The Indianapolis Colts ended up making eight picks in the 2026 NFL draft. Linebacker CJ Allen was Chris Ballard’s first selection, and he wrapped up the Colts‘ draft by picking Deion Burks.
As we continue to get to know the newest members of the Colts, here is one stat to know about each player, highlighting what they can bring to this year’s team.
LB CJ Allen: A very reliable tackler
Over his three seasons at Georgia, Allen made 224 of his 242 tackle attempts, according to PFF. That’s a missed tackle rate of 7.4%. For some context, hanging around the 7% range like Allen makes him one of the more reliable tacklers in college football. Then doing that over three seasons is even more impressive.
S AJ Haulcy: Ball skills
Over the last two seasons, Haulcy has recorded eight interceptions and 12 pass deflections. Quarterbacks’ cumulative passer rating when targeting Haulcy in 2025 was just 59.0.
OL Jalen Farmer: Strong in pass protection
Farmer surrendered only 14 pressures and three sacks over 457 pass-blocking snaps in 2025. Over two seasons, he gave up 28 pressures and five sacks across 844 pass-blocking reps.
LB Bryce Boettcher: Limited plays in coverage
Boettcher was quite good at limiting plays in coverage last season, surrendering only 6.0 yards per catch. In part, that success comes from his reliability as a tackler, and also being positioned well to make plays on the pass catchers.
DE George Gumbs: Capitalizes on his opportunities
Gumbs’ raw production won’t jump off the stat sheet, but as a rotational defender, he took advantage of his opportunities. Playing 324 pass rush snaps the last two seasons, Gumbs generated 39 pressures and converted eight of those plays into sacks. Of his 43 tackles during that span, 14.5 were for a loss.
DE Cade Curry: A well-rounded skill set
PFF’s grading system isn’t the be-all, end-all by any means, but if a prospect is playing at a high level, the grading system will reflect that. Last season, Curry ranked fifth among defensive ends in run defense grade and he was 15th in pass rush grade.
RB Seth McGowan: Tough to bring down
For his career, which spanned three seasons, McGowan averaged 3.22 yards after contact, highlighting his ability to stay on his feet and pick up extra yards. In 2025, he ranked 42nd among running backs, generating 35 missed tackles. McGowan did that on 166 carries as well. A number of the players in front of him had over 200 carries.
WR Deion Burks: Good after the catch
Burks was a big part of the Oklahoma offense, totaling 86 targets last season. Most of the passes thrown his way came over the middle of the field, where he’d get the ball with some space and was able to pick up yards after the catch. Burks averaged 5.2 in YAC on the year.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2026 NFL draft: One thing to know about each Colts selection