Kyle DeVan can't wipe the smile off his face. And at this point, he won't even try.

Last spring, he played for the Boise Burn of ArenaFootball2, a league teetering on life support. You could say his career was in similar dire straights. He'd had two NFL chances with the Redskins and the Jets, and neither worked out.

When the Colts called in April, he knew this could be his last NFL chance.

A season later, he's a starter, an integral part of the Colts offensive line charged with protecting the team's most valuable asset, quarterback Peyton Manning.

“I think that's something this organization prides itself on - the fact you can come in like I did or as a drafted kid or a guy who wasn't there last year,” DeVan said. “If you can compete at the highest level and you can play, they'll find a spot for you on this team.”

If you look at how the Colts were built, you'll see that there's a blueprint. They believe in drafting well and developing their own talent, and Colts President Bill Polian shines in that area. But the Colts are also flexible enough to bring in a player like DeVan. They'll pick up the rare veteran, such as kicker Matt Stover, when an extreme need arises.

And they're open to adjusting their perceived plan, as evidenced this season by another offensive line development: Charlie Johnson taking the starting left tackle spot away from Tony Ugoh. The Colts gave up first- and fourth-round picks for the chance to draft Ugoh in 2007.

But Johnson proved that performance trumps hype with the coaching staff and front office.

“That's the thing about this team,” Johnson said. “They get our best players on the field regardless of your draft pick status or how much money you make. Whoever gets the job done is going to get a chance to play.”

There's a responsibility with opportunity, too, Johnson said.

“You also know when you get a spot, it can be taken away from you if you don't keep up the standards,” he said. “I think that's why when you see a guy go down and another guy comes in, you don't see a drop-off. We all prepare like we're going to play.”

DeVan and Johnson (a sixth-round pick in 2006) are examples of unheralded players earning key roles with the Colts.

For the most part, however, Polian and his coaches, whether Tony Dungy for seven years or Jim Caldwell this year, have excelled in spotting collegiate talent and plugging them into the system.

It all starts, of course, with the decision 12 years ago to choose Manning over Ryan Leaf with the No.1 pick in the draft. The debate was hot at the time. It seems ludicrous now, with Manning possibly the greatest quarterback of all time and Leaf long gone from football.

From there, Polian seemed to have a golden touch.

The offense is led by four first-round picks: Manning, wide receiver Reggie Wayne, tight end Dallas Clark and running back Joseph Addai. Wide receiver Austin Collie and right tackle Ryan Diem were fourth-round picks, Johnson and receiver Pierre Garcon were sixth-round picks, center Jeff Saturday and DeVan were signed as free agents, and guard Ryan Lilja was picked up off waivers from Kansas City in 2004.

“With the salary cap, I think you're kind of committed to your draft picks,” Clark said. “You have to come in and be productive. I think we've done a good job of having guys get called on who have stepped in and done a good job.”

The defense has only one first-round pick: defensive end Dwight Freeney in 2002. Cornerback Kelvin Hayden was a second-rounder in 2005, but the rest were either lower picks or free agents. The defensive captain, linebacker Gary Brackett, was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003. Cornerback Jacob Lacey and safety Melvin Bullitt were also undrafted rookies signed by the Colts.

A great defensive example of Polian's eye for talent: He plucked defensive end Robert Mathis out of Alabama A&M with a fifth-round pick in 2003.

Johnson said it helps players to know that if they are signed by the Colts and they make it through the early stages of training camp, they'll have an opportunity to earn significant playing time.

“That tells you they drafted you or brought you in for a reason, and they're counting on you to help the team,” Johnson said. “There are so many different examples of guys who make the team, then come in and help this team win games. You know when you make the team, you have an opportunity.”

Johnson, incidentally, was thrown into a major duty in his rookie season when Diem suffered an injury during Super Bowl XLI. Johnson came in and helped the Colts produce a great rushing performance (113 yards by Dominic Rhodes, 77 yards by Addai).

“I'm thankful in the fact that I know how hard I've worked since I've been here, and they've given me an opportunity,” Johnson said. “I was glad to come to a team that gives lower draft picks and free agents a chance to actually help and play.”

Sometimes, however, even the best-laid plans and year-by-year foundation-building are thrown out of whack by injuries.

Look no further than the kicker for that twist. The Colts spent some rare big-time free-agent money to bring in Adam Vinatieri in 2006, and it paid off when he helped them win the Super Bowl. But a series of leg issues and surgery sidelined him shortly into this season.

The Colts signed Stover, a clutch veteran in his own right, and he delivered. Then came a big personnel decision when Vinatieri came back at the end of the season. The Colts decided Vinatieri's leg wasn't fully 100 percent and named Stover as the postseason kicker.

Stover spent his career with the Baltimore Ravens (back when they were the Cleveland Browns). But he was not retained this year and was unemployed when the Colts called.

Caldwell said he recently read an article that picked Vinatieri and Stover as the top two kickers of the decade.

“We feel we were very, very blessed in that regard,” Caldwell said. “We couldn't ask for a better person to step in when Adam wasn't able to get back as quickly as we liked. (Stover) has come in and done a tremendous job. Obviously, it's a very, very important position in these days, so we're glad to have a veteran who's been there.”

A veteran kicker might be crucial, but the Colts have no qualms about using young players in other roles. Collie and DeVan are first-year starters for the offense, with Garcon a previously unproven second-year player. Rookie running back Donald Brown also carries a load. The defense has spent much of the season with rookies Lacey and Jerraud Powers at the corners, with linebacker Philip Wheeler and Antonio Johnson both second-year players.

“The older guys have to lead and the younger guys follow,” Bethea said. “Then they have to make their own footprint.”

In the Colts' style of building a team, there's always a chance to come in and become a vital part. Just ask DeVan, if you can get him to stop smiling.