{"id":642276,"date":"2026-05-02T04:16:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T04:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/642276\/"},"modified":"2026-05-02T04:16:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T04:16:09","slug":"anonymous-nfl-execs-reportedly-weigh-in-on-colts-2026-nfl-draft-class","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/642276\/","title":{"rendered":"Anonymous NFL execs reportedly weigh in on Colts 2026 NFL Draft class"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to The Athletic\u2019s Mike Sando, anonymous NFL executives recently weighed in on the Indianapolis Colts 2026 draft class<\/a>, which even without a first round pick, saw the Horseshoe potentially land two immediate defensive starters on \u2018Day 2\u2019:<\/p>\n

\u201cThey would not have gotten a Sauce Gardner<\/a> picking where they were going to pick, whether that was at 16 or later in the round,\u201d an NFL executive said via Sando. \u201cThat verdict on that trade is going to be determined by their next first-round pick, and what that looks like.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCJ Allen is probably going to end up being a team captain on defense, and then they took some late-round swings on guys who had talent, but also big question marks,\u201d another NFL executive said. \u201cThat could buffer some of the early picks they didn\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are tough players,\u201d another one said. \u201cThey have violent play styles. They take the ball away. They love football. To me, this is what you are looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Colts recent draft class is highlighted by the selections of Georgia linebacker CJ Allen (Pick #53, after slightly trading down from #47), and LSU safety AJ Haulcy (#78) a round later in Round 3. Both First-Team All-SEC defenders were not only considered \u2018dawgs,\u2019 but top prospects as their respective positions in this year\u2019s class. Even though they were drafted on \u2018Day 2,\u2018 each projects as an immediate defensive starter from \u2018Day 1\u2019 for Indianapolis and should provide immediate upgrades respectively.<\/p>\n

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However, the Colts also selected Kentucky offensive guard Jalen Farmer (#113), who\u2019s been lauded for his physicality and is considered a road grader in run blocking. He should challenge for the starting right guard job in both training camp and preseason, and even if he doesn\u2019t win the competition, provides a key backup offensive lineman through the course of the 2026 regular season (where the Colts will need at least six capable blockers).<\/p>\n

Otherwise, Colts\u2019 4th round Oregon linebacker Bryce Boettcher (#135) provides depth to their linebacker position, even after the earlier selection of Allen, and could immediately contribute as a sub-package defende for coverage situations. It\u2019s not out of the question he could push for a starter\u2019s job alongside Allen as well.<\/p>\n

The others drafted: Florida edge George Gumbs Jr. (#156), Ohio State edge Caden Curry (#214), Kentucky running back Seth McGowan (#237), and Oklahoma wide receiver Deion Burks<\/a> (#254) add collective depth to once depleted positions on the Colts roster.<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s a takeaway from this year\u2019s draft class, it\u2019s that longtime Colts general manager Chris Ballard has \u2018gone away\u2019 from some of his RAS roots, and has looked to draft instinctive, tough football players, many of whom were proven, productive, and battle-tested in arguably college football\u2019s winningest power conferences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"According to The Athletic\u2019s Mike Sando, anonymous NFL executives recently weighed in on the Indianapolis Colts 2026 draft…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":642277,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[436],"tags":[49,48,166202,239375,189536,86400,5919,5904,228167,3844,1732,239374,514,49182,18823,82],"class_list":["post-642276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cj-allen","tag-defensive-starters","tag-deion-burks","tag-draft-class","tag-georgia-bulldogs","tag-indiana","tag-indiana-convention-center","tag-indianapolis","tag-indianapolis-colts","tag-mike-sando","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-scouting-combine","tag-sauce-gardner","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=642276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642276\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/642277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=642276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=642276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=642276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}