One of the Indianapolis Colts’ Day 3 selections was named one of the “biggest steals” of the 2025 NFL draft.
One of the Indianapolis Colts’ Day 3 selections was named one of the “biggest steals” of the 2025 NFL draft.
Once the dust settled on the NFL draft, Marcus Mosher of the 33rd Team ranked his nine biggest steals. Kicking off that list and coming in at No. 9 was running back DJ Giddens, who the Colts took in the fifth round.
“The Colts had a big hole behind Jonathan Taylor on the depth chart and desperately needed a better No. 2 running back. They found one in the middle of Round 5, selecting DJ Giddens at No. 151. Chris Ballard loves athleticism, and Giddens has it, running a 4.43 40-yard dash at 213 pounds.”
GM Chris Ballard said before the draft that the Colts needed to get more production from the backup running back role. Last season, Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson combined for just 88 carries the entire year, and that includes Jonathan Taylor missing three games, and they averaged under 4.0 yards per attempt.
Giddens will bring some added big-play ability to the Colts’ backfield. After rushing for over 1,200 yards in 2023, Giddens eclipsed 1,300 yards in 2024, and did so at a whopping 6.5 yards per rush. per PFF.
By average yards after contact, missed tackles forced, and rushes of 10-plus yards, Giddens ranked near the top in all three categories.
“The production that he’s had the last couple years there has been impressive to watch,” Shane Steichen said of Giddens via the team site. “The vision, the contact balance, the way he runs – he’s a 4.43 guy that can catch the ball out of the backfield, is big for our team as well. So, it’s a good get.”
Along with his ability as a ball carrier, Giddens also had 72 targets in the passing game over his final two seasons, which includes averaging 12.9 yards per catch in 2024. The pass-catching element out of the backfield was almost non-existent for the Colts last season, but is another avenue for Giddens to contribute.
The Colts signed Khalil Herbert in free agency, but Giddens could absolutely take over the RB2 role behind Taylor. Like several other of the Colts’ draft picks, he has a path to contribute right away this season, and doing so, could help lighten Taylor’s workload a bit over a long NFL season.