The Indianapolis Colts were set on taking Anthony Richardson heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, and there was a very brief moment where general manager Chris Ballard clearly thought the team might miss out on their guy.
In the latest episode of their draft series “With the Next Pick,” the Colts shared some footage from inside the team’s war room on draft day. Ballard explained that the team could have traded up in the draft but chose not to because they believed Richardson would still be available at No. 4.
Things got a bit tense for the Colts when it was announced that the Arizona Cardinals were trading back from No. 3. The Houston Texans had just taken CJ Stroud at No. 2, so no one expected them to be the ones to trade up to No. 3. The look on Ballard’s face at the 10-second mark in the clip below shows that he thought a team had traded up to third overall for a quarterback, potentially Richardson.
Inside the #Colts draft room: You could see a second of disappointment in GM Chris Ballard's face when he hears the Cardinals traded out of No. 3.
Then he hears it was Houston coming back up … and
Love this access.
(via @Colts YouTube https://t.co/HuIEMoL8AL) pic.twitter.com/agKdyIFUmv
— Ari Meirov (@AriMeirov) May 4, 2023
Ballard quickly realized that the Texans moved up to No. 3. They had just taken Stroud, so they obviously had no interest in Richardson. That was the exact moment the Colts knew they had their guy.
The decision to not trade up paid off for the Colts. Owner Jim Irsay had some fans thinking Indy might try a wild strategy, but that never happened.
Time will tell if Richardson was the right pick, but Ballard and the Colts clearly have conviction in the former Florida star.
