The Indianapolis Colts traded away one Zaire Franklin, then drafted another. Only faster. And isn’t that the only thing people have ever said, ever complained, about former Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin? Super guy, of course. Great leader, great citizen, plays hard, super productive.
But why isn’t he faster?
Franklin recorded an NFL-best 644 tackles from 2022-25 and earned a Pro Bowl bid in 2024, because that’s how smart he was, how prepared he was, how fundamentally sound he was. He was all those things, but after this past season when Colts general manager Chris Ballard said the 2026 Indianapolis Colts defense needed to get younger and faster, we all knew who he was talking about:
Zaire Franklin.
Then he traded Franklin to Green Bay. But what if I told you that, in an alternate universe, there was another Zaire Franklin?
Only … faster?
Guess what.
His name is C.J. Allen, he played the last three seasons for the University of Georgia, and on Friday night in Pittsburgh, with Colts fans threatening to storm the castle and throw general manager Chris Ballard into the nearest moat, this happened:
With the 53rd pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the AFC South kings, the Indianapolis Colts, select C.J. Allen, linebacker, from Georgia.
Yeah, that last sentence makes my eyeballs hurt too. My explanation? Pat McAfee. You’ll see.
C.J. Allen? He has everything that was great about Zaire Franklin – the brains, leadership, citizenship, productivity – plus the one thing Franklin didn’t have: Speed.
You’ll see.
But first, did you see what was happening in the minutes before the Colts drafted C.J. Allen? This was ugly.
Colts GM Chris Ballard trades down, Colts fans melt down
Day 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft was rolling along fast enough. Teams had seven minutes to make their pick in the second round, but most weren’t taking anywhere near that long. The Colts, picking 47th overall, could’ve been on the clock as late as 8:45 p.m., but by 8 p.m. it was their turn.
And Colts fans were starving. Hey, same here. Watching the first round come and go without a pick for the Colts – who had traded their first-rounders in 2026 and ’27 in November to the New York Jets for cornerback Sauce Gardner – was brutal. Expected, known, but still brutal.
But at 8 p.m. Friday, exactly 24 hours after the NFL Draft had begun on Thursday night at Pittsburgh’s North Shore, the Colts were on the clock.
Until, Chris Ballard.
Look, this is what he does. He loves ‘dem picks, as he likes to say, and he’s always game to trade back into the draft, sacrificing draft position for an additional pick along the way. And sure enough, at 8:02 p.m., whoever was in charge of the Indianapolis Colts’ official Twitter account typed a few words, closed their eyes and hit enter.
TRADE ALERT
That was the announcement, followed by a graphic explaining what the Colts – what Ballard – had just done:
The Colts had sent the 47th and 249th picks to the Steelers for Nos. 53, 135 and 237.
Typical Ballard move: He moved down six spots in Round 2 – from 47th to 53rd – to gain 12 spots in Round 7 (from 249th to 237th) and get an extra pick, No. 135, late in the fourth round. The math made sense.
But you know social media, and if you don’t, congratulations. Because within 55 seconds of that Colts tweet – TRADE ALERT – there were eight F-bombs among the 50-ish responses. Can’t print any of those responses, of course. What responses can I print? Here are a few:
These idiots have no idea who to pick anyway
Ballard GOT to go
Idiots
There it is
Y’all genuinely can’t be surprised at this
Doyel in 2020: Colts GM Chris Ballard couldn’t wait to add Michael Pittman Jr., Jonathan Taylor
The draft board always falls in confusing ways – Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, 13th overall, to the Rams? – and it was falling in a confusing way Friday night. Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Ponds, one of the truly great players on the 2026 national champion IU football team, was still available at No. 47.
But … TRADE ALERT.
And here came the responses from Colts fans. Note the last one.
I hate you guys
Half these picks will be playing in Canada in a couple years
If Ponds gets taken before 53, Ballard needs walked out of the building
Guess what.
With the 50th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the New York Jets select D’Angelo Ponds, cornerback, Indiana.
The Jets! The team that traded Gardner to the Colts for first-round picks this year and next year had just acquired Gardner’s replacement with neither of those picks, but with a second-rounder – and took Ponds three spots before the Colts could get him? Because the Colts had traded down from No. 47 to No. 53?
