To the bolded, yeah, probably. That's my opinion, it's probably biased by my own thinking on the value of the WR position and how good players can be acquired and developed, but I think there's something to it. I also think there's something to Ballard's insistence since 2017 that he values OL/DL, he values trading back, and he thinks there are good players throughout the draft.
I also think going back to the Polian/Dungy days, there's been a team building philosophy -- not specific to the Colts, but definitely something the Colts adhered to back then and have returned to since 2018 -- that emphasizes zone based corners. And part of the reason for that is because zone corners are less expensive and easier to draft. I think the draft value for zone based corner prospects tends to be Day 2 and beyond, which influences Ballard's draft decisions, and speaks to why he's drafted three corners in the second round. And that's directly to the point I was making in the post you quote -- zone based corners are typically found beyond the first round, the Colts run a zone based defense, and I think they probably won't draft a corner on Day 1.
Meanwhile, he's made four first round picks: two trench players, one QB, and one safety. Some might say the safety is an outlier -- it was his first year, still with a different defensive philosophy. That might be true, but I think safety is considered more important in this defense than corner.
I'm not necessarily advocating for this approach. I would love a WR at #15, depending on who it is. I just don't expect it.
I like Pat McAfee alot because of his personality. He pretty much covers all sports and works very hard at his job. I don't gamble so I watch his show just for the laughs.
Soundtrack #15.....
Ooh Ooh You Might Never Get Rich
But let me tell you it's better than diggin a ditch
There ain't no tellin who you might meet
A movie star or even an Indian chief
At the_______
Working at the_____ girl
Come on and sing it with me
____________
Sing it with the feelin ya'll
(_____________, yeah)
Soundtrack #14....
Who's the private d*ck that's a sex machine to all the chicks
________
You're da*n right
Who's the man who would risk his neck for his brother man?
__________
Right on...They say this cat______is a bad mother
Shut your mouth!
But I'm talking about_____
Then we can dig it!
Soundtrack #13......
I've been waiting for so long now I've finally found someone to stand by me
We saw the writing on the wall as we felt this magic fantasy
Now with passion in our eyes there's no way we could disguise secretly
So we take each other's hand cause we seem to understand the urgency
Just remember you're the one thing I can't get enough of
So I'll tell you one thing this could be love because....
_____________________________________________
Soundtrack #12.....
Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse
When your chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best
And_________________