Indianapolis Colts 2017 NFL Draft retrospective

How should the Indianapolis Colts feel about their 2017 NFL Draft class after three years? We take a deep dive into it.

The Colts came into the 2017 draft with plenty of needs. They just fired Ryan Grigson as their GM and he left the cupboard bare in some pretty important areas. Chris Ballard was brought in to fix those areas of need and bring some playmakers into the team who could make an immediate impact.

The team was coming off an 8-8 record and still had Chuck Pagano as their head coach. In the 2016 season, they had the third-worst total defense in the league, giving up close to 383 yards per game. They needed some big-time help on that side of the football.

That is where Chris Ballard focused his efforts. In fact, he only took two offensive players in that draft, and that was in the fourth round. Now we are three years into this draft class, and it’s time to look back and see how well this class has performed.

Overall, it looks like a bit of a mixed bag. Some of these players have played up to their potential and then some. Others look like busts, while still others aren’t even on the team anymore. It truly is a mixed review of this class. Here is how each player has fared so far.

Original Grade

FanSided: A

"The Colts were in a position where they needed to take the best player available. They did just that and were rewarded with a player with a high ceiling a potential to be a game-changing talent."

Draft Class

Round 1 (No. 15)

CURRENT TEAM: Indianapolis Colts

Chris Ballard’s first pick as an NFL GM was free safety Malik Hooker out of Ohio State. Hooker had a killer final year at OSU, recording seven picks and taking three back for touchdowns. He was expected to bring that same kind of big-play ability to the Colts.

The one concern for him was injuries. Because of injuries, he really only played one year at Ohio State. Those injury concerns have followed him to the Colts. He has yet to play a full season for the Colts, missing a total of 14 games over the past three seasons.

Hooker is still the best playmaker the Colts have in the secondary though. He has great hands and can make spectacular plays, like the one-handed pick he had against the Chargers. But this year will be big for him, as he needs to prove he can be more consistent.

Round 2 (No. 46)

CURRENT TEAM: Houston Texans

Quincy Wilson was brought in to help a terrible secondary. He had a really good combine, and that’s what helped push his draft stock up. Unfortunately, he has done everything but play up to that potential. In fact, he has been actively bad.

Wilson has only played in 29 games in his three years with the Colts. Most of that isn’t due to injury…it’s due to a lack of effectiveness. In fact, he was inactive for 7 games this year, with most of them being a healthy scratch.

Wilson only has 2 interceptions in his career. His work ethic is poor and he doesn’t practice well. That’s not a good combination for an NFL player. I thought he would get cut in the offseason, but Ballard has said that 2020 is a big year for him. That implies he gets another shot.

Round 3 (No. 80)

CURRENT TEAM: New York Jets

Tarell Basham was taken in the third round of the 2017 draft, and he definitely had some upside to him. Basham was quick and had a quick burst on the outside. He was brought in to get after the quarterback. He actually played in 15 games in his rookie season.

In that rookie year, he had 2 sacks and a forced fumble. There were thoughts that he could start in the 2018 season at defensive end. Surprisingly though, he was cut after just one game. The Jets then picked him up, and he has been with them ever since. He seems like he is doing well enough there.

Round 4 (No. 137)

CURRENT TEAM: Pittsburgh Steelers

Zach Banner was taken to help protect Andrew Luck at quarterback. Unfortunately, by that point, it was a little too late. Regardless, Banner proved to be an immediate bust. In fact, he never played a game for the Colts.

He was picked up by the Browns later in 2017 and was out of the league in 2018. He currently is with the Steelers where he played 14 games for them. Banner was a complete waste of a pick and probably the worst pick in this draft.

Round 4 (No. 143)

CURRENT TEAM: Indianapolis Colts

This was the best pick for the Colts in this draft by far. Marlon Mack was brought in to back up Frank Gore, who was the lead back at the time. Mack eventually took over in 2018 as the number one back, and boy has he produced since then.

Mack has emerged as the number one playmaker on this offense. He ran for a playoff record 148 yards against the Texans in 2018 and then followed that up by running for over 1,000 yards this season. Mack has shown the ability to be a true workhorse back.

Mack is up for an extension and should get one. He has proven to be explosive and has great vision. He can turn any run into a home-run almost instantly. The Colts would be actively bad if not for his offensive skills holding the team together.

Round 4 (No. 144)

CURRENT TEAM: Indianapolis Colts

Grover Stewart was their final fourth-round pick of that draft. He was supposed to plug up the middle with his very large frame. Since being taken, Stewart has actually played quite a bit. He has played at least 15 games every year so far.

Stewart had his best season in 2019, recording 3 sacks. Stewart needed to pick up his play after a couple of defensive linemen were drafted in 2019. He has provided solid value as a late fourth-round pick.

Round 5 (No. 158)

CURRENT TEAM: New York Jets

Nate Hairston was the first of two fifth-round picks the Colts had in this draft. Hairston has played a lot in his career so far. He actually played in the most games as a rookie, with 14. He has proven to be a nice fill-in corner if someone gets hurt,

Hairston will never be a starter in this league, but he provides decent backup play. He is currently with the Jets after getting cut by the Colts in training camp during 2019.

Round 5 (No. 161)

CURRENT TEAM: Indianapolis Colts

This pick has turned out to bring tremendous value to the Colts. Anthony Walker was the last pick the Colts made in this draft, and now he is a starter on one of the best young linebacking corps in the league.

Walker had the best season of his career in 2019, posting a career-high 125 tackles to go along with 2.5 sacks. He has way outperformed his draft slot, and Chris Ballard should be applauded for finding someone of his talent so late in the draft.

He continues to be a big part of the young defensive core that the Colts have. He will only improve from here on out.

Retrospective Grade

Bottom Line:

Chris Ballard did an excellent job with his first draft class. He was able to get three starters from this draft, and a backup who plays significant snaps. You would like to see him hit on the second-round pick that ended up being Wilson, but you can’t be perfect.

The future success of Hooker will really determine just how good this class was. If he can stay healthy and improve his communication skills, this class will be one of the better ones in the league. Mack and Walker were absolute steals at their draft slots.

All in all, this class was a solid start to Ballard’s tenure as GM. Since then, he has shown a great ability to evaluate talent and draft players that fit their needs and getting those players at a great value. You couldn’t really ask for a better start to his tenure.

by Ryan Stano

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