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If you were familiar at all with my work at Stampede Blue prior to joining Sports Illustrated, then I am sure that you have heard of the Build-A-Ballard series. This is the third installment of the popular series that takes a look at past draft trends and traits that General Manager Chris Ballard seeks out in the NFL Draft. The goal is to use Ballards time in Kansas City (where he was the the Director of Player Personnel or Director of Football Operations from 2013 to 2016) and his time in Indy to figure out who he may covet come draft time.We already know Ballard loves athleticism and leadership on and off the field, but this series hopes to shed more light on traits he is looking for and help to uncover some of the players he may target in the draft.The focus today will be on one of the Colts biggest positions of need, edge rusher. Will Chris Ballard add an edge rusher early in the draft?During Ballards tenure in Indianapolis and Kansas City, his organizations have drafted nine edge rushers in eight drafts Dak Prescott Hoodies Sweatshirts . Although pa s rusher hasnt been the core need in each of those years, Ballard has still elected to use seven picks from the first two days of the draft. The top pick used to addre s the position was a first-round selection in 2014 and a first round selection in 2021.We will examine six of the nine prospects to find common traits.Size: 62 250 pounds Arm length: 32.875 inchesMeasurables (Pro Day):40 Time: 4.59 seconds / 10-yard Split: 1.67 seconds / Bench Pre s: 29 reps / Vertical Jump: 35.5 inches / Broad Jump: 124 inches / 3-Cone: 7.07 secondsCareer Stats (College):93 total tackles, 27.5 tackles for a lo s, 20.5 sacks, and 3 forced fumblesOverview of Pick:+ Very good acceleration and burst to beat blockers off the ball.+ Outstanding energy and work ethic.- Trouble disengaging from blockers- Injury history.Size:65 253 poundsArm Length: 33.375Measurables:40 Time: 4.65 seconds / 10-yard Split: 1.62 seconds / Bench Pre s: 18 reps / Vertical Jump: 34 inches / Broad Jump: 119 inches / 3-Cone: 6.84 secondsCareer Stats:96 total tackles, 19 tackles for a lo s, 14.5 sacks, and 4 pa s deflectionsOverview DeMarcus Lawrence Jersey of Pick:+ Plays with good closing burst to the ball.+ Moves easily and naturally in space.- Raw abilities as a pa s rusher- Injury concerns.Size:63 269 poundsArm Length: 33.75Measurables (Pro Day):40 Time: 4.69 seconds / 10-yard Split: 1.57 seconds / Bench Pre s: N/A / Vertical Jump: 35.5 inches / Broad Jump: 127 inches / 3-Cone: 7.2 secondsCareer Stats:112 total tackles, 37 tackles for a lo s, 23.5 sacks, and 5 forced fumblesOverview of Pick:+ Knee bend (that) helps him flatten to the quarterback sharply once he gets around the edge.+ Plays with good hand strength and quickne s.- A bit inconsistent with his rushes on a play-to-play basis.Size:63 250 poundsArm Length: 33.625Measurables (Pro Day):40 Time: 4.62 seconds / 10-yard Split: 1.59 seconds / Bench Pre s: 23 / Vertical Jump: 40 inches / Broad Jump: 134 inchesCareer Stats:156 total tackles, 45 tackles for a lo s, 20 sacks, and 7 forced fumblesOverview of Pick:+ Has foot quickne s and agility to alter rush challenges.+ Inside-out move forces tackle to squeeze down, opening tighter outside track.- Lack of a pa s rush plan when rushing the pa serSize:6'2" 261 poundsArm Length: 33Measurables (Pro Dak Prescott T Shirts Day):40 Time: 4.57 seconds / 10-yard Split: 1.66 seconds / Bench Pre s: 36 / Vertical Jump: 35.5 inches / Broad Jump: 118 inchesCareer Stats:97 total tackles, 23.5 tackles for a lo s, 11.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumbleScroll to ContinueOverview:+ Explosive, twitched-up ball of power. + Po se ses rare short-area quickne s and agility. - Production doesn't always match the traits. Size:6'5" 276 poundsArm Length: 35.25Measurables (Pro Day):N/A (Injury)Career Stats:122 total tackles, 26.5 tackles for a lo s, 8.0 sacks, and 1 forced fumbleOverview:+ Operates with forceful hands to displace the block. + Outstanding blend of height, weight and length. - Fundamentals and technique are still in development mode. - Injury Concerns.Last year's draft cla s really didn't cause any major changes to the common traits section of this piece. The only thing that the selections of Paye and Odeyingbo really changed were that I found two traits/background notes that Ballard care too much about. Those two traits are past injury status and production in college. Ballard has now chosen way too many players with these two concerns in their scouting reports. That leads me to believe that he tends to overlook those two "flaws" in pa s rushing prospects. He is all about that upside. Here are the common traits that can help us build a rough mold of what Ballard might look for in Alfred Morris Jersey rookie defensive ends:Excellent burst and explosion every player had a 10 yard split under 1.7 seconds and a vertical over 34 inchesWeight- Every player has been at least 250 pounds (outside of Dadi Nicolas with the Chiefs)Strengths: Overall athleticism, great tackling, and burstWeakne ses: Run defense and raw pa s rush move setMotor and tenacity each player had a knack for playing until the whistleLENGTH Ballard has only taken one DE with arms under 33 (Dee Ford with 32.875)Leadership/Team Captaincy/ (a Ballard trademark with the Colts)1.) Arnold Ebiketie, Penn StateSize:6'2" 250 poundsArm Length: 34.125Measurables:40 Time: N/A / 10-yard Split: N/A / Bench Pre s: 21 / Vertical Jump: 38 inches / Broad Jump: 128 inches Career Stats:120 total tackles, 28.5 tackles for a lo s, 15.5 sacks, and 5 forced fumblesOverview:Ebiketie pa sed the Build-A-Ballard test with flying colors this year. He put on a show at the Combine, and his film is everything that Ballard covets in his pa s rushing defensive ends. He is silky smooth off of the edge and is one of the best in the cla s with his hands. He may go long before the Colts' first pick, after his Combine performance, but he fits the Ballard-mold perfectly. 2.) Dominique Robinson, Miami (Ohio)Size:6'5" 253 poundsArm Length: 33.25Measurables:40 Time: 4.72 / 10-yard Split: 1.67 / Bench Pre s: 25 / Vertical Jump: 41 inches / Broad Jump: 121 inches Career Stats:37 total tackles, 11.0 tackles for a lo Bob Lilly T Shirts s, 6.5 sacks, and 0 forced fumblesOverview:Robinson seems like the perfect type of player for Ballard to take a swing on later in day two of the draft. He fits every single Ballard-mold, even when it comes to his participation in the Senior Bowl. Robinson is still extrem