Ballard Predraft press conference 12pm

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Ballard has a 12 pm press conference today. I can’t wait.

[Valpo2004]

Meh probably not going to tell us much we don't already know.  

[Yoshinator]

26 minutes ago, Chloe6124 said:

Ballard has a 12 pm press conference today. I can’t wait.

Thanks Chloe. You are like my Colts internet secretary!  Appreciate the thread letting us know. I'll check it out today! 

[stitches]

Press-conference is about to start. Here's the link if you want to watch:

 

https://www.colts.com/video/live-chris-ballard-discusses-upcoming-draft

[stitches]

 

[MTC]

Love Ballard's tease at the end.

 

"I'll see you all Thursday... or maybe not, maybe Friday".

[stitches]

 

[stitches]

Here's the audio of the press-conference:

https://www.colts.com/audio/4-22-chris-ballard-pre-draft-press-conference-audio

[stitches]

Some things that made impression on me:

-Ballard doesn't think the depth at the top of the draft is as good this year as it was last year

-After about top 12-15... it's all about flavor and what you like and prefer for your system and less about huge differences in quality. 15 to 70 is a huge cluster of similarly rated players... 

-Our draft board is DIFFERENT than what he's seen in the media and draft experts. Note from me -EXPECT surprising picks... a player who media has ranked as 3d-4th rounder might be taken by Ballard at 26... or 34? Similar to how Darius Leonard pick went. 

-Even if a severe need is not filled, we still have time, it doesn't have to filled in the draft. We have more FA, cut down day, trades, etc.

-People are too quick to judge and lack patience with the young players. Give the young players/rookies time to develop. Have confidence in your process to develop players.

-we will have between 160 and 180 players on the board when it's all said and done. We filter out players that don't fit be it from schematic stand point, athletic stand point, character stand point, etc... filter them out. It takes discipline on draft day. 

-we have some guys that have character risk, but we are comfortable with them. "Anybody that's up there[on the board], we are willing to take"

-Scouting world is flat now. Not many true sleepers and hidden gems... they are going high nowadays in the draft. 

-Last year we had good sense of how the 1st round would go... now it's more unpredictable. It's about flavor of what you prefer. 

-We have a cluster of 6-to-8 players that we will consider at 26. Hopefully some of them are there, but if none of them are there we still have a plan to proceed(My note: maybe trade down?) 

-can't talk to enough people and you can't do enough digging on players... even the seemingly clean ones. 

-Ballard and Reich are in constant communication and will continue to meet several times before the draft. They are on the same page about the draft and who we are considering and who we are not

-we like AC,without a question we like AC. We go year to year... we cannot force it. We cannot take a tackle and think this guy is AC's replacement. We cannot do that. 

-you cannot have enough good offensive linemen

[stitches]

And here's my thoughts and conjectures:

-if a player from the top 15 doesn't drop to 26, IMO there is a good chance we try to move down. Seems like Ballard would love to have more picks in the 2nd and 3d rounds than one pick at 26

-EXPECT surprising picks... a player who media has ranked as 3d-4th rounder might be taken by Ballard at 26... or 34? Similar to how Darius Leonard pick went. 

-OL is an option ... relatively early too IMO... if one of the premier OTs drop... I wouldn't be shocked if we picked him at 26. 

[PeterBowman]

One thing that is 100% certain.....people will whine,complain, pitch a fit no matter what happens......thinking only the 1st round matters etc.

[Colt Overseas]

12 minutes ago, stitches said:

 

-we have some guys that have character risk, but we are comfortable with them. "Anybody that's up there[on the board], we are willing to take"

 

 

This point sticks out with me the most. Could mean Simmons, Tillery, or players like this will be in that 'cluster' of players Ballard is willing to pull the trigger on at #26.

[John Waylon]

I don’t expect to see a trade down. There are so many teams talking about it this year, and just like Ballard said, the depth at the top isn’t there. It’s not a seller’s market to trade down this year. Probably only going to be one or two deals worth moving down for, and they’re all long gone at 26. 

