Stampede Blue
We could see something unusual this year.
Chris Ballard has a style, and he doesn’t deviate from it very often. Let me rephrase that; Chis Ballard used to have a style. That seems to have changed completely in 2025 considering how he has approached the offseason so far and his free agent acquisitions. He and the Indianapolis Colts went from sideline watchers to first day grabbers signing upgrades for the defensive backfield. That type of swift action caught many off guard as Ballard has promised change before but has gone back on those promises almost as immediately as they are made. Free agency was different this year. Could the draft see more of the same?
Ballard has made trades in the draft. In fact he loves to make them. Normally, he is stockpiling fifth round picks, but he is known to occasionally trade up to go and get a player he really likes such as Jonathan Taylor. One thing he has never done, however, is trade up in the first round. He has traded back, but never up. Could this be the year he finally makes that move?
There were rumors the Colts were trying to do that very thing last year for Brock Bowers. What someone like Bowers could have done for this team has to make fans daydream. He alone out produced the entire tight end unit essentially at a rate of 4:1. That is sad for the Colts tight ends in 2024, but it also says a lot about the quality of player Bowers is. Could someone like Tyler Warren be that player in 2025? The man out of Penn State is slated to go in the top ten in several mock drafts. That is high for a tight end, but if they are a playmaker that can change your team, does it matter how high you draft someone? The Colts should be interested in his services. The question is, if they can find a trade partner, what would it take?
CBS Sports actually has Warren falling to 14th and the Colts scooping him up. That is obviously the ideal situation. Others have him going as early as eighth to the Panthers. To move up six or seven spots to jump the Panthers would come at a price, but once again, if Warren changes this offense and gives Anthony Richardson a high level producer, will we care what Ballard sacrificed five years down the line? No player is guaranteed to work out, but after making moves in free agency, tight end becomes the most glaring hole on the roster. Someone like Warren could instantly fix that.
Yes, it takes two to tango. Ballard has to find a willing trade partner who will make a reasonable deal. If he can, I could actually see him pulling the trigger this year. Everything is on the line, and he knows it. That doesn’t mean he will be needlessly reckless but a heightened sense of urgency could produce an aggressive move....
