1. The Colts wanted to get younger and faster on defense – and the draft fell in a way they were able to accomplish that without a first round pick.

A few days after the Colts' 2025 season ended with a seventh consecutive loss, general manager Chris Ballard laid out a mandate for what he needed to address on defense in the upcoming offseason.

"We've got to get younger," Ballard said. "We've got to get faster, unequivocally, on defense."

It's not that the Colts' offense didn't need to improve – more on that later – but that group, broadly, has both youth and speed. After bringing back quarterback Daniel Jones and wide receiver Alec Pierce, the Colts didn't enter the 2026 NFL Draft with plain-to-see needs on offense.

But even without a first round pick, Ballard on Day 2 was able to inject youth and speed into two key areas of the Colts' defense – MIKE linebacker and safety, where longtime starters are elsewhere in the NFL. That the Colts didn't need to snag an offensive player with those picks helped them land Georgia linebacker CJ Allen (after trading down in the second round) and LSU safety A.J. Haulcy (in the third round).

Between the Colts' selections of Allen and Haulcy, 14 of the 24 picks made were offensive players: Two quarterbacks, three wide receivers, six tight ends, one tackle and two centers.

Quarterback, tight end and center are not positions of need – not with Jones, Tyler Warren and Tanor Bortolini turning in strong 2025 seasons – and the Colts feel good about their plan at tackle (Jalen Travis) and wide receiver (broadly, utilizing Josh Downs more). But not needing to jump in on those runs (especially at tight end) allowed the Colts to sit back and draft players on Friday they believe can contribute on defense as soon as this upcoming season.

"If you noticed in the third round, offensive players were just kind of flying off the board," Ballard said. "And so there was a little more depth on the defensive side throughout the draft. We kind of felt that the whole time."

2. CJ Allen isn't just a good fit for what the Colts need on the field.

The Colts view Allen as a MIKE linebacker – the position Zaire Franklin manned for the last five seasons – who can make an impact in the middle of Lou Anarumo's defense. Allen's blend of physicality, speed and football IQ make him a prototypical MIKE: The kind of guy who wears a green communications dot on his helmet, can thump downhill in the run game with his physicality and make plays in coverage with his athleticism.

But the Colts envision Allen's work ethic and leadership being positive additions to their team culture, too.

Ballard said Allen is a "face of the program type guy," pointing to his two and a half years starting at the pressure-packed powerhouse that is Georgia football. Southeast area scout Anthony Coughlan said Allen was the best practice player he saw last fall, noting the 21-year-old's maturity in how diligent and detailed he is with his work.

And, too, head coach Shane Steichen sees Allen as a value add on and off the field.

"Everything I've heard about him through the vetting process – just the toughness, the edge he plays with, the leadership, it's impressive," Steichen said. "I can't wait to get him in the building. I think he's going to be a great leader for this football team not only next year, but in the future as well."

3. Georgia has a strong track record of developing off-ball linebackers over the last decade.

Since Kirby Smart arrived in Athens in 2016, Georgia has had five off-ball linebackers drafted as top-100 picks: Roquan Smith (No. 8 overall pick in 2018), Monty Rice (No. 92 overall pick in 2021), Quay Walker (No. 22 overall pick in 2022), Nakobe Dean (No. 83 overall pick in 2022) and Allen (No. 53 overall pick in 2026).

Of that group, consider it notable here that Smith is a three-time first-team AP All-Pro and signed a contract with the Baltimore Ravens that netted him the most guaranteed money paid to an off-ball linebacker in NFL history. Walker and Dean both signed as free agents with the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this year for over $50 million in combined guarantees, per Over The Cap.

Rice didn't develop into a starter and dealt with injuries in his career, but for the most part, the NFL has told us what it thinks of linebackers developed by Smart: They're worthy of high draft selections, and then they'll develop into guys worthy of being paid.

Both Ballard and Coughlan emphasized how challenging it is to play for Smart, a two-time national championship winner as head coach and a Nick Saban disciple.

"(Allen) graduated from that program," Coughlan said. "It's a hard thing to do."

And that allowed Allen to thrive after stepping into a starting role as a freshman – one which required him to communicate Smart's complex defenses in the huddle, at that – carried plenty of weight here, too.

"That's hard to do," Ballard said. "And in that defense, they stress them, now. They stress them mentally. He handled that at a young age, and it wasn't too big for him."

The Colts don't believe, then, that the jump to the NFL will be too big for Allen – just like it wasn't too big for Smith, Walker and Dean.

