Indianapolis Colts receive top grade of offseason by NFL insiders

Did the Indianapolis Colts do have a better offseason than any other team in the NFL? A certain group of league insiders believes so.

The Indianapolis Colts have done a fantastic job of building their roster in recent years. General manager Chris Ballard is one of the best in the business and has really injected some life into this franchise.

Just look back at last year’s draft class for a moment to see that the impact Ballard has had. Their first two picks last year, offensive guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Darius Leonard, were both first-team All-Pro selections as rookies. Nelson was one of the best first-round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft and snagging Leonard in the second round was arguably the best value selection of the entire draft.

On top of that, offensive lineman Braden Smith played well, while guys like Kemoko Turay, Tyquan Lewis and Nyheim Hines showed a lot of promise. Simply put, the Indianapolis Colts crushed the 2018 NFL Draft and that was a major reason why they were able to get back on track last season.

Ballard and his staff are building this team wisely and with incredible patience. He is not overspending on unnecessary contracts in free agency and they consistently use crafty trade down moves in the draft to land multiple players who can make a significant impact.

As impressive as the Colts’ offseason was last year, their performance in the 2019 offseason may have been even more impressive.

ESPN recently polled “execs, evaluators and coaches throughout the league” to grade all 32 teams based on their performance this offseason. Based on those results, these NFL insiders think that the Indianapolis Colts have had the single best offseason of any team in the NFL.

"“There is a clarity, a vision and a discipline to what they are doing,” an executive said, according to Mike Sando of ESPN. “They know what they want to be and they are disciplined in executing the plan.”"

The Colts were absolutely loaded with cap space this offseason and were commonly connected to nearly every big name on the market. However, instead of committing what would likely have ended up being bad money to these major free agents, the Colts were patient and looked for value.

Their two biggest free agent signings this offseason were wide receiver Devin Funchess and edge rusher Justin Houston. Funchess was signed to a one-year deal while Houston is locked in for two seasons. Both of these guys are talented and experienced players who will be able to help the Colts immediately, but neither break the bank or prevent them from making moves in the long term.

In the 2019 NFL Draft, the Colts clearly targeted the second round as the sweet spot of the draft class. They added draft pick value by trading down and ended up making three selections in the second round. Cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, edge rusher Ben Banogu and wide receiver Parris Campbell are all exciting building blocks for this team going forward.

Third-round linebacker Bobby Okereke and fourth-round safety Khari Willis bring a lot of potential to the table as well.

"“What’s really striking about the Colts is how they have revamped their team in the trenches,” an evaluator told ESPN. “That has gone from weakness to strength in two years. That is where you see what true talent evaluators can do. You saw it with Washington when [Scot] McCloughan was there and you see it now in Indy.”"

Clearly, Ballard and the Indianapolis Colts believe in this patient approach and honestly, they appear to be building a monster.

With Andrew Luck getting back on track, they obviously have their franchise quarterback in the fold. They are brilliantly building around Luck on the offensive side of the ball, protecting him with strong offensive line play and finding him some dynamic pass catchers as well.

The defense is also coming around as Ballard and company continue to find young and athletic players to add to the mix at all levels.

Simply put, the Indianapolis Colts did a fantastic job of sticking to their plan and adding impact players at great value this offseason. They are undoubtedly one of the most interesting teams in the NFL right now and could quickly become legitimate Super Bowl contenders.