Draft for success

The NFL draft is an important time for every organization. Struggling teams can select a once-in-a-generation type talent that can change the outcome of every game they play.

Teams draft players to fill their weak spots on the roster and hope they can make an impact on the game. However, not every player drafted ends up being as good as everyone hoped. Out of the 256 players drafted each year, only about 7% of them make it to the Pro Bowl.

Not making the Pro Bowl doesn’t mean you are a bad player, just that you aren’t the best in your position. Many valuable players haven’t made a Pro Bowl, but made a huge impact on the team that they played for.

This year has a lot of talent and potential to be one of the best draft classes in NFL history. And the Indianapolis Colts have the 4th overall pick. 

The Colts have struggled the past few seasons as they have only made the playoffs twice since 2015. Before this recent cold streak, Indy missed the playoffs a total of two times from 2000 to 2014.

Since 2014, the Colts have seven different quarterbacks leading the team. The NFL was shocked when Andrew Luck retired after the 2018 season at the age of 29 years old. There was a lot of uncertainty heading into the new season and who would be the new QB.

The Colts management ended up giving their trust to Jacoby Brissett, who was a trustworthy backup to Luck. But, Indianapolis was not able to make the playoffs with Brissett, so they decided to change directions.

Without Luck, nothing seemed to work. The Colts tried bringing in veteran throwers like Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan, who were looking to end their careers with a Super Bowl in Indianapolis.

Sadly for Colts fans, neither of them lived up to the hype. Carson Wentz was another option, but he didn’t bring success either. 

The Chicago Bears originally had the number one overall pick before trading it to the Carolina Panthers. This trade made it a little bit more difficult for the Colts as the Panthers are also looking for their franchise QB. Before the Panthers acquired the first overall pick, the Houston Texans were seemingly going to draft the first QB off the board.

Now with Carolina drafting before Houston and Indianapolis, the Colts will most likely take the third QB in the draft. Luckily for all of these teams, this draft class is full of talented young quarterbacks. Some of these players include Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis. All of these players have proven to NFL teams through their college careers and combine that they are ready for the next level. 

The Colts are in the perfect position to get this pick right. But they don’t have to take a QB first. The 4th pick has a lot of value to not only the Colts, but other teams.

If Indianapolis doesn’t want to wait a couple of years to develop a young QB, they can trade for a proven leader. A perfect example of this would be Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Jackson has made the playoffs three out of his four years in the league. Though he wouldn’t be as young as a rookie QB, he would be a great addition to the already talented Colts roster. 

If Indianapolis wants to be patient and draft the QB of the future, they are in the perfect position to do so. They have a new coaching staff with talent on both sides of the ball. All the fans, players and staff are in a great spot to put a winning roster together for the upcoming season.