4. Adding A.J. Haulcy could allow the Colts to play more snaps with three safeties on the field.

Haulcy led three different teams in interceptions over his four collegiate seasons at New Mexico State, Houston and LSU, and he earned First-Team All-Conference honors in both the Big 12 (2024) and SEC (2025). He can play downhill against the run, too, and will compete to fill the void left by Nick Cross, who started all 17 games in 2025 and signed with the Washington Commanders in free agency.

Next to Cam Bynum, look for Haulcy to compete with free agent signings Juanyeh Thomas and Jonathan Owens, along with 2025 seventh rounder Hunter Wohler, who was putting together an impressive rookie training camp before sustaining a season-ending injury last August.

But there's a chance all these additions at safety will allow defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo to expand on something he did at times in 2025: Play with three safeties on the field.

Bynum, Cross and Rodney Thomas II (who signed as a free agent with the Seattle Seahawks earlier this year) played 94 snaps together in 2025. For Thomas, only 17 of those were with him lined up as a linebacker, per Pro Football Focus; Wohler, had he not sustained that season-ending injury, very well could've seen snaps as a dime linebacker last year.

The Colts didn't need much safety depth last year, with Cross and Bynum playing over 1,100 snaps each. But with Haulcy in the mix, the Colts have both depth and versatility at safety, potentially "giving Anarumo more ammo to be flexible in how he deploys coverages on the back end of his defense.

"I like our depth at safety a lot and we'll see how it ends up playing out," Ballard said. "We have guys who can play interchangeable parts."

5. How Jalen Farmer fits into the Colts' O-line ecosystem.

All 24 of Farmer's collegiate starts at Kentucky were at right guard, and he'll begin his pro career working on the interior of the Colts' offensive line as well. The 6-foot-5, 312 pound Farmer does have the sort of arm length (34.5 inches) teams prioritize for tackles, and he worked at right tackle during the Senior Bowl earlier this year.

But, for now, the Colts see Farmer as a guard – though Ballard said he could get some work at tackle in training camp. That's notable, because the only starting offensive line spot the Colts have to replace in 2026 is right tackle, where 2025 fourth-rounder Jalen Travis could slide into a starting role.

Farmer, then, could push incumbent starter Matt Goncalves at right guard. Goncalves has guard/tackle flexibility, though, so adding Farmer will push competition across the right side of the Colts' offensive line.

"Competition makes everybody better," Ballard said. "It just does, all right. So, he will definitely be talented enough. How fast he gets it and if he earns it, then he'll play."

The Colts were elated to get Farmer in the fourth round, pointing to his athleticism (he ran a 4.93-second 40-yard dash, a remarkably fast time for someone over 310 pounds) and his hard-nosed physicality.

"You can't run through him," Midwest area scout Tyler Hughes said. "He's strong as hell."

The Colts, too, are selective with the players they add to their offensive line room not just from a talent standpoint, but from a cultural standpoint. Ballard said Farmer checks both boxes.

"He fits what we look for," Ballard said.

6. Bryce Boettcher profiles as the kind of player teams love to have on their roster.

Boettcher played MIKE linebacker at Oregon – he led the Big Ten in tackles in 2025 with 136 – but the Colts envision him having flexibility to play either MIKE (CJ Allen's position) or WILL in Anarumo's defense.

But Boettcher could make an immediate impact on special teams as a rookie. He played 584 snaps as a core special teamer for Oregon over his four seasons with the football program; West area scout Kasia Omilian said Boettcher's buy-in on special teams early in his collegiate football career was a "huge" part of his evaluation.

Boettcher's commitment to his craft is notable, too, given he split time between football and baseball from 2022-2024 at Oregon. He was a baseball-only athlete in 2020 and 2021, then walked on to the football team in 2022; Boettcher was a Gold Glove outfielder with 14 home runs, 27 stolen bases and a .364 on-base percentage during his baseball career with the Ducks.

Omilian said Boettcher fits the Colts' goal of adding edginess, toughness and competitiveness to the team's locker room. Ballard – a die-hard fan of the Houston Astros, who drafted Boettcher in the 13th round of the 2024 MLB Draft – agreed with that assessment.

"Athletic, fast, a blue-card guy for us, a really special dude," Ballard said. "I mean, here's a guy, he was drafted by the Astros, ended up walking on, earning it, and has been just a tremendous player for the University of Oregon."

7. George Gumbs Jr. gives the Colts intriguing upside.

The 6-foot-4, 245 pound Gumbs is relatively new to playing defensive end, having converted from wide receiver to tight end at Northern Illinois and then to defensive end in 2023, his final season with the Huskies. Gumbs then transferred to Florida for his final two collegiate seasons, and in 34 games at defensive end, he totaled 11 sacks, 21 tackles for a loss and four forced fumbles.

