Chris Ballard faced a challenge entering the 2026 NFL Draft. The Indianapolis Colts general manager did not have a first-round draft pick, and he needed to restock a roster that was losing a lot of starters.
Of course, the situation was of Ballard’s own making. He had traded his 2026 and 2027 first-round picks to acquire Sauce Gardner and found himself in a situation that required major expenditures to retain two key free agents, thus limiting his salary cap space.
He made a few deals both before and during the draft that resulted in a good number of picks … assuming you ignore that missing first-rounder. In all, Ballard added eight new players during the draft. He got one each in rounds 2, 3, 5, and 6, and two apiece in rounds 4 and 7.
Grading the Indianapolis Colts' 2026 draft picks at the quarter mark
If a GM hits on several of those picks, he can transform his roster. If he misses, the entire club is set back. After just four games, it is too early to make any definitive pronouncements, but some things are coming into focus. At the very least, we can assign some early-season grades to the eight players chosen by Ballard.
Seventh round, pick 254 – Deion Burks, WR
Earlier in his college career, Burks had been projected to go much earlier than the seventh round. But he never had the breakout season that many expected at either Purdue or Oklahoma and slipped into the final round. Colts fans hope he will eventually be able to display some of the talent that once had him ranked as a top prospect.
Thus far, it has not happened. He has been on the field for just 28 offensive snaps through four games. He has caught one pass and carried the ball a couple of times on jet sweeps. Burks has gained 20 yards on three touches as a pro.
The bad news is that he has not been able to capitalize on Alec Pierce’s absence to create a significant role for himself despite the team’s need for an explosive receiving option. The good news is that he has seen a bit more usage in each game. Burks is moving forward, but the pace through the first month has been glacial.
Grade: C-
Seventh round, pick 237 – Seth McGowan, RB
McGowan didn’t do very much in his first three games. But he had his best game in Week 4 against the Washington Commanders, carrying the ball six times and seeing two targets in the passing game. Both were his highest totals of the season. With Ashton Dulin in and out of the lineup with injuries, McGowan has also been the Colts’ most reliable kick returner.
This bodes well for the coming weeks. McGowan may not ever be an exciting back capable of chunk plays. As long as Jonathan Taylor is around, he doesn’t need to be. He just has to be a steady backup who can help JT shoulder the load in the backfield. It is still too early to be certain, but it is looking like he might be able to do that.
Grade: B-
Sixth round, pick 214 – Caden Curry, Edge rusher
Curry was the second consecutive edge chosen by Ballard in the ’26 draft. The team was not especially good at the position last year, and they lost three of their top four edges this offseason. The need was great.
Through the first month, Curry has outperformed the player chosen ahead of him. He is a very active defender, though he is not often in position to make stops. But at least he is playing, which puts him in front of a couple of the defensive prospects chosen ahead of him. He has also become a core special teams player, logging the fourth most snaps on the team.
Grade: C
Fifth round, pick 156 – George Gumbs, Jr., Edge rusher
Most analysts considered Gumbs a developmental prospect prior to the draft. As such, it is hard to be too down on him. On the other hand, on a team sorely in need of edge rushers, Gumbs has been a healthy scratch all four weeks of his fledgling NFL career.
He has ceded snaps to Curry – drafted almost 60 picks after him. And with starter Arden Key now out, Indy just signed veteran Carl Lawson to the practice squad. We will see very quickly where Gumbs stands. He should see his first NFL action this week, but if Lawson is promoted ahead of him, it will be a bad look for the rookie.
Grade: Incomplete (I am tempted to give Gumbs a D since he should have carved out a spot ahead of Curry, but I’ll wait a little while longer for that.)
Fourth round, pick 135 – Bryce Boettcher, LB
Boettcher has played the second most snaps of all rookies. He has been a contributor on both defense and special teams. Like Caden Curry, he is aggressive but lacks the experience to put himself in the right position to make plays on a regular basis.
Boettcher should get better with time, but for now, he seems to be trending slightly downward as veterans Akeem Gaither-Davis and Jaylon Carlies take the bulk of the snaps at linebacker.
Grade: C
Fourth round, pick 113 – Jalen Farmer, G
Farmer has played just three offensive snaps and another handful as a blocker on kicking plays. It is impossible to grade him. But we can say that, unlike the situation with George Gumbs, Farmer is stuck behind some very good offensive linemen. Whereas Gumbs should have perhaps earned more time by now, that was never going to be true for Farmer, barring injury to one of the starters.
Grade: Incomplete
Third round, pick 78 – A.J. Haulcy, S
Haulcy has been thrown into the fire from Day 1. He has struggled in pass coverage and clearly has a long way to go. But much like McGowan, he is trending in the right direction. He played his best game of the year against Washington in Week 4.
Haulcy has played the exact number of snaps that the other seven rookies have played combined (excluding special teams). He has not done enough to earn a good grade yet, but I think he has the most promising future of all the draft picks.
Grade: C
Second round, pick 53 – CJ Allen, LB
This has been a disaster. Ballard traded back in the second round to pick up some late-round draft capital and thought he got a steal in Allen. He passed on defensive rookie of the month Anthony Hill, Jr., a linebacker chosen by the Tennessee Titans seven picks after Ballard chose Allen.
Allen cannot get on the field. He has played 11 defensive snaps. He does not play on special teams, which may be an even more damning indictment. This was initially ascribed to injury, but by this point, that excuse no longer carries any legitimacy.
The Colts are using a bunch of journeymen at linebacker. Their second-round draft pick should at least be seeing some platoon action by this point. Some players do take longer to adjust to the NFL, but it is becoming increasingly likely that CJ Allen is going to go down as a major draft blunder.
Grade: F
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