GM Chris Ballard Reiterates Colts Won’t Force QB Pick in NFL Draft

Despite not having a quarterback signed beyond next season, Ballard reinforced his belief that the position is too important to reach for the wrong guy.

INDIANAPOLIS — In what sounded like an NFL general manager literally beating a dead horse, the Indianapolis Colts’ Chris Ballard restated his quarterback position on a Friday video conference call.

He insists the Colts won’t reach for one in next week’s virtual NFL draft, despite not having a quarterback under contract beyond next season.

“I think I’ve talked about this numerous times, about you can’t force that,” Ballard said, in response to an opening question. “You can’t force the quarterback position, especially in the draft. I think history has shown that. It’s got to be the right guy, the right fit for us and our staff and our organization.

“So I don’t know when that’s going to happen, maybe this year, maybe next year, maybe two years from now, I don’t know. And I’m not going to force it. Much to everybody’s dismay, and it might drive everybody nuts, but I’m not going to force that issue. When we decide to take one up that we think is going to be the future guy of this franchise, you’ve got to be right.”

The Colts signed 38-year-old veteran Philip Rivers to a one-year, $25-million deal and have backup Jacoby Brissett, the 2019 starter, set to earn $21.4 million in the final year of an extension he signed before last season.

Does that mean Ballard has ruled out picking a quarterback next week? Not necessarily. He wouldn’t the first NFL general manager to offer misdirection before the draft.

But he more than hinted that he likely won’t be taking a quarterback.

“Well, I can already see the story for this year,” Ballard said, when asked about his level of concern in not having a QB signed for 2021.

He paused and smiled.

“Saying that, look, we’ll make decisions when they need to be made. And we’ll always have our eye on that position. It’s just, we’re always going to have our eye on that position. I wish I had a crystal ball in front of me, to be able to rub it and tell you what we’re going to look like a year from now. I’m just trying to get through the next week here, to get through the draft, but it’s one that we’ll always keep our eye on.”

Popular mock draft suggestions have projected the Colts could take Washington QB Jacob Eason, Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts or even Georgia QB Jake Fromm in the second or third rounds.

The Colts traded their first-round selection, 13th overall, to acquire All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner from San Francisco last month. That means Ballard isn’t scheduled to be on the clock until the second round, where he has two selections at No. 34 and No. 44.

Some mocks have suggested Ballard might trade up to select Utah State quarterback Jordan Love. But the Colts GM sounded like he was leaning more toward going the opposite direction when he admitted he wanted more picks.

The Buckner deal aside, Ballard has often traded down in the past, most recently last year when he moved out of the first round and selected cornerback Rock Ya-Sin. That deal with Washington was for the 34th pick next week.

The Colts will have seven selections in the draft, one also in the third, fourth and fifth rounds as well as two in the sixth round.

Another question pertained to the difficulty in finding the right developmental quarterback in later rounds that could one day be a starter.

“I think a lot of times, it’s just opportunity,” Ballard said. “Getting the reps in live games. You look at the traits that you want in your quarterbacks, things that you’re looking for, then you hope you’ve got ‘em ready enough that when they get the opportunity they’re going to perform.”