The Indianapolis Colts may have bucked their typical trend of a few picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, but they didn't shy all that much away from adding athletes.
While athletic testing isn't everything, it does play a role in a prospect's draft stock. Elite athletes also have a higher chance of reaching their ceilings as players. This is something Colts general manager Chris Ballard has harped on in recent seasons.
There are many ways to quantify athleticism. For the purpose of this article, we'll be focusing solely on Relative Athletic Score (RAS), which is a measurement of a player’s athletic testing in relation to both size and historic results. Each individual measurement is graded on a scale of 0-10 (10 being the highest).
2024 NFL Draft: How athletic is Colts' class?
In terms of RAS, the Colts fared very well. Their nine-player draft class ranked 10th in the NFL with an average score of 8.296. That may not be in the elite tier like the 2023 class was, but this stock of players is far more proven on the field.
10. Indianapolis #Colts - Avg #RAS 8.296
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 28, 2024
This is a change from the norm for Indi despite landing in the top ten. Not one, but THREE players below 8.00? And one below 5.00! The scandal.
For real, though, this isn't much of a deviation overall, with 2/3 of players over 8.00. pic.twitter.com/5rbFDLF58m
First-round selection Laiatu Latu is a strong athlete in his own right even if he somewhat bucks the trend of edge rushers the Colts typically target. His 32 5/8-inch arms are below the 33-inch threshold the Colts have had in the past while his 32-inch vertical and 9-foot-8-inch broad jump are also well below the norm for what Indy has targeted in recent history.
However, he's far more polished of a pass rusher coming into the NFL, which also deviates from the norm as the Colts have historically drafted raw pass rushers who needed more development as an actual football player.
The Matt Goncalves pick also is a bit of a change but if you run his testing numbers as a guard instead of a tackle, his RAS comes out to 8.54.
The other pick that comes into question is the selection of Micah Abraham. As a Day 3 pick, it doesn't matter as much, but the Colts fell in love with his ball skills as a potential depth piece at nickel corner.
For more Colts coverage, check out Kevin Hickey's work on Sporting News.
