Dein erstes Forum » Indianapolis Colts general manager

Chris Ballard keeps collecting draft chips.He figures it gives him better odds to hit it big.One year after moving back three spots in the first round and making four second-round selections Ross Pierschbacher Jersey , Ballard did it again Thursday by sending the No. 26 overall pick to the Washington Redskins for two second-round picks. Indy will now select at No. 34, courtesy of last year’s deal with the New York Jets, at No. 46, thanks to the Redskins, and at No. 59, their own pick on Friday, plus they’ve added the Redskins’ second-round pick in 2020.“It was just a chance to pick up a 2020 second-round pick, we thought the value was good and we thought there was still good enough value to be there in the second round to move back,” Ballard said. “We think the ability of having three seconds, we thought that was the strength of how we had it lined up.”It’s all part of a plan.Ballard knew it would be difficult to replicate last year’s successes. He had five picks in the first two rounds, found starters with each of his first three choices and Indy’s first two selections — left guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Darius Leonard — became the first rookie teammates to become first-team All-Pros since Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus with the Chicago Bears in 1965.At Monday’s pre-draft news conference, Ballard told reporters that the Colts had eight players targeted in the first round. And though he acknowledged some were still available when Indy went on the clock Da’Ron Payne Jersey , he still opted for Plan B: Moving out of the first round for better value in the second.In fact, he hinted at the prospect of a trade when he joked with reporters that he might not speak again until Friday.“I kind of had a feeling (Monday), I don’t know why,” he said. “Sometimes you just have a feeling. I had a feeling we would have a chance to get out and it would be the best thing for us long term.”He may not be finished dealing, either. In three seasons with the Colts, he has now made eight trades involving trade picks though he knew this one might not be well-received.“We’ve got a room full of people, we’ve got you all sitting here, I get it, everyone wants you to pick a player,” he said. “But I’m pretty patient. I don’t panic, we don’t panic, we stay true to what we’re looking at on the board.”The Colts now have 10 picks this weekend including their own third-rounder Quinton Dunbar Jersey , No. 89 overall, on Friday.__ A report that Washington is planning to play without quarterback Alex Smith during the 2019 season was dismissed as “nonsense” by team president Bruce Allen last month.Allen couldn’t rule Smith in for next season, however, and one of Smith’s teammates believes the compound leg fracture that Smith suffered will push any possible return to 2020. Running back Chris Thompson doesn’t sound like he knows anything for sure, but, unlike Allen, is willing to admit that planning for life without Smith seems the logical course of action right now.“We know and understand that it’s probably not going to happen that we have him this year,” Thompson said, via NBC Sports Washington.There have been talks with Josh Johnson about signing a new deal with the team, but Colt McCoy is set up as the likely No. 1 unless Smith’s recovery takes a rapid turn for the best. Should there be a move that bumps McCoy down a rung, it would be a clear sign that Thompson’s view is on the money.