INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Bill Polian stood at the podium assessing each of his eight second-day draft picks in rapid-fire succession Sunday night.

He rattled off phrases and descriptions as if he had memorized them, pausing only once — to read Mike Hart's name.

Even for a longtime NFL veteran like the Indianapolis Colts president, taking a player like Hart in the sixth round just seemed like the right thing to do.

"Pun intended, this was a heart pick by everyone in our room," Polian joked. "Every one who saw him play said they'd love to have him on our team. He ran a bad 40, but everything else is in line with the other backs we've had here. We're thrilled to have Mike, and he was a popular pick in our room."

Unfortunately for Hart, he was not as popular with the 31 other teams who repeatedly passed up chances to select him.

Michigan's career rushing leader remained available through nearly six full rounds, until the Colts finally took him with the 202nd pick overall. He went more than four rounds after Chad Henne, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury last season, was taken and more than 100 picks later than another college teammate, receiver Mario Manningham, whose stock slipped after he wrote a letter to NFL executives admitting he had failed two drugs tests while in college.

For Hart, character and injuries were not the issue.

He almost single-handedly rescued Michigan's season after an 0-2 start by following up his victory guarantee against Notre Dame by rushing for 187 yards and two touchdowns and played hurt last season, too.

In his case, the issues were size and speed. He measured in at 5-foot-9, 202 pounds at February's NFL combine, short by NFL standards, and then proceeded to run a pedestrian 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash. It's not the first time Hart has heard those complaints only to prove the critics wrong.

"I never questioned myself," he said. "There's nothing you can do because it's out of my hands at that point. I was just hoping I got picked up somewhere and go and try to prove myself again."

The Colts are more than willing to give him a chance after what they witnessed at Michigan, where Hart became the first player in school history to rush for more than 5,000 yards in his career. He set school records for yards rushing (5,040), carries (1,015) and yards rushing per game (117.2) and he finished third in career touchdowns (41).

Numbers were only part of the equation.

What impressed Colts officials more was Hart's toughness.

"If you think about how James Mungro played for us, he's a bang-it-in-there type of runner with enough to make you miss," Polian said, referring to one of the Colts' former running backs. "I'd say Mike has more shake than James did, but he's a tough, gritty type of guy and that's what we like."

Hart seems a perfect complement to Pro Bowl running back Joseph Addai, too.

Last year, the Colts relied on Kenton Keith as Addai's primary backup. Keith was solid in that role, but was recently arrested in Indianapolis for allegedly refusing to leave the parking lot of a nightclub when police were trying to clear it. He pleaded not guilty to criminal trespassing last week.

Even better for Hart is that his rookie draft class includes three new linemen.

The Colts spent their only pick Saturday on Arizona State center Mike Pollak, widely regarded as one of the two best centers in the draft. They took him in the second round, 59th overall, then changed the usual script by selecting two more centers — Wake Forest's Steve Justice and Buffalo's Jamey Richard — in rounds six and seven.

With three-time Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday entrenched at the position, it's possible the Colts could move all three to new positions. Polian said Pollak is expected to compete at starting right guard, a job that opened up when Jake Scott signed as a free agent with Tennessee.

Richard, at 6-foot-5 and 301 pounds, may be better suited at tackle.

"They're all athletic guys who can move," coach Tony Dungy said. "I think they'll still be considered undersized guys compared to the rest of the league, but we think they'll be very, very good players."

Taking players in bunches was a theme for the Colts.

They also selected linebackers Philip Wheeler and Marcus Howard in the third and fifth rounds, respectively, and tight ends Jacob Tamme and Tom Santi in the fourth and sixth rounds, respectively.

Indy took speedy receiver Pierre Garcon, who played at Division III power Mount Union, in the sixth round. Garcon ran the 40 in 4.42 seconds but may be a long-term project because he hasn't competed against players of such a high skill level.

"He has all the numbers, a sub 4.5 in the 40, and his measurables are comparable to our other receivers," Polian said. "He's probably a work in progress, but we'll see."

Meanwhile, Hart's job will be to prove that Polian and his Colts colleagues made another masterful late-round pick.

And with an improved cast around him, Hart promises to be up to the challenge.

"I thought I would have been picked like the fourth round," he said. "I'm glad I ended up where I did, to tell you the truth. Great team, good opportunity. I'm excited to be there."