INDIANAPOLIS – The process began in February with roughly 2,200 names filling Chris Ballard’s initial draft board.
Then, it was whittled down 150, maybe 175 prospects Ballard and his scouting staff considered worthy of being selected in the NFL’s seven-round, 257-player process.
Now, if you heed the zillion mock drafts, that list has been pared down to two who merit Ballard’s undivided attention when investing the Indianapolis Colts’ first round pick – No. 14 overall – Thursday night.
Tyler Warren. Or Colston Loveland.
Shane Steichen’s offense desperately needs a difference-making tight end and the Big Ten is offering options: Penn State’s Warren and Michigan’s Loveland.
In draft jargon, round 1 of the draft represents one of those occasions when a team’s need intersects with one of the best players available.
Ballard reiterated his appreciation for the current makeup of the tight ends room.
“We like the group we have,’’ he said Monday during his pre-draft meeting with the media.’’
But.
“If we had a chance to take one that we think can really make a difference, we will do it,’’ Ballard said. “I do know this, though. You can’t chase.’’
Reaching for a player – drafting one that lacks a grade corresponding to where you’re taking him – is a blueprint for failure.
“So we’ll let the board play out the way the board should play out,’’ Ballard said.
And how Ballard and his staff have arranged their draft board is what they believe works for them and likely doesn’t mesh with anyone else’s.
In the first round, he noted, “you can already see how we have it stacked versus how the outside world has it stacked. I promise you, it is not the same. It’s not.
“They don’t have anything on the line. Like, I always laugh when everybody says, ‘Well, you reached or you took him too high.’ Well, by whose standard? Whose standard is that criticism coming from?
“So, we line it up and we draft them as we think is best for our team.’’
At some point, the Colts will draft a weakside linebacker to compete for the starting spot created with E.J. Speed’s departure. And Ballard can be expected to reinforce the offensive and defensive lines.
“You know my views on the front, both of them, o-line, d-line,’’ he said. “You can never have enough. You cannot. Over the course of the season . . . they’re just not hanging out on the street corner. Those guys are very difficult to find.’’
Similarly, difference-making tight ends are hard to find. The Colts nearly had the opportunity to secure one in last year’s draft, but the Las Vegas Raiders stepped in and took Brock Bowers with the No. 13 overall pick, two spots ahead of Indy.
Ballard didn’t elaborate on individual prospects, but characterized this year’s tight ends class as “really good . . . at every level.’’
He also noted top-tier players at the position have been acquired early, late and in between.
“They come from everywhere,’’ he said. “(Travis) Kelce was a three, (Mark) Andrews was a three, (George) Kittles was a five. (Brock) Bowers was a one last year.
“Like, they come from everywhere. But it’s a good class and we think there’s some good depth in this class.’’
The overriding objective is to discover a tight end capable of playing on all three downs and threatening the middle of the field in the pass game.
Remember Jack Doyle? Ballard does.
“One of the most underappreciated players to ever come to this program is Jack Doyle. He is. Guy was great,’’ he said. “I don’t think everybody recognized that, but all he did was block the edge consistently, do all the dirty work and catch every ball thrown to him.
“And he gave us a real threat in the middle of the field. Was he a dynamic (player), going to average 15, 16 yards a game? No. But he was a damn good player.’’
The Colts claimed the homegrown Doyle on waivers from the Tennessee Titans in 2013 and got much more than they anticipated. The Cathedral High School product realized nearly $37.9 million in career earnings, was named to two Pro Bowls and finished with 295 receptions, 2,729 yards and 24 TDs in nine seasons before retiring after the 2021 season.
The franchise’s next tight end of note likely will come from the top of the draft, and much will be expected of him.
“Actually be a guy that the defense has to account for,’’ Ballard said, adding the ability to hold his own as a blocker is critical.
“That’s, to me, the hard one to find. The second you don’t have a guy that can block is the second the coaching staff is griping and saying, ‘We’ve got to have a guy that can block.’
“But to be able to play on all three downs, to be able to be functional in the run game to where you don’t necessarily know it’s always a pass when he’s in the game, and then to be able to finish and make plays at critical times and have him give the quarterback an option in the middle of the field.’’
Historical perspective
Despite the attractiveness of Warren and Loveland in mock drafts, history insists one will be available when the Colts are on the clock Thursday at No. 14.
The last time two tight ends were selected in the top 14 of a draft was more than 50 years ago, and it occurred in consecutive years.
In 1973, Charle Young went to Philadelphia at No. 6 followed by Paul Seymour to Buffalo at No. 7.
In ’72, Denver took Riley Odoms at No. 5 and the New York Jets followed with Jerome Barkum at No. 9.
Since 2000, eight tight ends have been selected with a top-14 pick: Bowers (No. 13 in 2024), Kyle Pitts (No. 4 by Atlanta in ’21), T.J. Hockenson (No. 8 by Detroit in ’19), Eric Ebron (No. 10 by Detroit in ’14), Vernon Davis (No. 6 by San Francisco in ’06), Kellen Winslow II (No. 6 by Cleveland in ’04), Jeremy Shockey (No. 14 by the Giants in ’02) and Bubba Franks (No. 14 by Green Bay in 2000).
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.