[GoColtsGo5150]

I'm interested who this "cluster of 6 to 8 players" we might be considering. My guess (based on interest we've shown):

 

Johnathan Abram

Brian Burns

Jerry Tillery

Dexter Lawrence

Jeffrey Simmons

Josh Jacobs

(possible bold predictions): Chris Lindstrom or Darnell Savage

[Yoshinator]

17 minutes ago, stitches said:

Some things that made impression on me:

-Ballard doesn't think the depth at the top of the draft is as good this year as it was last year

-After about top 12-15... it's all about flavor and what you like and prefer for your system and less about huge differences in quality. 15 to 70 is a huge cluster of similarly rated players... 

-Our draft board is DIFFERENT than what he's seen in the media and draft experts. Note from me -EXPECT surprising picks... a player who media has ranked as 3d-4th rounder might be taken by Ballard at 26... or 34? Similar to how Darius Leonard pick went. 

-Even if a severe need is not filled, we still have time, it doesn't have to filled in the draft. We have more FA, cut down day, trades, etc.

-People are too quick to judge and lack patience with the young players. Give the young players/rookies time to develop. Have confidence in your process to develop players.

-we will have between 160 and 180 players on the board when it's all said and done. We filter out players that don't fit be it from schematic stand point, athletic stand point, character stand point, etc... filter them out. It takes discipline on draft day. 

-we have some guys that have character risk, but we are comfortable with them. "Anybody that's up there[on the board], we are willing to take"

-Scouting world is flat now. Not many true sleepers and hidden gems... they are going high nowadays in the draft. 

-Last year we had good sense of how the 1st round would go... now it's more unpredictable. It's about flavor of what you prefer. 

-We have a cluster of 6-to-8 players that we will consider at 26. Hopefully some of them are there, but if none of them are there we still have a plan to proceed(My note: maybe trade down?) 

-can't talk to enough people and you can't do enough digging on players... even the seemingly clean ones. 

-Ballard and Reich are in constant communication and will continue to meet several times before the draft. They are on the same page about the draft and who we are considering and who we are not

-we like AC,without a question we like AC. We go year to year... we cannot force it. We cannot take a tackle and think this guy is AC's replacement. We cannot do that. 

-you cannot have enough good offensive linemen

The bolded is what intrigued me. I expect a lot of "reaches" this year, and I remember seeing a lot of combine and pro-day standouts in the last few years go on day 2 and early day 3. Ballard will probably have a specific set of players he likes, and I'll trust him more this year if he "reaches", especially based on the interview. He's giving you all the test answers right here, don't be surprised when they come up during the draft.

[csmopar]

15 minutes ago, stitches said:

And here's my thoughts and conjectures:

-if a player from the top 15 doesn't drop to 26, IMO there is a good chance we try to move down. Seems like Ballard would love to have more picks in the 2nd and 3d rounds than one pick at 26

-EXPECT surprising picks... a player who media has ranked as 3d-4th rounder might be taken by Ballard at 26... or 34? Similar to how Darius Leonard pick went. 

-OL is an option ... relatively early too IMO... if one of the premier OTs drop... I wouldn't be shocked if we picked him at 26. 

I'm thinking the opposite, I'm thinking we may see the Colts move up, it'd be costly though.

[Yoshinator]

3 minutes ago, GoColtsGo5150 said:

I'm interested who this "cluster of 6 to 8 players" we might be considering. My guess (based on interest we've shown):

 

Johnathan Abram

Brian Burns

Jerry Tillery

Dexter Lawrence

Jeffrey Simmons

Josh Jacobs

(possible bold predictions): Chris Lindstrom or Darnell Savage

I 100% agree and would add Kaleb McGary to that list.

[jvan1973]

28 minutes ago, Colt Overseas said:

 

This point sticks out with me the most. Could mean Simmons, Tillery, or players like this will be in that 'cluster' of players Ballard is willing to pull the trigger on at #26.

What character concerns does Tillery have?

[stitches]

8 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:

What character concerns does Tillery have?

