Maybe, if not for an off-field legal issue early in Seth McGowan's college career, he would have gone higher in the 2026 NFL Draft. He paid for his crime and was able to keep playing football. No team wanted to risk much draft value on him, but the Indianapolis Colts chose him in the seventh round in 2026.
In training camp and preseason, McGowan wasn't just good; he looked as if he could have been a third-round choice. He is powerful and faster than he might run the 40-yard dash. Many players are like that, and they get better with pads on. Just ask the Seattle Seahawks how they feel about Jaxon Smith-Njigba, for instance. He wasn't an NFL Combine star either, but he is in real games.
Not that McGowan is going to be the running back equivalent right away that JSN is, as McGowan has the elite Jonathan Taylor in front of him, but Indianapolis hopes that Taylor literally has to carry less of the offensive load moving forward. The rookie out of Kentucky is probably going to help in that quest.
Seth McGowan might be the unsung star the Indianapolis Colts have been waiting for
As the clear RB2 behind Taylor, McGowan should get quite a few carries every game, and if he succeeds right away, he could get even more. That will help the rookie, of course, but it will keep the offense running efficiently when Taylor isn't in the game, and it will help Taylor stay fresh later in the season. That's the hope anyway.
In the preseason, McGowan ran the ball 17 times for 65 yards, an average of 3.8 yards per rush, but he was also running mostly behind backups. In preseason Week 3, he got to play alongside the starters at the beginning of the game and was far more effective. In real games, of course, he will be playing with the likes of Quenton Nelson and Bernhard Raimann.
No one is going to take the place of Jonathan Taylor, of course, but Seth McGowan could turn out to be the best backup Taylor has had, and that high-quality play could come in Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens.
McGowan can pass-protect well, and he is big and strong enough to take on most would-be pass rushers. He can catch a few passes out of the backfield too. Of course, Week 1 will tell Indianapolis Colts fans exactly how the team feels about McGowan, as trusting him with real reps is different than trusting him in the preseason.
McGowan has implied he will be just fine as a part-time fill-in for Taylor, though. He made such an impact that he is the team's obvious RB2, likely about to prove that general manager Chris Ballard choosing McGowan in the seventh round might just turn out ot be the steal of the draft.
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