2026 NFL Draft Grades: Indianapolis Colts

The Colts didn't pick in Round 1, a product of their deadline deal with the Jets to land Sauce Gardner in November. They were 7-2 at that point with Daniel Jones playing great ball, but after an overtime win the following week in Berlin, they became the first NFL team to ever be six games over .500 and still finish with a losing record (per ESPN Research). Jones tore an Achilles in Week 14, and 44-year-old Phillip Rivers, signed out of retirement, was unsurprisingly unable to right the ship.

The CJ Allen pick is going to be huge for the defense. He was a steal at No. 53 -- I had him 28th on the board. He has three-down attributes that allow him to impact the game in coverage, as a run stopper and as a blitzer. Just look at his stat line from 2025: 97 tackles, seven tackles for loss, nine run stops, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, 3.5 sacks. Paired with free agent signing Akeem Davis-Gaither and Day 3 pick Bryce Boettcher, the linebacker unit should take a step forward.

Despite tying for 14th with 39 sacks, this team was 30th in pass rush win rate (29.1%) last season. George Gumbs Jr. and Caden Curry chip in with Laiatu Latu (who is looking like a promising young pro after 8.5 sacks in 2025) to get after more AFC South quarterbacks, but Indy could have used a little more here. A.J. Haulcy enters as a potential Nick Cross replacement next to Cam Bynum, with eight interceptions and 12 pass breakups over the past two seasons. And Jalen Farmer was a strong value in Round 4, as I ranked the 6-foot-5, 312-pound guard at No. 81 overall. He didn't allow any sacks last season.

Without the first-round pick, the Colts did pretty well here overall, getting a borderline first-round talent on Day 2.

Second-round LB CJ Allen (53rd overall pick) and third-round S A.J. Haulcy (78th) seem like sweet value picks given where these talented defenders were selected — and both could start as rookies. They're also the secondary story of this draft. In a win-now move made at least year's trade deadline, Indy surrendered this year's first-rounder (and next year's even more valuable one) to the Jets for CB Sauce Gardner, who — through no fault of his own really — wasn't able to help the cratering Colts win now in 2025. But if Gardner, who hasn't been the same player the past few years that he was earlier in his career, doesn't revert to All-Pro form — maybe even Deion Sanders form — history is not going to look kindly upon GM Chris Ballard's very expensive gambit.

Best Pick: I love the sixth-round pick, Caden Curry. He is an edge rusher who plays with toughness and showed up on tape. He will be a guy to watch as a rotational player.

Worst Pick: It's not any of the picks, but waiting until the fifth round to address EDGE. They need more production from that group, so that was surprising.

The Skinny: The Colts didn't have a first-round pick after trading it to the Jets for corner Sauce Gardner. But they did have a lot of picks and focused on defense, taking five of the first six. Second-round linebacker CJ Allen is a big-time thumper.

Trading for cornerback Sauce Gardner a year ago left the Colts without a first-round pick, but GM Chris Ballard nabbed two All-SEC defenders in linebacker C.J. Allen and safety A.J. Haulcy on Day 2 that will provide plenty of big plays, as well as the alpha personalities and playing styles to build around. Not surprisingly, I'm highest on the Colts' top two selections from Day 3 — guard Jalen Farmer and linebacker Bryce Boettcher.

Farmer has the talent to be a quality NFL starter, with the physicality to excel in the Colts' run-heavy system. Boettcher has the intensity and underrated athleticism to help the Colts' special teams units immediately and might be hard to get out of the starting lineup if given an opportunity.

Of the Colts' later picks, I like the contrast of their edge rushers, George Gumbs Jr. — a former wide receiver — and Caden Curry, who might lack elite traits but certainly performed well in his lone starting season for the Buckeyes.

Even without a first round pick, Chris Ballard came away with absurd value in this draft.

I thought CJ Allen and A.J. Haulcy were top 50 picks in this class. Before he got hurt late in the season, Allen terrorized the run game and always got his teammates in the right place. Haulcy is a dense ballhawk that showed off high-end situational awareness. He will lay the lumber on pass catchers.

Farmer's raw strength and lower-half explosiveness stands out as a drive blocker. He can move defensive linemen off the ball and create rush lanes, giving him starter upside. Boettcher, who was also selected in the MLB Draft previously, plays like a maniac on every snap.

I understand smaller wide receivers falling in the draft due to a lower hit rate, but how does Deion Burks make it to pick 254? His ability to change gears creates separation and he's unphased finishing plays when contact is about to arrive.

It's really wild to look at this class where the Colts did not have a top fifty pick and only two in the top 100.

Here's why: For not having a first-round pick this year, the Colts did a nice job in the draft. They took CJ Allen and AJ Haulcy with their first two picks and continued to add value with Jalen Farmer at the top of the fourth round. Caden Curry and Deion Burks were both unbelievable value at the end of the draft as well.

Most interesting pick: Caden Curry, Edge, Ohio State

Curry was a big contributor for Ohio State's stonewall defense last season. Age and his physical build are the biggest reasons why he fell to the sixth round, but he really had some strong moments last season that suggest this could be a diamond in the rough for the Colts.

The Colts lacked a first-round pick (which they sent to the Jets in the 2025 trade for cornerback Sauce Gardner), but they still made the most of this draft, nabbing a handful of potential early starters. Georgia's CJ Allen is a field-general type 'backer with instincts to sift through the trash and arrive at his target in the run game. LSU safety A.J. Haulcy brings a similar mentality, reading coverage and delivering big hits or flying downhill in run support. And guard Jalen Farmer is an athletic, well-built athlete on the interior who plays with excellent physicality. All in all, that's an impressive haul—considering the team's first pick came at no. 53 overall.

Analysis: Without a first-round pick, the Colts did well to land Allen and Haulcy, each of whom could have gone a round earlier. Allen is a plug-and-play off-ball linebacker who should step in and replace Zaire Franklin, having notched 88 tackles and 3.5 sacks last year at Georgia. Meanwhile, Haulcy is an experienced prospect after making 44 starts in college, and should also be a rookie contributor next to fellow safety Cam Bynum. Finally, Farmer will provide good depth and perhaps compete with right guard Matt Goncalves.