago, and Ballard doesn't see the same top-end talent that he did in 2018.
“I don’t see the strength at the top of the draft that I did last year,” said Ballard. “… I do not see the same depth that there was last year. (Former NFL personnel man) Gil Brandt made a statement the other day, I think he said it was the 17th pick – somebody could have that guy 70th on their board. Between 11, 12, 15 all the way to 70, I think it’s a matter of flavor, and who you like and who you want.”
The Colts own the 26th pick in the first round of the draft on Thursday.
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