Former Star QB Named Colts' Best Draft Pick of Last Decade
Picking in the top 20 of the NFL Draft four times this decade, it should be no surprise that the Indianapolis Colts have been able to land some franchise cornerstones.
Picking first overall though, that makes it pretty darn easy to find a face of the franchise and a possible Hall of Famer.
For the Colts, the selection of Andrew Luck first overall in 2012 goes down as the best draft pick of the decade for the franchise, according to Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox.
While Andrew Luck's career didn't end as anyone could have predicted—injuries led him to retire after just seven years and six seasons—he remains the Indianapolis Colts' best pick of the last decade.
There was some debate heading into the 2012 draft about whether Luck or Robert Griffin III was the player to pick at the top. Indianapolis banked on Luck, and the Stanford product immediately became a star.
Luck made the Pro Bowl in his first season and helped lead Indianapolis to the playoffs. He took the Colts to the postseason in each of his first three campaigns, making it to the AFC title game in 2014. In all, Luck had four Pro Bowl appearances, made the playoffs four times and finished with 23,671 passing yards, 171 passing touchdowns, 1,590 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns.
Had Luck not retired early, he would likely be a future Hall of Famer. Still, for more than half a decade, he was one of the league's few elite signal-callers. While recent draft picks Ryan Kelly, Quenton Nelson and Darius Leonard could vie for such a title in the near future, Luck is the gold standard.
While Luck was a terrific selection one year after Peyton Manning missed the entire season due to a career-threatening neck injury and was ultimately released, it's hard to agree here with Knox when it comes to the best Colts' pick of the last decade.
Luck was a no-brainer selection at No. 1 overall. There was no debate about Luck or Griffin. Luck was considered a sure-fire No. 1 pick and the best QB prospect to come through the draft process in years.
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Knowing that, it's hard to tab Luck as the best pick, considering it was an easy one for the Colts.
For me, the best pick of the decade should come down to T.Y. Hilton — a third-round selection in 2012 at No. 92 overall, Darius Leonard — a second-round selection in 2018 at No. 36 overall, or Anthony Walker — a fifth-round pick in 2017 at No. 161 overall.
Hilton has played in 133 games with the Colts since being drafted out of Florida International University, and has hauled in 608 passes for 9,360 yards and 50 touchdowns. With another solid year, the third-leading receiver in Colts' history will crack 10,000 yards, joining Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne to form the only trio in NFL history to have three receivers in franchise history crack 10,000 receiving yards.
If Hilton's resume isn't enough, how about Darius Leonard? Leonard was thought to be overdrafted — including by this writer – and instead blossomed into arguably the best off-ball linebacker in the game, garnering Rookie of the Year honors, two First Team All-Pro selections and a Second Team All-Pro selection in his first three years in the league.
Whoops.
If you want to really dive deep into the draft with the Colts over the last decade, what about Anthony Walker Jr.? Yes, it was painful to see him leave in free agency last month, signing with the Browns, but the former fifth-round pick out of Northwestern developed into a key piece with the Colts, starting 46 games in the last three seasons while recording 334 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 11 pass breakups.
Walker was the leader of the Colts' defense for three years as the man in the middle. Getting him outside of the top 150 in the draft ended up being a home run selection for the Colts.
Have thoughts on Bleacher Report's selection for the best draft pick of the decade for the Colts? Drop a line in the comments section below!
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