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How Often do the Colts Draft Hall of Famers?

With it being draft season, let's take a look at how often the Colts' franchise has drafted Hall of Famers.

RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports

We're fully into Draft season in the NFL, as the annual Scouting Combine is currently going on in Indianapolis where some of the best prospects are working out to show off some of their skills.  With the Combine going on and Draft talk ramping up, it's fitting to look at just how good the Colts have been at drafting players.  This chart (courtesy of Imgur) shows how frequently each NFL franchise drafts a Hall of Fame player.

Now, it's important to keep in mind that this isn't a hard-fast ranking of the best teams at drafting, nor is it a complete indication of the best teams, but it is a very interesting look.  Another important note to remember is that this list is all before the 1998 draft, and so the Colts will be well represented in years to come.  Firstly, Marvin Harrison will likely get inducted into the Hall of Fame next year, representing the Colts' 1996 draft class.  Peyton Manning is as easy of a Hall of Fame decision as they come, and he'll represent the Colts 1998' draft class.  Running back Edgerrin James might get in at some point, which would represent the Colts' 1999 class.  And then there are other decisions to be made, such as Reggie Wayne (2001), Dwight Freeney (2002), and others.  So it's likely that this list could look a bit differently for the Colts in a decade or so, but as it stands right now, the Colts have drafted eight Hall of Famers, selecting a Hall of Famer once every 5.8 draft classes, on average.  This leaves them right around the middle of the pack at number 14.  To nobody's surprise, the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers are at the top of the list (though the Titans at number three is a surprise), while the Cincinnati Bengals rank last.

Here's the list of all eight current Hall of Famers drafted by the Colts - though only six of them actually played for the Colts.

Raymond Berry, WR - selected in 20th round of 1954 Draft by Baltimore Colts

Lenny Moore, RB - selected in 1st round of 1956 Draft by Baltimore Colts

Jim Parker, OL - selected in 1st round of 1957 Draft by Baltimore Colts

Ron Mix, OL - selected in 1st round of 1960 Draft by Baltimore Colts - choose the AFL's Los Angeles Chargers over the Colts

John Mackey, TE - selected in 2nd round of 1963 Draft by Baltimore Colts

Ted Hendricks, LB - selected in 2nd round of 1969 Draft by Baltimore Colts

John Elway, QB - selected in 1st round of 1983 Draft by Baltimore Colts - traded to Denver Broncos before playing a single game for Baltimore

Marshall Faulk, RB - selected in 1st round of 1994 Draft by Indianapolis Colts