INDIANAPOLIS –Chris Ballard has said player acquisition is 365 days a year.
Count April 13, which is certainly not known as a very popular "player acquisition" day around the NFL, as one of those for the new Colts general manager.
On Thursday, the Colts agreed to terms with defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, arguably the top free agent remaining on the open market.
"Johnathan is a young, productive and disruptive defensive lineman," Chris Ballard said in a team release. "He possesses a wealth of experience and brings leadership to our team."
Hankins, 25, comes to the Colts after four seasons with the New York Giants.
The 6-2, 320-pound Hankins was part of the Giants' defensive resurgence this past season (3rd ranked rushing defense) that led them to a Wild Card berth.
A 2013 second-round pick out of Ohio State, Hankins has played in 52 career games, including 41 starts the last three seasons.
Hankins was one of the NFL's top run defenders in 2014 and 2015, per Pro Football Focus.
With Hankins now joining the seismic defensive rebuilding the Colts have undergone, the interior of the defensive line could very well have a new starter in the middle of their defense.
David Parry is the two-year returning starter at nose tackle. The Colts also brought in seven-year veteran Al Woods (18 career starts) this offseason.
Given Hankins' resume, he could very well be the guy to join Henry Anderson and Kendall Langford as the three-man starting front for the Colts in 2017.
If Hankins does start at nose tackle for the Colts he will join the following guys to start at NT for Chuck Pagano: David Parry, Josh Chapman, Montori Hughes, Aubrayo Franklin, Antonio Johnson and Martin Tevaseu.[
The deal for Hankins](https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/852575664234528768) is reportedly for three years.
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