Indianapolis Colts Go All-In On Athleticism During 2022 NFL Draft

The Indianapolis Colts just wrapped up arguably a historic 2022 NFL Draft class. The reason might surprise you, though, because it’s not going to draw a lot of headlines.

With all eight of their selections, Indianapolis drafted a prospect with a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) above 9.0. This is the first draft class in NFL history where all prospects drafted by an organization registered with a +9.0 RAS.

For Colts GM Chris Ballard, this is him pushing his chips further all-in on his overall scouting philosophy. Since joining the Colts in 2017, Ballard’s focus has always been to prioritize above-average athletes during the pre-draft process. In recent years, this idea has fortified itself even further.

“Bet on high-end, high-end traits,” Ballard said.

The 2022 NFL Draft was the culmination of this idea becoming the true identity of the Colts. Take a look at how all eight draft picks graded on the RAS scale.

Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinatti = 9.82 RAS

Jelani Woods, TE, Virginia = 10.00 RAS

Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan = 9.86 RAS

Nick Cross, SAF, Maryland = 9.87 RAS

Eric Johnson, DT, Missouri State = 9.39 RAS

Andrew Ogletree, TE, Youngstown State = 9.36 RAS

Curtis Brooks, DT, Cincinatti = 9.52 RAS

Rodney Thomas II, CB, Yale = 9.25 RAS

According to the RAS model database, Indianapolis easily finished No. 1 overall with an average grade over 0.5 points higher than second place, which was the Detroit Lions.

Sure, this isn’t going to raise a banner inside Lucas Oil Stadium for this, but it’s an all-in move on the strategy that continues to mine gems for the Colts. Ballard is already known as one of the NFL’s best talent evaluators, and now others are beginning to pick up on his trends.

Indianapolis certainly has a preferred type in any draft prospect: elite athlete, team captain, Senior Bowl participant, notable college production. For the first three picks in this year’s draft, four of the top five (Cross not included as underclassmen), they all qualified with ease for those thresholds.

The Colts not only attacked all of their biggest needs in the draft, but they also accomplished the yearly goal of infusing more athleticism onto their roster. Ballard has mentioned how important it is to take advantage of this trait, especially on the fast track that is their home turf of Lucas Oil Stadium. It’s an advantage Ballard has continued to hammer home, and the 2022 draft class is the latest shining example.

The NFL Draft can be a hit-or-miss process, and the Colts aren’t immune to strikeouts on prospects as well. Former 2020 second-round pick Ben Banogu is one example where an elite athlete just never translated to real production for Indianapolis. However, the misses in Indianapolis have been few and far between for the Colts compared to every other team.

“If they’re not at a certain level, they’re probably not going to make our (draft) board,” Ballard said after the draft when asked about prioritizing athleticism in prospects.

Bet on the traits. More often than not, it leads to success in translating college athletes into the NFL. Ballard and the Colts proved they will continue to hammer this strategy following a historic 2022 draft haul based around elite athletes.