Even with Arden Key and Micheal Clemons in town, the Indianapolis Colts needed to add a bit more juice for the pass-rushing unit. They waited until the fifth round to do so, and they did it with a bit of a polarizing prospect.
Florida's George Gumbs Jr. was a major riser at the NFL Scouting Combine, and he made a strong enough impression on Colts general manager Chris Ballard to be the team's No. 156 pick. That's their second developmental pick of the evening, and one that could either make the team look foolish or genius two years from now.
While athleticism, determination, and work ethic should never be a concern with Gumbs, Benjamin Henderson of Hail Florida Hail warned Colts fans about expecting way too much from him right out of the gate. He might have turned pro, but he's still far from ripe in terms of playing the position.
The Colts made another major bet with Florida's George Gumbs Jr.
"Super raw and still learning the position. Gumbs was literally a 185 pound WR out of high school who switched to EDGE while at NIU then transfered to Florida," Henderson said. "Has the athletic traits to be a surprise, and performed better than most Gator fans expected, but his down to down productivity wasn't anything special, especially in 2025."
Gumbs plays with the chip on his shoulder of a player who had to get everything out of the mud to get to this point. He's gotten better with every year and more experience, and the fact that he's only been a pass rusher for a couple of years makes him someone who should be easy to mold and develop into exactly the type of player the Colts envision he can be.
Nevertheless, that's going to take time. As determined and eager as he is, and as much as he's grown into his frame to be a much more physical and stronger player than he was earlier in his collegiate career as a wide receiver, there's plenty of refining to do.
Gumbs has great instincts in coverage, which isn't much of a surprise, given his background as a pass catcher. He's also a physical run-stopper who won't shy away from contact or find himself out of position often.
As a head-hunting pass rusher, however, he's still pretty much a work in progress. He doesn't have many moves or counters, and he can be predictable once he sets his eye on the quarterback and loses his man at the line of scrimmage. That can all be coached, but it doesn't happen overnight.
Of course, this is the time to make those types of selections. At this point, it's more about potential and value than finding people who can contribute right out of the gate. That said, the hit rate on these types of selections isn't encouraging.
Still, Gumbs' athletic traits are just elite, and that should translate to the pros to a degree. His 41-inch vertical jump is outstanding for a pass rusher, and so is his 4.66-second 40-yard dash. Those are just projections, but they might paint a bigger picture than his actual numbers -- which, admittedly, weren't that impressive: he had 3.0 sacks in two years with the Gators -- given how raw he still is.
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