Colts Playmaker Draft Pick Considered Team's 'Best'

Throughout his long tenure, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard has made a living finding gems in the mid-to-late rounds of the NFL Draft, filling his roster with underdogs. While Ballard's record at the top of the draft is spotty, his group of scouts routinely finds startable players well after the draft has started.

This year, Ballard may have found another diamond in the rough.

Recently, Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports compiled a list of the best picks made by each of the 32 teams in last week's draft, and his selection for the Colts was running back DJ Giddens out of Kansas State, who the Colts selected in the fifth round with the 151st-overall pick:

Jonathan Taylor is the workhorse. No one is disputing that. He is 26 years old now and has carried the ball over 1,200 times in his NFL career to date, so it's smart for the Colts to start thinking about ball-carrier options to relieve Taylor of such a giant workload. Sure, a fifth-round pick doesn't indicate Indianapolis felt this was a top priority, but DJ Giddens should've been picked earlier, especially relative to many of the runners selected in front of him. He runs high yet interestingly has incredible lateral-cutting talent. His springy style allows him to excel once he reaches the second level and beyond.

Giddens has a high-quality size and athletic profile for the running back position, measuring at 6'0", 212 and running a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash, with a 39.5" vertical and 10'10" broad jump during the Scouting Combine.

Although his size would indicate he might be a physical back, he's more of a finesse runner. Giddens has patience, vision, and the ability to make sudden cuts, which has led to some drawing comparisons to former Colts running back Marlon Mack, including Ballard.

"We think he's pretty talented," Ballard told reporters after the draft. "Remember, we took Marlon – you had Marlon Mack, who was excellent, Aaron Jones that year. It's a very similar kind of draft where some guys kind of fell. Then it comes down to a lot of time, it's flavor. Like it really is. What do you want? What are you looking for? Look, I'm a big DJ fan. I think he is a really talented young man, and I think he's going to – he's got a chance to help us in a lot of different ways."

While Giddens is productive on the ground, rushing for 3,087 yards and 23 touchdowns over the last three years, he also catches the ball well, pulling in 58 receptions for 679 yards and another four scores.

"I think it’s huge. Just the production that he’s had the last couple years there has been impressive to watch," Colts head coach Shane Steichen said about Giddens. "The vision, the contact balance, the way he runs – he’s a 4.43 guy that can catch the ball out of the backfield, is big for our team as well. So, it’s a good get."

The Colts have drafted running backs on Day 3 of the draft a handful of times during Ballard's tenure, and he and the head coach haven't always spoken as highly about them as they have about Giddens.

While the rookie certainly has snaps to share in the backfield among Jonathan Taylor and Khalil Herbert, if given the opportunity to make plays, the Colts are confident he will make them.

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