INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Colts now know exactly when they'll be on the clock in this year's NFL Draft. Now the task for new general manager Chris Ballard and his staff is to fill out their big board and figure out which college prospects they hope will be the newest members of the team.
The Colts on Friday lost a coin flip to the Minnesota Vikings, giving the Vikings — who will trade the pick to the Philadelphia Eagles — the 14th-overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, while Indianapolis will pick 15th.
The coin flip also helped officially set the slots for the remaining rounds. In all, the Colts are expecting to have seven selections in this year's draft, including:
• 1st Round (15th overall)
• 2nd Round (46th overall)
• 3rd Round (80th overall)
• 4th Round (122nd overall)
• 4th Round via compensatory (144th overall)
• 5th Round (158th overall)
• 6th Round (200th overall)
(The Colts' 2017 seventh-round pick was already traded to the Cleveland Browns.)
With the slots now official, we decided to take a look back into the lengthy history of the Colts franchise, including their years in Baltimore, to see what the team was able to do in previous years with its draft picks in the exact same spots as the 2017 expected haul.
Keep in mind, however, that we looked back at where the pick was made overall, as the NFL Draft has featured a different number of teams and number of rounds over the years.
Here we go:
15th overall:
• 1995: Ellis Johnson, defensive end, Florida: Johnson (pictured above) had a productive seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts from 1995 to 2001, collecting 269 tackles, 33 sacks and two interceptions in 104 total games with 84 starts. He would also play two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and one season with the Denver Broncos before retiring, finishing his career with 362 tackles, 51 sacks, six passes defensed, three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and three forced fumbles.
46th overall:
• 1972: Jack Mildren, defensive back, Oklahoma: Mildren, perhaps best known as an innovator in the Wishbone offense as the quarterback at the University of Oklahoma, would convert to the defensive secondary for his professional career. He played two seasons with the Baltimore Colts and a final season with the New England Patriots, where he registered his three career interceptions, before retiring.
80th overall:
• 1975: Marshall Johnson, wide receiver, Houston: Johnson played for the Colts as a receiver and a kick returner in the 1975, 1977 and 1978 seasons. He caught five career passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns, while he returned 25 punts for 143 yards (5.7 yards per return), and had 49 career kickoff returns for 927 yards (22.0 yards per return).
122nd overall:
• 1970: Billy Newsome, defensive end, Grambling State: Newsome, a member of the Colts' Super Bowl V championship team, played in Baltimore from 1970 to 1972, and then was traded to the New Orleans Saints, along with a fourth-round pick, for the No. 2-overall pick in the 1973 NFL Draft (the Colts would select LSU quarterback Bert Jones, who became an All-Pro and league MVP). Newsome would play with the Saints until 1974, then played for the New York Jets (1975-76) and the Chicago Bears (1977).
• 2000: Josh Williams, defensive tackle, Michigan: Williams played six seasons with the Colts, playing in 73 games in all — with 48 starts — and collecting 108 tackles, eight sacks, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and forced one safety.
• 2003: Steve Sciullo, guard, Marshall: Sciullo would start all 13 games in which he played his rookie season at right guard with the Colts in 2003 before he was waived so the team could claim Ryan Lilja off waivers from the Kansas City Chiefs. He would play one more full season, in 2004, with the Philadelphia Eagles, when he played in 15 games with five starts, including an appearance in Super Bowl XXXIX.
144th overall:
• 1980: Chris Foote, center, USC: Foote would be a role player throughout his eight-year NFL career, starting eight games over his 104 total games played. He played with the Baltimore Colts from 1980 through 1981, and then played with the New York Giants the next two seasons before leaving the game for four years. He returned in 1987 at the age of 31 and played four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where he would make all eight of his career starts.
158th overall:
• No previous picks at this spot.
200th overall:
• 1970: Bob Bouley, tackle, Boston College: Bouley was an All-East selection at Boston College his junior and senior seasons, and was an eighth-round selection of the Baltimore Colts in 1970. Bouley was released during final cuts in what would've been his rookie season and never appeared in an NFL game.
• 1985: Ricky Nichols, wide receiver, East Carolina: Nicholas, the Colts' eighth draft pick in 1985, would play in five games his rookie season before being waived. He wouldn't appear in another NFL game.
• 1987: Chuckie Miller, defensive back, UCLA: Miller would suffer a shoulder injury and miss 13 weeks his rookie season in 1988 to come back to play in three games with one start.. He was waived during final cuts the next season and didn't appear in another NFL game.
