The Indianapolis Colts are pretty well set at guard with future Hall of Famer Quenton Nelson and recent draftee Matt Goncalves. Nonetheless, they invested their first of two fourth-round picks in the powerful guard Jalen Farmer from Kentucky.
Farmer immediately slots in as a depth piece behind the two starters and a potential heir to Nelson down the road. And it might signal that Dalton Tucker’s surprising run in Indianapolis could be coming to an end.
Tucker made the club as an undrafted free agent out of Marshall back in 2024 and was pressed into service as rookie. He played almost 50% of the Colts’ offensive snaps that season and acquitted himself rather well. But in his second year, he rarely saw the field and didn’t look nearly as sharp when he did.
New Colts guard will push young vets for a roster spot
With Farmer, Chris Ballard has added an impressive athlete who has a high ceiling for a Day 3 pick. At almost 6’5,” 312 pounds, he has a massive wingspan and surprising speed and agility. Scouts have viewed him as solid in both pass protection and straight-on power blocking.
Tucker was never seen as a plus-athlete. What impressed Colts’ coaches was his versatility, maturity and experience. He came into the league with a lot of intangibles that showed up immediately. He had a very good college career in which he showed the ability to handle a variety of roles and that flexibility made him an attractive fit as a reserve.
It appears in hindsight that with the relative health of both Nelson and Goncalves in 2025, Tucker took a step back. He did not seem able to keep his edge. That may have increased Ballard’s interest in finding a more formidable athlete to challenge for a spot.
Maybe the most surprising thing about the pick is that it was for a guard and not a tackle. There was a lot of speculation that Ballard would be looking for a swing tackle, especially with an unproven Jalen Travis scheduled to step into Braden Smith's right tackle spot this year. But in the end, Farmer was the choice.
Farmer clearly brings more to the table in terms of raw athleticism. As he refines his game, he projects to one day become a starter, which is not necessarily the case with Tucker.
Farmer’s presence by no means dooms Tucker’s future in the league, or even with the Colts. Young, versatile interior linemen are always in demand and Tucker has shown that he does belong on a roster. If Farmer plays up to expectations. Tucker may find himself relegated to the practice squad in Indy, or perhaps will find a home with another club in need of interior line depth.
But it does seem clear that the Colts are looking to build on what is already an above-average offensive line. Jalen Farmer, at his best, is a very solid hedge against injury as well as being a potential starter down road when Nelson decides to hang up the cleats.
That is not necessarily the case with a player like Dalton Tucker. He has provided a decent floor as a backup for the Colts over the past two seasons, but his ceiling was never all that high. And now, his days in Indy could be threatened by a promising new lineman.
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