Draft Day decision makers: Indianapolis Colts

For the Indianapolis Colts draft day is the Bill Polian show. Of course these days it is a family affair as his son Chris has taken over the day-to-day football operations of this team. Bill is one what would call a draft day genius. He built the Buffalo Bills team that went to four straight Super Bowls, got the Carolina Panthers off the ground, and has built the Colts into one of the finest teams in the league. Bill has been with the Colts since 1997, and should remain there until 2012 when he fully hands his son the reigns.

Polian is known for taking guys who may not be ranked as high at others. He so far has guessed right. He chose Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf in the 1998 draft, and while that is a no brainer today that was hardly the case then. Bill is an excellent evaluator of talent and goes out and gets guys that will help his team win.

Polian covets his picks, and treats them like money in the bank. With that being said he will trade up or down if he feels the need to do so. For the most part, he does not waste picks; he tries to get maximum value every time he turns a draft card in. Over the last five years the Colts have an above average grade on draft day. In that time frame they have made 42 draft picks, which have produced two pro bowlers. Eight of those picks are starters, and 23 more are backups. Just 13 of these picks are out of the league or playing for other teams.