Colts GM Doesn’t Lament for a Second Trading First-Round Pick

INDIANAPOLIS — As the virtual NFL draft nears on Thursday, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard admits he’d like to have more selections.

The Colts have seven picks in rounds two through six, which means they won’t be on the clock until Friday at No. 34, unless they would move up. Missing from that pick list is their first-round choice, 13th overall, which went to San Francisco to acquire All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner last month.

Don’t misconstrue Ballard’s yearning for more picks with the one he dealt. Although his tendency is to trade down and not make such bold moves, the Colts GM couldn’t be more convinced the Buckner deal was a smart move.

“First, number one it was easy. I thought it was very easy,” Ballard said in a Friday video conference call. “Here is a 26-year-old, he’s got everything we stand for – high character, he’s a producer. I mean all you have to do is put on the Super Bowl game. The great players produce in the big games. Just watch the Super Bowl game, I mean that guy played his ass off and he was disruptive the entire game.”

Buckner, named second-team All-Pro in 2019 and to the Pro Bowl in 2018, had 1.5 sacks and six tackles against Kansas City in Super Bowl LIV. In four seasons since being selected seventh overall in 2016, he has 28.5 sacks, including a career-high 12 in 2018.

The 6-7, 295-pound tackle who rushes like an end immediately becomes a cornerstone on a Colts defense in need of dynamic playmakers. The Colts defense ranked 16th in fewest total yards allowed (346.8), seventh against the run (97.9), 10th against the pass (248.9) and 15th in fewest points (23.3 per game).

“He’s durable, he’s got the character (and) he plays a premium position in this defense,” Ballard said. “It was an easy decision, easy decision. I know the 13th pick is a high price, but we haven’t made a lot of big moves like this and (had) a chance to acquire a player of this caliber with his character.

“I thought it was a no-brainer. Matter of fact, I held my freaking breath, praying that it was going to get done. I couldn’t be more pleased about getting this young man into this organization and I think you will see the same things I see here going forward.”

The 49ers had longer-range salary cap concerns and decided they couldn’t afford to keep both Buckner and defensive end Arik Armstead. They dealt Buckner, who the Colts gave a four-year, $84-million extension, and paid the 26-year-old Armstead with a new five-year deal that could reach $85 million with incentives.

“I mean he is a young guy – and look, premium players cost a premium price,” Ballard said. “I mean that is the cost of having a great player. We are going to have some more coming up in the next couple of years on our own team that are going to cost a lot of money, but that is the price of having good players. If you want to have good players, they’re going to cost you a lot of money. I thought at the end of the day, the 13th pick versus DeForest was a no-brainer.”

Ballard was referring to a pair of All-Pro players selected in 2018, offensive guard Quenton Nelson at No. 6 overall and linebacker Darius Leonard at No. 36 in the second round. Nelson has been a first-team All-Pro standout in each of his two seasons. Leonard, who led the NFL in tackles as a rookie, was named first-team All-Pro in 2018 and second team last season.

Nelson and Leonard are entering the third season of four-year deals, although the Colts have a fifth-year option on Nelson. The Colts likely have to give Leonard a lucrative extension at some point in 2021 because the defensive leader is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in 2022.

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