INDIANAPOLIS — ‘We know for a fact we got tougher with this year’s draft.’
Those were the words of one Colts scout, minutes after the franchise completed its eight-player 2026 NFL Draft class, one that included five players on defense — including a pair of linebackers and edge rushers each — and a few general themes throughout: veterans, success at a variety of levels and programs, adaptability and malleability at different positions and strong leadership.
The group began to come together Friday night with the selection of All-American Georgia linebacker CJ Allen — targeting perhaps the biggest void on the roster — and finished with picking up Deion Burks, a receiver who initially made his name at Purdue in 2023 and who many expected to be taken late on Friday or early on Saturday but who was on the board for pick No. 254 of 257.
The Colts made four of their scouts available to talk about Indianapolis’ eight-player draft class, and here’s what stuck out to them about the 2026 crew:
2 (53) CJ Allen, LB, Georgia
Anthony Coughlan, Southeast Area Scout: “(He’s) highly instinctive. I think he has rare instincts for a college football player. (His) reactiveness, quickness, it allows him to play faster, and he’s already fast. … For a two-and-a-half-year starter in a complex system, there’s a lot of big moments, mentally, so I definitely could see green dot potential (meaning Mike linebacker) for us, and he’s been that the last two years.
“(Georgia’s) a tough place to play and practice, and he graduated from that program. It’s a hard thing to do, coming there as a freshman among all those top players in the country and playing early. I just think that speaks to his preparation out of high school and his determination and his mental makeup and maturity. He’s just diligent, detailed. He’s the best practice player I viewed this fall, and I saw a few hundred players. Just the detail and intensity and focus he had really stood out to me.”
3 (78) A.J. Haulcy, S, LSU
Mike Lacy, Southwest Area Scout: “Just his drive, his innate want to compete at a higher level, and him continuing to do that and produce and perform everywhere he goes. He bet on himself, and he earned a starting job and picked up some accolades along the way.
“He’s got a compact muscular build, but don’t let that fool you, because he’s got a natural feel for coverage, too. He’s quick in changing direction. He ran very well at the Combine, so we feel really good about his long speed and range in the passing game, and he’s not scared to get his nose dirty in the run game. He’s got ball production, on paper, which shows he can take it away.
“He had a lot of snaps and a lot exposure to different schemes, different terminology, and that speaks to his football IQ and his ability to get to a new environment, new school, new program, and he’ll pick it up ‘like that.’ It’s not, ‘You’re going top be the backup until you learn it’, but he’s hit the ground running and knew what he was doing, so I feel really confident about his ability to do that with me.”
4 (113) Jalen Farmer, G, Kentucky
Tyler Hughes, Midwest Area Scout: “He’s only played right guard in games. I think he went down to the Senior Bowl and showed he did have a little bit of versatility to play tackle. We see him as a guard right now, early on, and if he develops well at that position, maybe we can increase his load to have that versatility to play on the outside.
“The length, this kid can run. … He’s got over 250 pounds of lean mass on him, and he ran in the 4.9’s. This kid can open up and run, he’s got quickness, and he’s tough to go through. He’s strong as hell.”
4 (135) Bryce Boettcher, LB, Oregon
Kasia Omilan, West Area Scout: “Chris (Ballard) has talked about it, too, wanting to make the locker room edgier, wanting to improve toughness, wanting to improve competes. He does that. He fits all three categories with the way he prepares, but also the way he plays the game.
“The instincts are the best, in terms of what he does. They redeem a lot. … The instincts project a little more to Mike, but I also think the instincts project a little bit to Will. He can function in both roles.
“A scout can go either way with it. Is the love in the first sport, or is the love in football? Spending time with Bryce on that, and picking on that a little bit at the Senior Bowl, in my time with him, showed me there’s a real passion there for football. He had a unique story, walking on to both the baseball team and the football team.”
5 (156) George Gumbs Jr., EDGE, Florida
Coughlan: “There’s a few things he can still clean up, technique-wise, skillset wise, hand usage, foot usage. He’s only been rushing for three years. He was originally a walk-on receiver a Northern Illinois, played some wide receiver, played some tight end, and then he played edge for one year, and that’s kinda how Florida found him. He’s a little green, but I wouldn’t say he’s super raw, though.
“There’s been a good baseline of stuff for us to work with, as far as his skillset. … I think what he was able to do athletically really impressed me, personally, and he blew up at the Combine with his numbers, and you could see that on tape, too.
“You’re just betting that this guy can figure it out. Part of that is he’s got talent, got size, and does he have the football smarts and drive to get better? Because you can have potential, but if you’re not going to work at it, it doesn’t matter. (Gumbs) is wired the right way. He’s super into football, man. I just think it’s a great story. This guy pursued football. He walked on at a MAC school and leveled up and then started in the SEC and was now drafted in the NFL. He’s got some stuff to him where he’s really determined, and I’m really high on the person. I think he’s really talented as well.”
6 (214) Caden Curry, EDGE, Ohio State
Hughes: “There were always guys in front of him, but whenever he had the opportunity, he made plays. Finally, this year he gets the starting opportunity, he had 11 sacks this year, 40 pressures. I mean, doesn’t always look great, but this kid is always going to give you everything he’s got, he’s going to be productive, he’s going to bring pressure.
“He’s coached by one of the best defensive line coaches in college football, (Larry) Johnson. The instincts and his feel for the game, he knows how to set up tackles who are longer than him, he understands angles and all that, how to rush, and just his motor. It’s hard to block a guy 50 snaps who plays as hard as hell.”
7 (237) Seth McGowan, RB, Kentucky
Hughes: “The first thing with Seth is you have to project his running style and the toughness that he brings, the size he has, how smart he is.
“We did our due diligence with (McGowan’s arrest). … Seth made an unfortunate decision early on in his career. He learned from it, and this kid was out of football for two years. His love of the game, never swayed, and this kid fought to get to where he is today.”
7 (254) Deion Burks, WR, Oklahoma
Lacy: “He doesn’t have the typical size you want out there, but pound-for-pound, his play strength and how well put together he is, he should not be exclusively labeled a slot receiver. He has the speed to threaten vertically, no matter where he sets up on the field. In some situations, he shows his play strength with catches through contact or outside the numbers. I think he can do more than just play inside.
“At his size, pound-for-pound, this kid is very, very strong, very explosive. You can certainly feel it when he’s coming off the ball, and you can feel it when he’s running through contact.”
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: Colts wanted an ‘edgier’ locker room; why the scouts think they did that in 2026 NFL Draft
Reporting by Nathan Brown and Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
