Quenton Nelson (G-ND) Rd #1 Pick #6

[FatDT]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

From what I heard on NFL radio. the Colts were a contender in the discussion, along with a couple other teams, then the jags came in and blew the offers out of the water by a lot. I don't think Ballard wanted to pay that much. But the analysts on the radio think it was too high as well. That he wasn't worth that much and that he wasn't quite as good as the numbers he was getting. That his performance this last year was a little inflated and he was not as good as people thought. Anyway that was their opinion.

Ballard has said repeatedly he doesn't want to go into FA why building the team culture with draft picks. That he will later on buy not as foundation pieces. He wants an established culture before he starts bringing in veterans from other teams. I think that is bc I think the culture of this team has gotten soft. I heard several interviews with Allen and Dorsett allude to it several times. That guys got away with things, that effort was lacking. Anyway, that what Ballard said, so far he has done everything he has said he was going to do.

I buy the culture idea. It's hard to establish exactly the culture you want, and it's impossible to change a culture unless you remove its pillars. That's true on a team, in a business, a hobby club, anywhere where there are people.

The problem, though, is that Ballard chased Norwell and several other OL. He apparently had no problem potentially making them foundational pieces of the new culture if he got the price he wanted. He just didn't get the price he wanted. He took a hard line on that, which isn't unexpected. He said many times he wouldn't overpay in FA.

And so, the consequence of this is that he had to use top draft picks to get the pieces he clearly wanted for the team. He wasn't able to accomplish those goals via FA, despite having the money. And so the team misses on other top players, like a high-end LB or pass rusher, because he drafted 2 guards.

It might work out. You can agree with his approach or not (I don't), but that is how it's gone. We'll see.

[rcubed]

Originally Posted by Racehorse

Look, we have drafted them later in the draft before and have gotten a bunch of JAGs. I would have preferred to go with defense, but if we get one on the OLine, I am not going to complain.

Yeah, I was irritated by the guard pick at 6, I wanted a real difference maker on D there.

However, they did need to address the O-line and it looks like we are set on all 3 interior spots for a good while, so if AC can hold up at LT things are trending up in terms of OL play which should help a lot (especially with an improved scheme).

[HoosierinFL]

Originally Posted by sherck

However, at times, all three of Good, Haeg and Clark have played well there so I am pretty hopeful that one of the three will rise to the top and seize the position.

I'm optimistic too, that Haeg and Clark are entering their 3rd seasons, and their time in the league will begin to pay off. Haeg was a highly recognized OT coming out of college.

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by FatDT

I buy the culture idea. It's hard to establish exactly the culture you want, and it's impossible to change a culture unless you remove its pillars. That's true on a team, in a business, a hobby club, anywhere where there are people.

The problem, though, is that Ballard chased Norwell and several other OL. He apparently had no problem potentially making them foundational pieces of the new culture if he got the price he wanted. He just didn't get the price he wanted. He took a hard line on that, which isn't unexpected. He said many times he wouldn't overpay in FA.

And so, the consequence of this is that he had to use top draft picks to get the pieces he clearly wanted for the team. He wasn't able to accomplish those goals via FA, despite having the money. And so the team misses on other top players, like a high-end LB or pass rusher, because he drafted 2 guards.

It might work out. You can agree with his approach or not (I don't), but that is how it's gone. We'll see.

Well I guess the other question is. Would they have still drafted Nelson if they had signed Norwell? Or would they have not signed Slausen or Mewhort. Maybe they would not have drafted Smith. Ballard seemed pretty locked in on Nelson, makes me wonder if he still would have drafted him.

[Chromeburn]

Originally Posted by rcubed

Yeah, I was irritated by the guard pick at 6, I wanted a real difference maker on D there.

However, they did need to address the O-line and it looks like we are set on all 3 interior spots for a good while, so if AC can hold up at LT things are trending up in terms of OL play which should help a lot (especially with an improved scheme).

I wanted a defensive playmaker too. But if at the end of the day Luck gets hit a lot less and stays healthy I think everyone will be happy. And we should win a lot more games.

[YDFL Commish]

Originally Posted by Chromeburn

Well I guess the other question is. Would they have still drafted Nelson if they had signed Norwell? Or would they have not signed Slausen or Mewhort. Maybe they would not have drafted Smith. Ballard seemed pretty locked in on Nelson, makes me wonder if he still would have drafted him.

Ballard wouldn't be e traded down if he had gotten Norwell. Then he would have taken Chubb.

[Indiana V2]

As much as I've seen Colts staff and NFL draft experts talk up Nelson I sure hope he works out, hopefully he's not another Tony Manderich.

[Dam8610]

Originally Posted by YDFL Commish

Ballard wouldn't be e traded down if he had gotten Norwell. Then he would have taken Chubb.

I can't fault Ballard for trading down there. He couldn't have predicted that two QB needy teams would not take QBs and one of those teams would take Chubb. That said, even I can't argue that having Chubb would've been better than having Nelson, Smith, Turay, Wilkins, and a 2nd round pick in 2019 which will likely be Top 50. An elite pass rusher is still likely a need, but the Colts will have 3 picks in the Top 64, and likely at least 2 in the Top 50 to get that player in 2019. To me, it's a fact that the Colts will be a better team moving forward as a result of that trade. I'd listen to a counterargument, but I don't think a cogent one can be made.

[rm1369]

Originally Posted by Dam8610

I can't fault Ballard for trading down there. He couldn't have predicted that two QB needy teams would not take QBs and one of those teams would take Chubb. That said, even I can't argue that having Chubb would've been better than having Nelson, Smith, Turay, Wilkins, and a 2nd round pick in 2019 which will likely be Top 50. An elite pass rusher is still likely a need, but the Colts will have 3 picks in the Top 64, and likely at least 2 in the Top 50 to get that player in 2019. To me, it's a fact that the Colts will be a better team moving forward as a result of that trade. I'd listen to a counterargument, but I don't think a cogent one can be made.

I agree that you can’t fault Ballard for trading down but I disagree that he couldn’t predict Chubb would be gone. Several of us said he would be gone and predicted that it was unlikely 4 QBs would be taken. Ballard had to know trading back would likely cost him Chubb. He just valued the picks he got more. That’s hard to argue with.

[Dewey 5]

Originally Posted by Indiana V2

As much as I've seen Colts staff and NFL draft experts talk up Nelson I sure hope he works out, hopefully he's not another Tony Manderich.

Manderich was a lab experiment like Ivan Drago. No comparison.