Gumbs also is a rugged and willing run defender – he had five run stops on 11 run defense snaps against LSU last season – but his upside comes less from his collegiate production and more from his athletic traits and intangibles.

At the NFL Combine earlier this year, Gumbs recorded a 41-inch vertical, tied for eighth-highest among defensive ends since 1999. His 40-yard dash, broad jump and three-cone drill all ranked in the 76th percentile or higher, too. And Gumbs pairs that athleticism with a certain drive to challenge himself and improve as a player.

"This guy's wired the right way," Coughlan, who scouted Gumbs, said.

Ballard said the Colts see Gumbs as an immediate contributor on special teams while he develops as an an edge player, one who could grow into a stand-up outside linebacker role with the ability to rush the passer and drop into coverage.

"In Lou's defense, they stand up all the time," Ballard said. "So we're going to drop him and do some things with him. He's an edge player. That's what he is."

8. Caden Curry is more than a neat hometown kid story.

The Colts went back-to-back on defensive ends in the fifth and sixth rounds, but Gumbs and Curry – a two-time IHSAA state champion at Center Grove High School – are very much different players. Curry, during his final year at Ohio State, led the Buckeyes with 11 sacks and 16.5 tackles for a loss; this was a defense with three top-11 picks this year in Arvell Reese (No. 5), Sonny Styles (No. 7) and Caleb Downs (No. 11).

Curry had to wait behind established Buckeyes defensive ends Jack Sawyer and Jaylahn Tuimoloau, the latter of whom was a second-round pick by the Colts in 2025. He established himself on special teams during his first three years in Columbis, and blocked a punt in both 2024 and 2025.

"This kid's going to give you everything he's got," Hughes, who scouted Curry, said.

So why did Curry fall all the way to pick No. 214 despite standout production at a college football powerhouse?

If you've asked that question and found an answer, chances are it's regarding Curry's 30 1/8-inch arms. Among players measured at the NFL Combine since 1999, for reference, a 52nd-percentile arm length is 33.5 inches, per MockDraftAble.com. Longer arms usually allow trench players to gain leverage on their opponent.

"Sometimes the physical measurements, people will knock you down, but we'll see how he does," Ballard said. "I think he'll do well. I do."

Where Curry shines is in his non-stop toughness and physicality, traits the Colts valued across the draft. And he certainly fit those descriptions.

"The instincts and just his feel for the game, he knows how to set up tackles who are longer than him, understand angles and how to rush," Hughes said. "And just his motor, it's hard to block a guy for 50 snaps who plays hard as hell."

9. The Colts had a sneaky need for running back depth and addressed it in the seventh round with Seth McGowan.

Behind Jonathan Taylor, the Colts were down two running backs who played in 2025 in Tyler Goodson (signed with the Atlanta Falcons) and Ameer Abdullah (unsigned free agent). 2025 fifth-round pick D.J. Giddens is back, and the Colts still believe in his talent and upside despite the Kansas State product being inactive for eight games last year (which was mostly due to Goodson/Abdullah playing on special teams).

Anyways, the Colts did need to address running back depth at some point this offseason, and they were happy to do just that with McGowan.

"He adds a real physical element at running back," Ballard said.

McGowan rushed for 12 touchdowns – while running behind Jalen Farmer – in 2025 at Kentucky and brings a certain toughness to the Colts' running back room, one which the team believes can translate to playing special teams, too.

10. With their last pick, the Colts took a flier on a flyer in Deion Burks.

The Athletic's composite big board – which collected top 100+ rankings from 10 draft experts – had Burks as the No. 83 overall player in the 2026 draft class. NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah had him 70th overall, for what it's worth.

But Burks came dangerously close to going undrafted before the Colts selected him with the No. 254 overall pick, the fourth-to-final selection in this year's NFL Draft.

"Why was he there? I don't know," Ballard said. "Fortunate for us. He's fast, he's explosive. We think he's got a real chance to help us."

The 5-foot-10, 180 pound Burks ran a blazing 4.30-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and did 26 bench press reps, tied for the sixth-most among wide receivers since 1999. He's fast and strong, and totaled 14 touchdowns over his final three collegiate seasons at Purdue (2023) and Oklahoma (2024-2025).

"At his size, pound for pound, this kid is very, very strong," Lacy, who scouted Burks, said. "Very, very explosive."

While Burks will compete for snaps at wide receiver, the Colts also see the potential for him to be a returner. He only has one year of returning experience – 14 kick returns for Purdue in 2022 (19.9 yards/return) – but Lacy said he believes Burks has the speed, toughness, instincts and tracking ability to get a shot both as a kick and punt returner.