INDIANAPOLIS — A rookie doesn’t always get to pick his number.
Not even when he’s the first player the team drafted.
CJ Allen, the Georgia middle linebacker the Colts drafted in the second round, wore No. 3 in college, but that number is already taken in Indianapolis by kicker Spencer Shrader.
When Allen arrived in Indianapolis for the team’s rookie minicamp this weekend, No. 53 was waiting for him.
At first, he didn’t think much of it.
But then Allen found meaning in the No. 53 he’s wearing.
“It was the number that was given to me,” Allen said. “It just all started making sense – 53rd pick. It’s a great linebacker number, especially here for sure.”
The No. 53 has been worn by dozens of players in Colts history, most recently Germaine Pratt, who wore it as a starter on the weak side in 2025.
For a linebacker like Allen, though, the No. 53 who stands out most recently is Shaquille Leonard, who won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2018 and earned three first-time All-Pro nods before a spinal injury ended his career with the Colts prematurely.
A.J. Haulcy, the team’s third-round pick, was given a few options.
One number looked familiar.
“This was my first jersey number when I was in flag football,” Haulcy said. “When it was up for grabs, I told them I want No. 25.”
Beyond those two players, the rest of the draft picks found themselves in unfamiliar numbers, handed out mostly because it was available.
“That’s the way I like it,” fourth-round linebacker Bryce Boettcher said. “Just throw a number at me. I don’t care.”
2025 Colts rookie numbers
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: How the Colts rookies picked, or didn’t pick, their jersey numbers
Reporting by Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