Too smart and 'worldly'... Might have actually read some books while in college. NFL teams cannot have that. Might read about CTE in some book and decide he doesn't want to play football anymore. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

11 minutes ago, jvan1973 said:

What character concerns does Tillery have?

I think Teams are worried he might quit football to pursue other interests. That he doesn’t eat and breathe football.

[Jackie Daytona]

I'm starting to think Ben Banogu is a DE they may have rated a lot higher on their board than some teams....

[Fisticuffs111]

1 hour ago, stitches said:

-EXPECT surprising picks... a player who media has ranked as 3d-4th rounder might be taken by Ballard at 26... or 34? Similar to how Darius Leonard pick went. 

Yeah this is the sense I've been getting in the last couple weeks, since Holder relayed what Ballard said about the talent from the mid 1st to the top of the 3rd round. It almost seemed like a telegraphed quote to warn fans/media, like hey, people might be pretty shocked at our picks. 

[Moosejawcolt]

52 minutes ago, GoColtsGo5150 said:

I'm interested who this "cluster of 6 to 8 players" we might be considering. My guess (based on interest we've shown):

 

Johnathan Abram

Brian Burns

Jerry Tillery

Dexter Lawrence

Jeffrey Simmons

Josh Jacobs

(possible bold predictions): Chris Lindstrom or Darnell Savage

I don't think Lawrence is a fit for this D.  However, maybe they want to take it in a different direction.  One huge monster at NT to occupy 2 O linemen.  Then let the other 3 D linemen wreck havoc. Would remind me when we had Cory Simon and he was over weight. 

[Fisticuffs111]

I've been preparing to hear some unexpected names with our first 3 picks, if we stay there, but I still think I'll be surprised at some of them.

Some potential surprises IMO could be McLaurin or Banogu (who I admittedly don't like much) in the early/late 2nd. Or Jacobs at #26, which I'd also not be very high on. And those are just ones that would kind of surprise me. I fully expect an out of left field pick at either 26, 34, or 59.

[superrep1967]

3 hours ago, MTC said:

Love Ballard's tease at the end.

 

"I'll see you all Thursday... or maybe not, maybe Friday".

Lol, yeah he's got a great sense of humor I like it

[superrep1967]

50 minutes ago, Fisticuffs111 said:

I've been preparing to hear some unexpected names with our first 3 picks, if we stay there, but I still think I'll be surprised at some of them.

Some potential surprises IMO could be McLaurin or Banogu (who I admittedly don't like much) in the early/late 2nd. Or Jacobs at #26, which I'd also not be very high on. And those are just ones that would kind of surprise me. I fully expect an out of left field pick at either 26, 34, or 59.

The question I wish they would have asked Ballard was. if you feel 1 of those 6 to 8 could still be at 34 would you consider moving back for more picks? I bet he would without question.   

[Steamboat_Shaun]

1 hour ago, stitches said:

Too smart and 'worldly'... Might have actually read some books while in college. NFL teams cannot have that. Might read about CTE in some book and decide he doesn't want to play football anymore. 

 

My biggest concern with Tillery is that he didn't have a single tipped pass in his entire career at Notre Dame. It probably seems like a small thing, but it's a trait that separates good interior d-line players from great ones at the NFL level. By comparison, Christian Wilkins had 15 throughout his college tenure.

[csmopar]

3 minutes ago, superrep1967 said:

The question I wish they would have asked Ballard was. if you feel 1 of those 6 to 8 could still be at 34 would you consider moving back for more picks? I bet he would without question.   

I'm just gonna say this, this may very well be the weakest 1st round draft pool, maybe weakest overall draft in the last 2 decades.

[PeterBowman]

2 minutes ago, csmopar said:

I'm just gonna say this, this may very well be the weakest 1st round draft pool, maybe weakest overall draft in the last 2 decades.

I think 2013 is still one of the worst in recent memory. 

[superrep1967]

4 minutes ago, csmopar said:

I'm just gonna say this, this may very well be the weakest 1st round draft pool, maybe weakest overall draft in the last 2 decades.

