If you are making a list of the dozen or so best players currently on the Indianapolis Colts, who have you got? My top tier, in no particular order, has four players – Daniel Jones, DeForest Buckner, Sauce Gardner, Cam Bynum – who arrived via trade or free agency.
The other eight were all drafted by Chris Ballard. I have criticized the Colts’ general manager a lot for not acquiring quality depth, but I have to give him credit for finding a lot of good players in the draft. That is especially true in rounds 2-4. Jonathan Taylor, Alec Pierce, Josh Downs, Bernhard Reimann, and Tanor Bortolini all came in those rounds.
You may notice that they all play offense. The only proven defenders drafted by Ballard and on the roster right now are Laiatu Latu and Grover Stewart. I'm not sure Stewart still figures into that top-12 tier. Perhaps he does. But if the Colts are to have any prayer of competing for a playoff spot this season, we have to hope that Ballard has hit on those early defensive draft picks this year.
Could Indianapolis Colts rookie CJ Allen win the DROY this year?
The pressure on three Colts’ rookies – CJ Allen, AJ Haulcy and Bryce Boettcher – was exemplified in a recent NFL.com prediction of who might win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award this season. The article ranked Allen eighth out of eleven contenders.
If Allen plays at that level, it would be an enormous win for Ballard. The GM traded away his first-round pick as part of the Sauce Gardner deal. He also gave up his 2027 first-rounder. Gardner is a stud, and alongside Charvarius Ward and Justin Walley, figures to form one of the league’s best cornerback groups.
But who is going to be running things in the middle of the field and making the lion’s share of tackles? That fell on Zaire Franklin in recent years. But Franklin did not seem to fit with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s scheme last year, and he was traded this offseason.
There is some pressure on both Haulcy and Boettcher to hit the ground running, but it is nowhere near as intense as on Allen. Hunter Wohler is currently penciled in ahead of Haulcy and Allen and Akeem Davis-Gaither have Boettcher pushed back to the second team at linebacker.
But Allen is expected to be a major player from day one.
Or perhaps from day four. He missed the beginning of camp with an injury but was on the practice field on Friday. His workload was restricted, and it may take him a few more days to get up to full speed. Once that happens, he will be asked to do quite a bit.
That sounds like a tall order for a second-round draft pick. On that NFL.com list, nine of the eleven players were first-round picks. Miami’s Jacob Rodriguez, eleventh on the list, was the only other second-rounder. He was taken ten spots ahead of Allen.
This is not the least bit unprecedented. Last year, a second-round linebacker – Cleveland’s Carson Schwesinger – claimed the DROY honors. Another second-rounder – Seattle’s Nick Emmawori – was the runner-up.
One thing that helped Schwesinger was playing behind the Browns' quality defensive line. He was protected inside by Maliek Collins and Mason Graham. And opposing offenses always had to be concerned about edge rushers Alex Wright and Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. Schwesinger took full advantage, piling up 156 tackles, sixth best in the league.
Allen has the talent to play at that level, but he will need help. If the Colts' aging interior linemen DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart stay healthy, that will go a long way toward ensuring the rookie's success.
The Colts don’t figure to have the same type of edge presence that Cleveland had in 2025, but if those cornerbacks are as good as advertised, it will afford Allen far more leeway to attack the line of scrimmage.
Of course, it all ultimately falls onto Allen’s shoulders. Allen slipped a little bit from his early draft projection into the middle of the second round. The usual knock on him is that, though a very reliable performer, he isn’t the freakish athlete who makes splash plays.
But that isn’t really what the Colts defense needs him to do. He has to make tackles in the middle of the field and keep the defense organized. That’s a lot to ask of a rookie, and I don’t really think Allen is going to blow anyone away with surprising talent. Consequently, I don’t think he is going to win DROY.
And that’s just fine. I’ll settle for a top-five finish. If CJ Allen plays at that level as a rookie, we’ll be able to say Chris Ballard has done it again – finding a very solid contributor outside the first round.
Add us as a preferred source on Google