Reviewing the Chris Ballard era: Early signs from the Colts’ 2024 draft class

The Indianapolis Colts are now far enough removed from the 2024 NFL Draft to begin the kind of internal accounting teams and fans do every offseason. In a new review, analysts are treating the class as a work in progress rather than a final verdict, pointing to early production from several first- and second-year players while acknowledging that expectations do not reset just because evaluation time is shorter.

The central names being discussed are Laiatu Latu on the defensive side and, along with him, Matt Goncalves and Tanor Bortolini on the offensive line. The framework matters. Colts general manager Chris Ballard’s draft “era” has been reviewed player-by-player across multiple years, and this 2024 review is being handled differently because the players are still relatively early in their NFL development. As that review emphasizes, players can still change roles, plateau, or improve their impact over the next few seasons, meaning early grades are closer to direction and fit than long-term certainty.

On defense, Latu is the standout in these early assessments. The Colts selected him with top-of-draft-level expectations, and the early returns are described as closer to “starter quality with an upward ceiling” than a finished star. The review notes he has become a consistent pass-rush presence, highlighting the idea that teams have to account for him as an individual threat off the edge. It also points to a concrete production marker from his sophomore season, when he totaled 8.5 sacks and doubled his rookie output, a step that helps separate “potential” from “results.”

Up front on offense, the review argues Goncalves and Bortolini have already provided starting-level play, which is exactly the kind of foundation-laying you want from a draft class. For an NFL offense, offensive line development is rarely judged quickly, because the position group has to learn assignments, timing, and protection schemes in a live, weekly environment. The early grade being discussed is that these two linemen have not only stuck, but that they have also emerged into impact roles early enough to influence day-to-day team performance.

The class’s positives are not limited to trenches. The review also credits Anthony Gould with contribution as a returner, and Jaylon Carlies with depth and special-teams work. While those roles are not the same as premium offensive or defensive snaps, they are a meaningful part of roster value, especially for first- and second-year players earning their way onto the field. The implication is that Indianapolis did not simply take development projects. At least some of the picks have found functional roles, which increases the odds the class will remain useful as a whole.

Still, the early review is not uniformly positive. It describes the Adonai Mitchell selection as a massive miss for Indianapolis and says the bottom of the class has not produced meaningful returns at the time of the assessment. That is a crucial caveat in any draft review because the “middle and bottom” of a class can be the difference between a cluster of useful players and a lingering hole in roster construction. In other words, even if the top and key support pieces are progressing, a single high-expectation miss can drag down how the class is remembered.

What makes this discussion particularly relevant is that it fits into a larger, year-by-year pattern being examined by the same outlets covering the Ballard era. Previous reviews of the Colts’ more recent draft classes have also been framed as time-sensitive: older classes allow for firmer judgment, while newer ones require language like “progress” and “direction.” For 2024, the team’s next phase is straightforward to watch. Whether Latu sustains and expands the production, whether Goncalves and Bortolini keep stepping into higher-impact duties, and whether the underperforming portions of the class can be salvaged into reliable roster value over the next 12 to 24 months.

SOURCE TRAIL note: This story is based on early draft-class evaluation published by Yahoo Sports and Stampede Blue, and it should be treated as an analytical snapshot rather than a comprehensive statistical audit of every pick.