INDIANAPOLIS — Colts general manager Chris Ballard believes he’s accomplished the task he set for himself at the start of the offseason.
By drafting Georgia linebacker CJ Allen in the second round and LSU safety AJ Haulcy in the third round, Indianapolis is younger and faster, particularly in the middle of the defense.
The piece the Colts were not able to land on the second day of the draft was an edge rusher.
A couple of defensive ends, most notably Illinois defensive end Gabe Jacas, were available when the Colts went on the clock at No. 47 and No. 53, but Ballard passed in favor of drafting Allen.
“A lot of them went early, and then it was kind of like what we had,” Ballard said. “We do think there are some guys in the fourth, fifth, sixth round who can add a little juice as a rusher.”
Ten defensive ends were taken before Indianapolis went on the clock at No. 47.
A half-dozen were taken in the first round on Thursday, and then on Friday, a predictable run happened. Buffalo took Clemson’s T.J. Parker at No. 35, Kansas City took Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas at 40, Cincinnati took Texas A&M’s Cashius Howell at No. 41, Detroit traded up to get Michigan’s Derrick Moore at No. 44 and Baltimore took Missouri’s Zion Young at No. 45.
With all of those players off the board, what remained were the big, strong all-around types that Ballard believes he already picked a year ago in Jaylahn Tuimoloau.
Tuimoloau played defensive 215 snaps as a rookie, making 17 tackles and six quarterback hits.
“We took Jaylahn in the second round last year, and we do think a lot of him,” Ballard said. “I think he gets glossed over.”
A move for a veteran could still happen after the draft. Philadelphia traded two third-round picks and forked over $100 million to get Vikings star Jonathan Greenard on Friday, but there are others available, like New York defensive end Kayvon Thibodaux.
Ballard did not rule out the possibility of adding a veteran edge rusher after the draft.
“We’ll see.”
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 the Colts didn’t take an edge rusher on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
