INDIANAPOLIS -- Sleep likely wasn’t a problem Thursday night for many affiliated with the Indianapolis Colts.
Why?
Because after four years of not attacking their issues at center head-on, the Colts were aggressive and did the right thing by selecting a player they believe will team with quarterback Andrew Luck for many years to come in Alabama’s Ryan Kelly.
That means no more plugging in journeymen players such as Mike McGlynn, Samson Satele and A.Q. Shipley to snap the ball to Luck. No more hoping undrafted free agent Jonotthan Harrison can get it together to team with Luck. And definitely no more thinking that Khaled Holmes, the Colts' 2013 fourth-round pick, can finally stay healthy and put together a full season.
Kelly is their player. That’s why they made him just the eighth center selected in the first round of the draft since 2000 and why they made their best opening-round decision since taking Luck with the No. 1 overall pick in 2012.
“Typically [with] centers, you’re not champing at the bit to take them in [the first round],” Colts general manager Ryan Grigson said. “It’s just the truth. But you put on the tape and instantly, you see it. He just produces.”
The Colts say Kelly was their target the entire time. Grigson said on April 20 that he’s a big believer in taking the best player available in the draft. There were still some talented players on the board such as Clemson’s Shaq Lawson and UCLA’s Myles Jack when the Colts picked, but they wisely went with Kelly.
Indianapolis was able to fill a need while also taking who it thought was the best player available at No. 18.
“I think they needed a center to kind of work with Luck,” Kelly said. “They wanted to develop somebody who they feel can get a solid relationship with him. Meeting with those guys in Indianapolis at the combine was huge. I think we had a really good conversation. It wasn’t a meet-and-greet. It was more of a ‘What can I do for your team?’ I think it went really well. I haven’t really had a whole lot of contact with them, but ultimately I think that’s kind of how it goes. You just don’t really talk to a team. They kind of hide you a little bit and then they draft you.”
Coach Chuck Pagano, who routinely pulls out positives no matter the situation, didn’t hold back any punches in saying they had to improve the interior part of their offensive line after so many problems in that area and the instability at center.
The Colts valued Kelly so much that the center’s Pro Day at Alabama was the only one Grigson and Pagano attended together. Kelly started all 37 games at Alabama the past three seasons and was named a first-team All American and Rimington Trophy winner, which is given to the nation’s top center, last season.
“You check off all the boxes with this guy,” Pagano said. “Obviously he played in arguably maybe the best conference in college football [the SEC]. He was the leader in that offensive-line room. He’s got all the traits that you’re looking for, not only in an offensive lineman but in the center position. Again, we’ve had our eyes on this guy for a long, long time and felt very fortunate that he was still there and [we] feel great about the pick.”