Colts general manager Chris Ballard said he's heard the noise that his team is predestined to trade up to the first pick of the 2023 NFL Draft and select a quarterback.

On Wednesday, Ballard tried his best to pour some cold water on the trade-up possibility, Eric Edholm of NFL.com reports.

"I know everybody … has just automatically stamped that you've got to move up to No. 1 to get it right," Ballard said at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. "I don't know if I agree with that. I don't. But that's gonna be the narrative."

It's the narrative because the Colts need a quarterback, and they're almost as well-positioned as any QB-needy team to land one in Round 1 this April. Indianapolis selects fourth overall, and it has been a popular mock-draft maneuver to project a trade from that spot to No. 1 overall, which is held by the Chicago Bears.

With the Bears seemingly backing QB Justin Fields as their starter, Chicago might be open for business. The Colts might be itching to land their next franchise QB -- they haven't had one since Andrew Luck -- but Ballard suggested that there might not be the caliber of passer in this draft class needed to execute a costly trade.

"To move up," Ballard said, "there's got to be a guy worthy of it."

For years, trading up for a quarterback high in Round 1 was a popular tactic used by various teams to ensure they get their man. However, in the past four NFL drafts, 10 of the 13 first-round quarterbacks taken were selected by teams that did not execute a pre-draft trade.

Ballard made it sound Wednesday like he's aware of this recent trend.

"I don't necessarily know if (trading up is) the right course of business," said Ballard. "When we meet as a staff and we say, 'OK, this is what we need to do, this is the guy for the next 10 to 15 years,' and we think he's the right guy, sure, we'll do it. But who's to say we won't get one at No. 4?"

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