Indianapolis Colts: Greatest Draft Class of the Last 20 Years

In the last twenty years of the Indianapolis Colts’ history, solid draft classes have been selected by Chris Ballard, Bryan Girgson, Bill, and Chris Polian. Many fans have their opinion of which class is the Greatest Draft Class of the Last 20 Years. The answer may be obvious, but the real question is, “Why are they the greatest draft class?”.

“Greatest Draft Class” What Does That Mean?

This is where personal opinion almost has to come into the conversation. “Greatest” is such a vague term to use, and that is what fuels the GOAT conversations. For this specific conversation, I am heavily favoring how many starters were drafted that year as my number one factor. Years started by those players and their production overall are also part of the process, this is not a specific science, and it is a personal opinion, so feel free to disagree and let me know what you think.

Indianapolis Colts: Greatest Draft Class of the Last 20 Years

In the 2018 NFL Draft, the Colts selected multiple long-term starters on both sides of the ball and special team stars. That is why it is the greatest draft class. This draft class has played 20,382 snaps for the Shoe (not including special teams) and has a total of 289 games started among the players. These players have also contributed in the game’s third phase, playing 4338 snaps on special teams (big thanks to Zaire Franklin and Matthew Adams). I project four of them will start for the Colts in 2023, five seasons after being drafted.

Long-Term Starters in the First Two Rounds

Colts LG Quenton Nelson (56) – Zach Bolinger/AP Photo

The first player drafted by the Colts in 2018 was LG Quenton Nelson. Nelson was an immediate starter and one of the best offensive linemen in the league. Nelson is a three-time All-Pro First Team selection (2018-2020) and a five-time Pro Bowler. Big Q has totaled 5,177 snaps across 78 starts while adding 338 snaps on special teams. Nelson was the choice that Chris Balled had to make, and I don’t think he regrets that decision at all.

The next player drafted was LB Shaquille Leonard. Despite constantly battling injuries, Leonard played 3,683 snaps and started 59 games. With his perfected peanut punch, Leonard has become one of the most dangerous defenders in the league. Having the ability to flip the game on its head at any moment is coveted in today’s game. Leonard has piled up the rewards while fighting through his injuries. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2018; he is a three-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro First Team.

The player drafted immediately after Leonard, also by the Colts, was RT Braden Smith. Finding one long-term starting lineman in the draft is difficult, but finding two in one class could make this the greatest class alone. Smith doesn’t have the accolades of Nelson or Leonard, but he did make the 2018 All-Rookie Team.

Smith’s lack of accolades speaks to the kind of work he does on the field. He can be the unsung hero of the offensive line, especially in the run game. Smith has played 4,642 snaps on offense and started 70 games for the Colts. Smith, Nelson, and Leonard all look to start the 2023 season with the Colts. It speaks well to the success of this draft class that the first three picks have been re-singed at least once.

To finish out the first two rounds of picks, the Colts selected two defensive linemen from Big Ten Schools; DE Kemoko Turray out of Rutgers and DL Tyquan Lewis out of Ohio State. Both players have been plagued with multiple injuries throughout their fairly young careers, only Lewis has a full season under his belt, and that is only one. Between the two players, they played 2,495 snaps and started 19 games.

Lewis and Turray have both had times of production for the Colts. Turray is now on the 49ers and not getting many snaps, and Lewis was re-signed by the Colts this offseason while he was recovering from a torn patellar tendon. Turray is the only player who may be a miss, but he started and provided some good minutes as a second-round pick. You can’t be too disappointed by that.

Two Late-Round Gems Fill Out the Greatest Draft Class

Colts LB Zaire Franklin (44) – Michael Hickey/Getty Images

The Colts did not have a third-round pick in 2018. So after Lewis, the Colts selected Nyheim Hines with the 104th overall pick. Hines was a fan favorite and, at most times, felt underutilized. He was a dynamic pass-catching back that probably should have been lining up in the slot at times. He had an incredible personality on and off the field, keeping the mood light when things got dark after the retirement of Andrew Luck.

Hines was always a team player and stayed professional when asking the team who drafted him for a trade. The Colts respected his previous commitment to the team and sent him to Buffalo for a better chance to compete for future Super Bowls. Hines played a total of 2,085 snaps for the Shoe (1,742 on offense and 361 on special teams). In his five years with the Colts, he only started 16 games, but that did not diminish the impact he had on the team.

The next four picks are a bit of a mixed bag. They totaled 16 starts for the Colts; some genuinely contributed to making the team better.

WR Daurice Fountain, RB Jordan Wilkins, WR Deon Cain, and LB Matthew Adams were drafted with the 159th, 169th, 185th, and 221st overall picks, respectively. Fountain never started for the Colts and only played 88 snaps between offense and special teams. Similarly, Cain played 228 snaps on offense and did not have much to contribute. Wilkis and Adams are the real contributors from these four picks.

Wilkins found the field for the Colts in 2022 after injuries to Jonathan Taylor and the departure of Hines. Wilkins averaged 4.5 yards per carry on his 13 attempts this season. He has never gotten a huge volume of carries, but in his limited usage, he has been an end-of-roster guy who is ready to help the team at a moment’s notice. Every team needs a guy like Wilkins. Adams has a similar story to Wilkins. They are not bad players; they were beaten out by better competition but still found a way to contribute to the team and stay in the NFL.

Adams was an incredibly important special teamer for the Colts from 2018-2021, totaling 1,100 snaps in the third phase. Special teams are always dramatically underrated when considering their importance to the game as a whole. It is very easy to lose a game from poor special team play.

The final selection for the Colts may have been the best value pick in the entire 2018 draft. The current Colts LB was selected with the 235th overall pick and has morphed himself into a top-tier starting linebacker. Franklin has totaled 3,052 snaps for the Shoe, putting him behind Big Q, Leonard, and Smith in snap counts for the 2018 draft class. He brings an energy to the team that is unmatched. Franklin has improved his game on all fronts.

In 2018 the Colts drafted four long-term starters, a dynamic pass-catching back, and a productive rotational edge defender. The team found value throughout the draft, which is why the 2018 class is the greatest draft class in the last 20 years for the Indidnapolis Colts.