Chris Ballard, Shane Steichen Hint At Who Colts View as QB1
The NFL world has descended on Indianapolis this week for the NFL Scouting Combine.
For the Indianapolis Colts, no position group at the combine is more important than the quarterback position. With the No.4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Colts are poised to select their next franchise quarterback. Time get off the QB carousel and find a rookie who can, hopefully, lead the franchise for the foreseeable future.
The men in charge of that decision are general manager Chris Ballard and head coach Shane Steichen. Ballard has tried the band-aid approach for years, bringing in veteran quarterbacks that have led to zero playoff wins. Steichen brings a fresh perspective to the Colts after having success with the likes of Philip Rivers, Justin Herbert, and Jalen Hurts.
The decision these two make on which quarterback to select will be the most important decision for this franchise all offseason. They have to get it right.
"We understand the magnitude of where we’re at in the draft and we understand the importance of the position," Ballard said in January. "To get one that actually you can win with and to be right is the most important thing."
Ballard and Steichen spoke at the combine yesterday, where most of the questions focused on what the Colts would do at quarterback. The Colts are bound to take one of the top four quarterback prospects in April. Those four are Bryce Young of Alabama, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State, Will Levis of Kentucky, and Anthony Richardson of Florida.
While it is too early to tell who the Colts will take, it does seem like they may have someone in mind. One quarterback stands out when listening closely to what these two said on Tuesday.
Let's start with Steichen, the man charged with tailoring the Colts' offense to its rookie quarterback. Steichen knows what he is looking for in a quarterback, mentioning accuracy, decision-making, and the ability to create as three crucial traits. He elaborated on those yesterday.
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"When it’s third-and-eight and you’ve got to have it, you’ve got to be able to stand in the pocket and deliver a strike with a guy barreling down your chest," Steichen said. "I think that says a lot about a guy’s toughness ... Guys come in different shapes and sizes. We’ve seen Hall of Famers that are 6-foot, we’ve seen Hall of Famers who are 6-5. Again, it’s that ‘it’ factor, right, because everyone is going to have some talent and you have to find it and dig deep.”
Steichen also mentioned quarterbacks who are obsessed with football. Rivers was one of those guys, as Colts fans know from his 2020 season in Indy. Herbert was too, with Steichen describing the Los Angeles Chargers quarterback as "a guy who loves football, was a perfectionist, and wanted to be right."
But most recently, Steichen saw it with Hurts. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback gets in the building every day at 6 a.m. and does not leave until after 9:30 p.m. some days. That obsession is what Steichen wants in his next quarterback.
"You have to love it," Steichen explained. "You’ve got to be obsessed with it. You have to be first one in, last one to leave ... You have to have that mindset every single day that I’m going to give it everything I’ve got and be the best I can.”
The question then becomes, how can you be sure they are obsessed with football? How can the Colts be sure they found the guy with an "it" factor?
"You have to ask every single person that knows this guy, that’s been around this guy, what is he like, what makes him tick, what are his office hours, how does he study tape? All those little details and then as coaches you’ve got to have a detailed plan when you go and meet with these guys whether it’s here at the combine or coming for the top-30 visit, of here’s the plan and here’s how we’re going to find these things out.”
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And then there is Ballard, who will have the final call on who the Colts select at quarterback. The general manager also mentioned accuracy as a core trait the quarterback must have.
"You want a guy that’s got a fast mind, who is accurate," Ballard admitted. "Like, we get caught up in arm strength but guys that are accurate, and then who makes plays when the game is on the line."
Ballard also said something that may have surprised people. Ballard has always been someone who places a high priority on measurables, such as height, weight, and speed. However, his tone seems to have changed when talking about quarterbacks.
"(Quarterbacks) come in all different shapes and sizes," Ballard said. "You look around the league and ... you’re getting a lot more athletes playing the position. So, they’re going to come in different shapes, different sizes, some tall, some short, some athletes. The ability to move, navigate the pocket, escape from the pocket, make plays with your feet. All of those are things that we’re seeing in our league."
That does not mean the Colts will draft just anyone at quarterback. If the player does not fit their measurable requirements, they must be special in other areas.
"There’s always exceptions and we’ve seen that at the quarterback position in the past," Ballard explained. "We’ve had guys that are under six-foot be successful. I know there’s times I’ve griped that some guys can be too tall. All right and now we’re going to say they’re too short. I think beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Who do you believe in? Who do you believe you can build an offense around? I do know this, you fit the offense to what the quarterback can do well."
Ballard and Steichen are on the same page with what they want in a quarterback. Accuracy, making plays in the clutch, and an obsession with football are all at the top. But the biggest thing that stands out was both mentioned quarterbacks come in "all shapes and sizes."
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Who is the one quarterback whose size has been talked about ad nauseam throughout the entire draft process so far? Bryce Young.
Young was listed at 6'0" and 194 pounds at Bama. However, he is expected to measure around 5'10" and between 194-198 pounds at the combine on Saturday. No quarterback that small has been selected in the first round of the NFL draft in over 30 years.
But the tape shows Young as a special talent. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner is the best processor in the class, able to pick apart defenses at the highest level. Young's accuracy, decision-making, and ability to create have shined at Alabama the past two seasons. Young would be the consensus No.1 overall pick if it weren't for his size.
"The guy’s dynamic," Ballard said about Young. "He won a lot of games on a big stage. It was never too big for him. I think all of those are qualities he has proven in his college career that have made him successful.”
Now, we do need to remember it is smokescreen season. Teams are all holding their cards close to the vest or trying to throw everyone off the scent of what they really want to do. However, Ballard has always left nuggets of what he is thinking each offseason. Steichen does not seem to be a person who is up for playing games.
Maybe Jim Irsay's "The Alabama guy doesn’t look bad, I tell you," comment was a glimpse behind the curtain after all. The Colts may just have Young as QB1.
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