Indianapolis Colts · 2026 Draft · (no R1 pick) · (8-9)

Traded Away: This slot now belongs to Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted Germie Bernard.

Actual Pick: CJ Allen (LB, Georgia) REACH Buy Jersey

Reach. Indianapolis traded up into the Steelers' slot to grab CJ Allen, a throwback thumper, when the board was screaming for a corner or interior lineman, and the math just doesn't work. Allen is a clean three-down profile with read-and-react instincts, but Indy spent capital to leapfrog at a position where Jaylon Carlies, Zaire Franklin, and Segun Olubi already eat snaps. Paying a premium for a luxury LB while the secondary leaks is the textbook definition of process over board. The fit is awkward bordering on cosmetic. Lou Anarumo wants twitchy hybrid defenders who can match tight ends and blitz off the edge — Allen is a downhill MIKE who plays heavy and tight in the box. He overlaps with Franklin's role, doesn't unlock Carlies as a chess piece, and does nothing for the CB room that just watched Kenny Moore II walk into his contract year. With Quenton Nelson aging and Will Fries gone in free agency, ignoring the Pregnon-tier interior OL is the bigger sin. The trade is where this gets ugly. Indy reportedly surrendered a future fourth to climb from the back of the round into 53 — that's roughly 60 cents on the dollar in Jimmy Johnson terms for a player most rooms had as a fringe top-100 grade. The opportunity cost is brutal: Quinshon Judkins, Shavon Revel Jr., Jonah Savaiinaea, and Tate Ratledge were all sitting right there, every one of them filling a louder need than off-ball linebacker. On our board Allen was a clean Day 3 value, ranked LB6 with a third-round grade — Indy took him as the LB2 off the board at 53, a full round and change ahead of consensus. Jeremiah had him 88th, PFF graded him 102nd, Kiper didn't have him in his top 75. That's a two-round reach in raw slot terms and a Pos2 jump that only makes sense if your internal medicals or interviews are screaming louder than every public board in the building. This pick says Chris Ballard is still drafting the player he wishes the league valued rather than the one the league actually values, and that's a worrying tell after the Laiatu Latu swing last year. They need to spend Day 3 hammering corner and guard — Zy Alexander, Caleb Rogers, Marcus Mbow — or this class grades out as a defensive identity exercise instead of a roster fix. Front office did not earn trust tonight; they spent it.

Actual Pick: A.J. Haulcy (S, LSU) REACH Buy Jersey

Reach. Indianapolis spent a third on A.J. Haulcy when CB, WR, and offensive line all sat above safety on the priority sheet, and that positional misallocation defines this pick. Haulcy is a thumper with LSU/Houston tape full of run-fits and downhill triggers, but he's a tight-hipped, range-limited box safety in a league trending toward two-high interchangeables. With Camryn Bynum and Nick Cross already on the roster, this is positional duplication when the secondary's actual hole is corner. The fit is awkward. Lou Anarumo's defense wants safeties who can rotate into single-high, match tight ends in the slot, and disguise late — Haulcy's coverage radius and change-of-direction simply don't profile there. He's a 220-pound striker best deployed eight yards from the ball, which Indy already gets from Cross. Meanwhile Charvarius Ward is on the wrong side of 30, Jaylon Jones is a CB3 at best, and rookie WR2 reps behind Pittman and Downs remain wide open. Cap-wise R3 money is fine; the roster math isn't. No trade — straight pick at 78 — so the question is opportunity cost, and it's brutal. Quinshon Judkins (RB) was still on the board as a bell-cow upgrade over Jonathan Taylor's contract year. Edge Mike Green and corner Darien Porter were sitting there. Even Elijah Arroyo at TE addresses a stated need above safety. Rookie-contract value at 78 demands a starter-track answer at a premium position; Indy bought a two-down strong safety instead of any of those plug-ins. On our board Haulcy graded as a mid-Day 3 prospect, roughly the SAF8–SAF10 range and a clear R4–R5 player; Jeremiah had him 142, PFF in the 150s, Kiper unranked top-100. Going 78 is a 60-to-70-slot reach and roughly a two-round delta over consensus. Even his pre-draft R2 Houston-buzz projection was an outlier driven by leadership/production narratives, not coverage traits. Market rate this is not — it's a Chris Ballard "our guy" overpay on a position the value board says wait on. The pick screams that Ballard and Shane Steichen are still chasing identity over need, prioritizing toughness and locker-room voice over the corner and receiver help this roster demonstrably lacks. Next pick must be a corner — Zy Alexander, Jacob Parrish, or Denzel Burke type — and a third-day swing at WR depth is non-negotiable. The front office did not earn trust tonight; this is the kind of "culture pick" that looks defensible in August and indefensible in December when Joe Burrow throws for 380 on them again.

Actual Pick: Jalen Farmer (IOL, Kentucky) STEAL Buy Jersey

Steal. Jalen Farmer (IOL, Kentucky) was on our top-145 board in the R3 range — and the Indianapolis Colts got him in Round 4. On Day 3 that's how you build a roster: value compounds quietly across the back half of the draft, and this is the kind of selection that becomes a starter in two years because the team didn't reach for him in Round 2.

Actual Pick: Bryce Boettcher (LB, Oregon) STEAL Buy Jersey

Steal. Bryce Boettcher (LB, Oregon) was on our top-145 board in the R3-R4 range — and the Indianapolis Colts got him in Round 5. The Indianapolis Colts acquired this pick via trade (Compensatory Pick (From PIT)). On Day 3 that's how you build a roster: value compounds quietly across the back half of the draft, and this is the kind of selection that becomes a starter in two years because the team didn't reach for him in Round 2.

Actual Pick: George Gumbs Jr. (, ) SURPRISE Buy Jersey

Meh. George Gumbs Jr. (?, —) wasn't on our top-145 big board, which means the Indianapolis Colts are betting on something specific that didn't show up in the consensus film grades. Day-3 picks are won and lost on traits-and-fit calls like this — if the team's scouting department saw a special-teams role, a developmental skill, or an injury-discount, that's defensible. We don't have a board grade to anchor a verdict so we're rating this neutral and waiting for training-camp tape.

Actual Pick: Caden Curry (, ) SURPRISE Buy Jersey

Meh. Caden Curry (?, —) wasn't on our top-145 big board, which means the Indianapolis Colts are betting on something specific that didn't show up in the consensus film grades. The Indianapolis Colts acquired this pick via trade (Compensatory Pick (From PIT)). Day-3 picks are won and lost on traits-and-fit calls like this — if the team's scouting department saw a special-teams role, a developmental skill, or an injury-discount, that's defensible. We don't have a board grade to anchor a verdict so we're rating this neutral and waiting for training-camp tape.

Actual Pick: Seth McGowan (RB, Kentucky) STEAL Buy Jersey

Steal. Seth McGowan (RB, Kentucky) was on our top-145 board in the R4-R5 range — and the Indianapolis Colts got him in Round 7. The Indianapolis Colts acquired this pick via trade (From PIT). On Day 3 that's how you build a roster: value compounds quietly across the back half of the draft, and this is the kind of selection that becomes a starter in two years because the team didn't reach for him in Round 2.

Actual Pick: Deion Burks (WR, Oklahoma) STEAL Buy Jersey

Steal. Deion Burks (WR, Oklahoma) was on our top-145 board in the R4 range — and the Indianapolis Colts got him in Round 7. On Day 3 that's how you build a roster: value compounds quietly across the back half of the draft, and this is the kind of selection that becomes a starter in two years because the team didn't reach for him in Round 2.