Yeah, I was saying when 24 or 25 pick comes up and still a few of there 6 to 8 is still available and the opportunity arises I can definitely see him moving back. 

[csmopar]

3 minutes ago, PeterBowman said:

I think 2013 is still one of the worst in recent memory. 

It is.  But this draft class has that same feel going in.  There will be a few solid players, but I think you're looking at a class with a lack of star potential.  Solid players, yes, super studs, no.  Especially offensively.  I hope I'm wrong.

[csmopar]

Just now, superrep1967 said:

Yeah, I was saying when 24 or 25 pick comes up and still a few of there 6 to 8 is still available and the opportunity arises I can definitely see him moving back. 

I don't think thats gonna happen.  Lots of teams reportedly are shopping that move back idea.  it takes two to make a trade and I don't see anyone that's jumping out worth trading up for in spot 26. 

[superrep1967]

1 minute ago, csmopar said:

I don't think thats gonna happen.  Lots of teams reportedly are shopping that move back idea.  it takes two to make a trade and I don't see anyone that's jumping out worth trading up for in spot 26. 

You're probably right and that's what I was thinking. But if the opportunity arises he'll definitely do it.  

[PeterBowman]

3 minutes ago, csmopar said:

It is.  But this draft class has that same feel going in.  There will be a few solid players, but I think you're looking at a class with a lack of star potential.  Solid players, yes, super studs, no.  Especially offensively.  I hope I'm wrong.

which is why i'm glad the Colts are picking towards the back AND have a high 2nd round pick. That's where they'll maximize their value...or package something to move up if one of their coveted players falls. 

[csmopar]

3 minutes ago, PeterBowman said:

which is why i'm glad the Colts are picking towards the back AND have a high 2nd round pick. That's where they'll maximize their value...or package something to move up if one of their coveted players falls. 

Agreed. I think the odds are we move up more than we move down this year.

[superrep1967]

2 hours ago, GoColtsGo5150 said:

I'm interested who this "cluster of 6 to 8 players" we might be considering. My guess (based on interest we've shown):

 

Johnathan Abram

Brian Burns

Jerry Tillery

Dexter Lawrence

Jeffrey Simmons

Josh Jacobs

(possible bold predictions): Chris Lindstrom or Darnell Savage

Who do you think will still be there at 26?

[stitches]

8 minutes ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

My biggest concern with Tillery is that he didn't have a single tipped pass in his entire career at Notre Dame. It probably seems like a small thing, but it's a trait that separates good interior d-line players from great ones at the NFL level. By comparison, Christian Wilkins had 15 throughout his college tenure.

Meh... This is not close to the top of things I care about with DTs... Quinnen has batted like... 2 passes in his career too. I posted a study yesterday that initially made a connection between batted passes in college to production in the league, but it turned out that pretty much all of the effect was due to JJ Watt and if you remove him from the sample there was no correlation between those. 

 

Would I rather he had 10 tipped passes? Sure... would it stop me from taking him? Not really... 

[Steamboat_Shaun]

12 minutes ago, stitches said:

Would I rather he had 10 tipped passes? Sure... would it stop me from taking him? Not really... 

 

I'm not suggesting that it makes him undraftable, but if we're talking about whether or not to use a first rounder on him, then absolutely I'd factor it in, especially if a guy like Wilkins is still on the board.

[stitches]

1 minute ago, Steamboat_Shaun said:

 

I'm not suggesting that it makes him undraftable, but if we're talking about whether or not to use a first rounder on him, then absolutely I'd factor it in, especially if a guy like Wilkins is still on the board.

I take Tillery easy over Wilkins. But that's just me... with or without tipped passes. 

[Fisticuffs111]

10 minutes ago, stitches said:

I take Tillery easy over Wilkins. But that's just me... with or without tipped passes. 

I think I'd take Tillery too. This is a simplified take but I think Tillery is the higher ceiling guy while Wilkins is the higher floor/lower ceiling guy. Although I don't think Tillery's floor is that low.