Colts Were Strategic in Exclusively Drafting SEC, Big Ten Prospects

The Indianapolis Colts ended up walking away from the 2026 NFL Draft with eight new players after entering the weekend with just seven picks at their disposal.

They kicked off their draft class by selecting Georgia linebacker CJ Allen with the 53rd overall pick in the class. The Colts would then put the finishing touches on their class by selecting Oklahoma wide receiver Deion Burks with the 254th overall pick.

As for the six selections in between, each of the Colts' picks was entirely comprised of players from the NCAA's top two conferences -- the SEC and Big Ten.

Conference	No. of Selections
SEC	6
Big Ten	2

Although this could very well be coincidental, the Colts' top decision-makers revealed in their post-draft press conference that this was not pure happenstance, but rather a strategic effort altogether to infuse their roster with the nation's top competitors.

“Yes, without question. I mean, and we vetted that. I mean, we talked a long time about that. Getting guys that have history, have play history, and really had high competitive stamina," Colts general manager Chris Ballard said in response to whether this was an intended emphasis.

"So, you go and play at these schools in the SEC each week – I mean, it's not the NFL, but it's probably the closest thing you can get. It's very competitive. So, you're talking about a guy like CJ (Allen) and (A.J.) Haulcy, who moved up along the way – what they did was impressive. So I mean, throughout the class, that was an emphasis. That's a good catch by you because it was.”

Though it was a bigger focus on SEC prospects than it was for Big Ten players, both combine to showcase a greater trend. For as far back as the Ballard-era Colts go, which is nearing a decade's worth of data points, this is the largest number of SEC/Big Ten selections this regime has made in one class, let alone exclusively.

It must be noted that the major conference shake-up that occurred ahead of the 2024 season, one that featured the brutal collapse of the storied West Coast Pac-12 Conference, has resulted in a massive expansion of the now-Power 4 (SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC). As a result, the Big Ten (18) and SEC (16) now feature the most teams in any conference, thus providing a greater chance to leave the draft with players exclusively from their conference.

Because of this, NFL Draft history before and after the realignment naturally requires an asterisk when it comes to said data collection.

But even if you were to operate within the alternate reality that had said shake-up happen ahead of Ballard's first year managing the team, the Colts' Power Conference selections have never eclipsed six -- and that includes five draft classes that featured more picks than their 2026 haul.

This regime has averaged five draft selections from the top two conferences since 2023, with their highest number before this year being six in the 2024 draft class. The Colts' 2022 draft class is a major outlier in their draft history, selecting just one player from either conference (Nick Cross, Maryland).

Furthermore, this is the first draft class under Ballard where the Colts did not take a shot on a non-Power Conference prospect.

The deviation in question likely points to the overarching need to inject ready-made players onto a roster that desperately needs to right the ship. This Colts regime is on its last leg, so time for projects has essentially run out.

This trend of Power Conference selections has intensified in recent years, starting with last year's draft class, which exclusively featured picks from said group of conferences. Again, this likely points to the aforementioned regime's ticking clock, but it's worth noting the uptick in question.

This year, they took a step further, choosing players from not just the Power Conferences but from the top powers (SEC, Big Ten) within the group of four. The Colts are now betting on the best of the best.

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