INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts knew they were playing with fire when they traded back six spots in the second round on Friday.
A run on linebackers had already begun, and Indianapolis risked losing Georgia middle linebacker CJ Allen if it dropped back too far.
But general manager Chris Ballard has made little secret about his desire to add more picks, particularly in the middle rounds of the draft, and the decision to drop back six spots added a fourth-round pick, No. 135, to give Indianapolis six remaining picks heading into the final day of the draft on Saturday.
“We almost did it again, but we were at a point with CJ where we didn’t want to lose him,” Ballard said. “We had already kind of played with fire once when we moved back.”
A linebacker did get drafted between the Colts trading out of No. 47 and coming back on the clock again at No. 53. Minnesota drafted Cincinnati’s Jake Golday at No. 51, the third player to come off the board in eight picks at the position the Colts needed the most.
Ballard relies heavily on the team’s analytics department, led by director of football analytics Greg Starek, to know how far the team can reasonably expect a player to fall.
“They do a great job of where guys are going to go and target,” Ballard said. “We thought we could kick back and still get him.”
The Colts had to weigh their desire for Allen with the reality that they have a lot of holes to fill. Indianapolis still needs to replace starters at defensive end, wide receiver, weak-side linebacker and potentially in the nickel, although it will be difficult to find starters on the third day of the draft.
At the same time, Indianapolis has used the fourth round to upgrade its offensive line depth with picks of center Tanor Bortolini and right tackle Jalen Travis over the last two years, and the Colts need to upgrade that depth again, along with its other needs.
That’s why Ballard has said all along that he wants more picks in this draft.
“The chance to get another four tomorrow — now we’ve got six picks tomorrow, which is good, that was important,” Ballard said.
Indianapolis could still add more picks on the final day if the Colts find a trade partner for nickel cornerback Kenny Moore II and quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr., who both have requested to be dealt elsewhere.
And the Colts could always drop back in an effort to add more picks again.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Why Colts traded back, and why they didn’t trade back a second time in 2026 NFL Draft
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
