Colts GM Chris Ballard hints at 2 prospects in pre-draft press conference

Draft season is a rather translucent stage amidst an inevitably news-hungry NFL offseason. Smokescreen galore is distributed amongst all NFL front office members and agents, however, there are some needles in the haystack where fans and analysts alike can begin to read the tea leaves.

Ever since the 2023 NFL season concluded, Indianapolis Colts fans far and wide have discussed which position their team will be selecting first in the upcoming draft. Three positions (CB, WR, EDGE) plus a single outlier — Brock Bowers — have been the talk of the town. Thankfully, draft week is upon us. All that is left is piecing the puzzle together, and I believe Colts general manager Chris Ballard provided us with the missing piece this past weekend.

In his pre-draft press conference, Ballard revealed a certain position battle he and his team of scouts have been keen on as of late. He quickly attempted to preemptively put out the speculatory fire of the position in question, but I couldn’t resist.

The position that most have felt the Colts have seemingly shoehorned themselves into is cornerback. After electing to retain an entire secondary that was littered with youth, injuries, and below-average play, going with CB with their first pick has seemed inevitable. However, throughout the pre-draft process, the Colts have allocated an abundance of resources to some of the top offensive playmakers in the class.

Some might chalk it up to due diligence, but I think it’s deeper than that. Dating back to his media availability at the NFL Combine Ballard has harped on adding explosiveness to the team. That could very well mean adding to the defense by way of a defensive back or pass rusher, but it feels as if a pass-catcher is what they’re eyeing based on the aforementioned amount of resources that have been allocated toward explosive wideouts.

The two prospects in question that I believe are at the forefront of the Colts’ wishlist are LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr. and Texas’ Xavier Worthy. Both standout wide receivers are the epitome of explosiveness and selecting either in the NFL Draft immediately makes any NFL’s WR room more explosive.

Colts HC Shane Steichen, a product of Norv Turner’s coaching tree, values the offensive philosophy that says spacing and downfield attacks in the passing game go hand in hand. Since Steichen became an NFL OC in 2020, he has been blessed with top-tier arm talent (Justin Herbert 2020, Jalen Hurts 2021-22, Anthony Richardson 2023-). After Minshew took over for the 2024 season, Steichen’s offensive identity was in question due to the former’s physical limitations, so Steichen dove deep into his bag to take this new and somewhat limited version of the Colts offense to the brink of the playoffs.

The hypothetical selection of either Thomas Jr. or Worthy shouldn’t mean third-year WR Alec Pierce is already on his way out, though it does paint a brief picture of how highly they feel about the prospects in question. Pierce played his part well last year, but it’s not unreasonable to assume either would be an immediate upgrade to the role, especially that of Thomas Jr.

Based on the Colts’ resource allocation throughout the pre-draft process, I don’t think they’ve done more due diligence on one player than they have with Xavier Worthy. They formally met at the Combine, sent the house for his Pro Day, and brought him in for a Top 30 visit. No other prospect has been reported to have garnered as much interest as Indy, though I believe this is to ensure comfortability in ultimately selecting Worthy if Thomas Jr. is gone before the Colts’ pick.

Shane Steichen’s blood flows when spacing opens up the vertical passing game and either Thomas Jr. or Worthy fits the bill perfectly. The likes of Dallas Turner, Brock Bowers, as well as the top cornerback trio of Quinyon Mitchell, Terrion Arnold, and Cooper DeJean will more than likely be in contention for the Colts first draft pick. Though with how the board’s looking to fall coupled with what Ballard, Steichen, and Co. are striving for, I feel confident in saying the Colts will select Brian Thomas Jr. in the 15-20 range whereas I see a Worthy selection being in the 20s if he’s [BTJ] gone before then.