Chris Ballard Unconvinced By Lure Of No.1 Pick

Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard says trading for the No.1 pick doesn’t guarantee drafting a franchise quarterback.

Indy holds the fourth overall pick in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft. Theoretically they could trade up for the first pick, which currently resides with the Chicago Bears.

However, Chris Ballard pushed back against this narrative when speaking at the 2023 NFL scouting combine. 

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“I know everybody … has just automatically stamped that you’ve got to move up to No. 1 to get it right,” Chris Ballard said.

“I don’t know if I agree with that. I don’t. But that’s gonna be the narrative.

“To move up,” Ballard said, “there’s got to be a guy worthy of it.

“I don’t necessarily know if (trading up is) the right course of business,” said Ballard. “When we meet as a staff and we say, ‘OK, this is what we need to do, this is the guy for the next 10 to 15 years,’ and we think he’s the right guy, sure, we’ll do it. But who’s to say we won’t get one at No. 4?”

If Ballard doesn’t think securing the first pick is a sure thing, Colts fans will hope he has some sort of plan, because they do need a quarterback. The front office has at least thought about what kind of player they want. Ballard even suggested he could me persuaded away from his preference of big quarterbacks.

Read: San Francisco 49ers Need Reinforcements At Quarterback

“I think we’re seeing today (that quarterbacks) come in all different shapes and sizes,” said Ballard. 

“We’ve seen that at the quarterback position here in the past. We’ve had guys that have been under six-foot be successful.

“So I think beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Who do you believe in? Who do you believe you can build an offense around?”