INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts used the first of two seventh-round picks to take a running back who has worked his way back from a checkered past.
Indianapolis drafted Kentucky running back Seth McGowan with the 237th pick of the draft, taking a big-bodied power back who had to rebuild his career after being arrested for stealing marijuana, jewelry and cash from an Oklahoma apartment, an arrest that led to a guilty plea to felony larceny of a person at nighttime.
McGowan was dismissed from Oklahoma, spent three months in jail and did not play football for an entire year after the arrest.
He’d rushed for 370 yards as a freshman at Oklahoma, and after a year away, McGowan began the long road back, playing first at Butler Community College, then New Mexico State before transferring to Kentucky, where he established himself as an NFL prospect.
McGowan sees the arrest as the low point in his life, an aberration from who he is as a person, and believes he deserved to be taken higher in the draft.
Colts draft grade: Kentucky RB Seth McGowan, D+
Backup running back has been a need for Indianapolis since Zack Moss left for Cincinnati in free agency.
Colts superstar Jonathan Taylor was given 323 carries last season; 2025 fifth-rounder DJ Giddens carried 26 times, and veteran Ameer Abdullah 14 times. The Indianapolis coaching staff has been reluctant to take Taylor off the field in the past because of his big-play ability, but the workload increases the risk of injury for the best weapon on the Indianapolis offense.
McGowan profiles as a player who can compete for carries as a power back, potentially taking some of the workload off Taylor in short-yardage situations and between the tackles. McGowan rushed for 725 yards and 12 touchdowns in his final season with Kentucky.
Because of the arrest, McGowan is a much older prospect than most runners; he’s now 24.
Joel A. Erickson and Nathan Brown cover the Colts all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Colts Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Seth McGowan taken by Colts in 7th round of NFL Draft: Grade, analysis, stats, arrest
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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