It was a lot. And Colts fans, with nothing else to do until the 53rd pick, were melting down online. But the mood’s about to change, because here comes Pat McAfee, and no, not the cerebral, charming punter who once played for the Colts. This McAfee, he’s a pro wrestler now. A WWE good guy, or maybe a heel. Please don’t assume I care to know.
Anyway, he gets on the microphone to announce the Colts’ pick.
And it was a lot.
“Zero arrests last night in the NFL Draft compound – Yinzers, congratulations,” McAfee said, after having started his diatribe with 30 seconds of nonsense I couldn’t understand.
“The Colts’ first-round draft pick was Sauce Gardner, and he’s better than all your first-round picks for sure. The Indianapolis Colts haven’t won the AFC South for 12 years. That changes this year,” McAfee said, and yes, he was up there only to announce one draft pick, but McAfee’s gonna McAfee. He kept going, saying some other stuff I couldn’t understand, before finally getting to the point:
“With the 53rd pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the AFC South kings, the Indianapolis Colts, select C.J. Allen, linebacker, from Georgia.”
Then he barked a few times, said “Go Dawgs,” and walked off the stage. About 90 minutes later he announced the Colts’ third-round pick, LSU safety A.J. Haulcy at No. 78 overall, by doing a magic trick. Or so I hear. My TV wasn’t working anymore. Maybe because I’d already kicked it in half.
Anyway.
C.J. Allen, people. C.J. Allen.
Think Zaire Franklin. Allen’s the same size – they’re both about 6-1, 235 pounds – only younger, faster.
Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen: younger, faster Zaire Franklin
Zaire Franklin turns 30 in July. C.J. Allen just turned 21 in March. He’s nine years younger.
Almost a decade ago, when he was younger and fresher, Zaire Franklin ran the 40-yard dash in 4.62 seconds. That’s mediocre.
C.J. Allen runs the 40 in 4.47 seconds. That’s marvelous.
Allen recorded 205 tackles in three years for a Georgia defense where the biggest problem wasn’t the talent on the other team – but the talent on his own team, racing him to the ball carrier. His playing style? This is what Allen told local reporters Friday night on a Zoom call from Georgia.
“I run and I hit people,” he said.
Zaire Franklin was a fan favorite, a locker room leader, always showing up around town to visit a hospital or help build a school playground on Colts Community Tuesdays. This was before he became a starter in 2022. And then? He kept showing up around town to visit a hospital or help build a school playground, because that’s who Franklin is. He was the Colts’ nominee for the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. He was special here.
C.J. Allen? He was special in Athens, Ga.
Allen made the SEC Athletic Director’s Honor Roll three times at Georgia. He was on the 2025 SEC football leadership council, and the even more elite SEC student-athlete – meaning, all sports – leadership council. He was a finalist for the 2025 Jason Witten Man of the Year Award, and a finalist for the 2025 Lott IMPACT Trophy, given to a decorated defensive player who also excels in the areas of integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community and tenacity.
Allen hosted youth football camps in three cities in Georgia – Athens, Atlanta and his hometown of Barnesville – and volunteered at Thanksgiving food drives and Christmas toy drives. Back home in Barnesville, he was always stopping by a local elementary school to read to students there. On campus in Athens, at the team’s football facility, he was always staying after practice to work Camp Sunshine and Extra Special People (ESP) for kids and adults of all abilities.
Oh, and Allen can play a little football too: All-American at Georgia, middle linebacker, captain of the defense. Finalist for the Butkus Award, given to the best linebacker in the country.
Maybe he was worth the wait.
More: Join the text conversation with sports columnist Gregg Doyel for insights, reader questions and Doyel’s peeks behind the curtain.
Find IndyStar columnist Gregg Doyel on Threads, or on BlueSky and Twitter at @GreggDoyelStar, or at www.facebook.com/greggdoyelstar. Subscribe to the free weekly Doyel on Demand newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Doyel: Chris Ballard traded down and fans melted down, but CJ Allen will be worth the wait.
Reporting by Gregg Doyel, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
