Colts GM Chris Ballard calls trading up high enough for Marvin Harrison Jr. as ‘fantasy-land’
While the sentimental Colts fan would sure love to see the franchise select Marvin Harrison Jr., it unsurprisingly was shot down by their general manager Chris Ballard.
On Friday’s ‘The Rich Eisen Show,’ Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard called trading up high enough to realistically select prized Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr., who’s a projected Top 7 pick (and arguably a generational wide receiver prospect), as nothing short of ‘fantasy-land’—later denoting it as ‘very difficult to do’:
“Sure there is (a chance), when I go into ‘fantasy land,’” Ballard quipped when asked about the rare possibility of such a trade up to land Harrison Jr. “He’s a talented guy, but there’s also a lot of other good, talented players in the draft. He’s a very talented young man. Of course, raised the right way by Marvin (Sr.). I’ve gotten to know Marvin (Sr.), being here in Indy. I enjoy Marvin (Sr.) a lot, and he’s done a really job of raising his sons. They are very, very talented young men, and he’s got a younger (son) that I think is very talented too, but Marvin (Jr.) is definitely a unique talent.”
“You’ve always got to have two (trade partners) to do it, Rich,” Ballard later responded when asked specifically by Eisen about the possibility of trading up that high to select Harrison Jr. “And, it would be very difficult. It would be very difficult. It would be very difficult. You have to have another team to be willing to trade with you to get up that high, and that’s not exactly been my nature to move up, and give up (significant draft capital), and what it would take to get that high. Now, he’s a really good player, and I don’t want to downgrade that, but it would be very difficult for us to get up that high.”
The most logical landing spot for Harrison Jr., assuming they hold onto their current pick, is the Arizona Cardinals with the 4th overall pick—who are the first of the top picking four NFL teams who do not readily need a new starting quarterback.
There’s been a little chatter that the Cardinals could be interested in trading back, but it would take a significant draft haul for the Colts to get up from #15 to #4 overall—likely #15, a future first, and another early round pick (i.e, a second round pick either this year or next).
Of course, Ballard’s comments are far from surprising. This is an NFL front office executive who admittedly ‘loves ‘dem picks,’ preferring to accumulate more picks when provided the opportunity, not less. In fairness too, it’s a loaded wide receiver class atop too, meaning even in the rare possibility of a trade up, the Colts may be able to surrender a lot less, and still land say LSU’s Malik Nabers or Washington’s Rome Odunze at potentially #9 overall, as speculated.
Perhaps, they’re perfectly content at staying at #15 overall—or even are looking to trade down, as Ballard indicated on Friday that they have 19 to 21 first round grades in this year’s draft class—so the Colts have some leeway to trade slightly back from #15 and get more pick(s) while still landing a first round talent on their draft board in the process.
For the sentimental (*or even group historian) Colts fan, it’s obviously a tough break that they may never get to see Harrison Jr. play for the only franchise his Hall of Fame father infamously donned #88 for as the greatest wideout in Indianapolis franchise history—with so many special (and Super Bowl winning) memories here.
However, to be fair, it’s also ‘lying season’—when all NFL general managers ‘play opossum,’ so even in the extremely rare chance that the Colts and Ballard surprisingly have something up their sleeve to trade up to get Harrison Jr., he’s not going to openly share it among the general public, and that will be kept behind closed doors to the very end.
