INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Colts president Bill Polian will take the late picks and mediocre grades every draft weekend.
He’s more concerned about the final marks.
Whether his teams are picking early or late, filling a need or taking the best player left on the board, trading up or down, Polian has an uncanny knack for getting it right in the NFL draft.
“It’s a real art, but Bill knows what he’s looking for, and he knows what the most important characteristic for success is in an offensive lineman or a running back,” NFL draft consultant Gil Brandt said. “He drafts them and they’re safe players. Those safe players might not end up going to the Pro Bowl but if you get enough of them, you’ll be a playoff team.”
Polian’s masterful selections have turned the Colts from a bottom dweller in the 1980s and 1990s into one of the league’s model franchises.
rk with 23 straight wins, captured two AFC titles and one Super Bowl crown.
Such consistency is not supposed to happen in a league that prefers parity to dominance and relies on a salary-cap and a weighted draft to help the worst teams improve while breaking up dynasties. Or for a guy who traditionally gets B’s or C’s from the instant analysis ….
But Polian has never been much of a conformist.
By relying on his old-school study habits, Polian has produced signature masterpieces with his late first-round picks, a trait that will come in handy again Thursday night when the Colts pick at No. 31.
His signature pieces:
– Taking Dallas Clark at No. 24 in 2003. The record-setting tight end finally made it to his first Pro Bowl last season.
– Taking receiver Reggie Wayne at No. 30 in 2001. Wayne is the Colts’ No. 2 all-time leading receiver and has been to four straight Pro Bowls.
– Trading down twice in 2004 before choosing safety Bob Sanders at No. 44. Sanders was the 2007 NFL defensive player of the year and a key part in Indy’s 2006 Super Bowl run.
So what’s Polian’s next magic trick? It’s anybody’s guess.
“I think Bill takes the best player that’s there, and I think he showed that when he took (Anthony) Gonzalez a couple of years ago,” Brandt said. “The guy works hard, he knows how to grade players, he has good contacts at the college level. That’s why he’s so good.”
Polian isn’t dropping any hints about who he’ll be targeting at No. 31 though it is clear he wants to improve a Colts’ offensive line.
The overhaul has already begun.
Longtime offensive line coach Howard Mudd retired after the Super Bowl loss to New Orleans, and Pete Metzelaars has moved into Mudd’s old spot. Indy released starting left guard Ryan Lilja in March and added two free agents, guard Andy Alleman and tackle Adam Terry. Both are bigger than the linemen Indy has traditionally relied on in the Peyton Manning era, and it looks like Polian wants for another big body in the draft.
Finding one will be tough.
At least three offensive tackles – Russell Okung, Bryan Bulaga and Trent Williams – could go in the top 10. Guard Mike Iupati, center Maurkice Pouncey and tackle Anthony Davis could all be gone by No. 20. And some are projecting tackles Charles Brown and Rodger Saffold could be off the board before Indy picks, too, leaving the Colts with little to choose from.
But Polian always seems to find an answer that works.
“We’re all always on the same page, in terms of our organization,” coach Jim Caldwell said in March. “There’s no bickering, no fragmented sort of response.”
So if Polian doesn’t get a top linemen, he’ll shift to Plan B.
Indy lost Marlin Jackson in free agency and may be tempted to take a cornerback, like Kyle Wilson from Boise State. Polian he could look to add depth on the defensive line with players such as Jared Odrick, Everson Griffen or Jerry Hughes. Polian may even look for a a trade.
Whatever he does, he’s likely to find someone who can help – as he always does.
“Sometimes you get guys that look the part, but don’t play the part,” Brandt said. “Other times you get guys that don’t look the part, but play the part. Bill always seems to find someone who fits the part.”
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