INDIANAPOLIS —When the Indianapolis Colts hired Frank Reich to be their next head coach back in February, general manager Chris Ballard made it a point to sit down with Reich and his staff — often — to try to make sure they were on the same page about just what kind of players they wanted on the roster.
And since he's going to making the play calls for the offense, Reich, of course, had a specific vision for the kind of playmakers he wanted in his aggressive, fast-moving system that will feature multiple looks on that side of the ball.
So while Ballard went into last week's NFL Draft with an obvious emphasis on first and foremost getting the Colts' offensive and defensive fronts stronger, the rest of the draft seems to have played out very well for Reich and his offensive plans.
After adding two guards, two running backs and two wide receivers, Indianapolis is in much better shape as it continues building towards the regular season.
But just how much offensive talent did the Colts actually acquire in the draft? NFL.com's Chase Goodbread has a way to try to quantify that.
Utilizing NFL.com senior analyst Gil Brandt's “Hot 150” prospect rankings as a guide, Goodbread assigned points to each offensive prospective based on where they were listed (150 points went to the top-rated prospect, 149 points went to the second-rated prospect, and so on). So, obviously, the more points accumulated through their picks, the better a team is ranked.
The Colts came in second in the NFL with 367 total points. Only the Baltimore Ravens, with 443 points, acquired more offensive talent, according to this measurement.
You can see the entire list by clicking here, but here's how Goodbread and Brandt evaluated the Colts' offensive haul:
2. Indianapolis Colts
*Score: 367 points (5 players)*
The players (points):
No. 8 in Brandt's Hot 150: Notre Dame OG Quenton Nelson (143)
No. 64: Auburn OL Braden Smith (87)
No. 95: N.C. State RB Nyheim Hines (56)
No. 96: Clemson WR Deon Cain (55)
No. 125: Northern Iowa WR Daurice Fountain (26)
*The skinny: The Colts were the only team to select five offensive players in the Hot 150, beginning with an elite talent in Nelson. Nelson and Smith should help shore up the Colts' front for QB Andrew Luck, and GM Chris Ballard added a few weapons around him, as well. RB Nyheim Hines is a small but blazing-fast back who could help electrify the Colts' return game, as well.*
