And in Ballard’s mind, they were lucky to get him. Despite the fact that Odeyingbo tore his Achilles in late January (more on that soon), the Colts GM felt like Odeyingbo was more than “worth the risk” at No 54. In fact, Ballard said, he was sweating it out, hoping not only that teams ahead of the Colts wouldn’t draft Odeyingbo but that no one behind the Colts would trade in front of them.
There were teams, Ballard was confident, that definitely had eyes for Odeyingbo. But none of them pounced and the Colts got a man Ballard said was ranked higher than any left tackle still on the board, as well as a few who were selected just in front of the Colts.