In the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected Kansas State running back DJ Giddens.
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DJ Giddens’ profile
Height: 6-002
Weight: 212
Age: 21
College profile
Breaking down Indianapolis Colts’ draft pick
GM Chris Ballard said before the NFL draft that the Colts needed more production from the backup running back role this season. Enter Giddens, who was a highly productive ball carrier for Kansas State and one of the better backs in football at generating big plays.
Giddens would rush for over 1,300 yards this past season and eclipsed the 1,200-yard mark in 2023. In this most recent year, Giddens averaged an impressive 6.5 yards per rush, which included ranking sixth in average yards after contact and 20th in missed tackles forced. Or in short, he was difficult to bring down, resulting in Giddens totaling the 15th most rushes of 10-plus yards.
Also of note, according to Stephen Holder, 37% of Giddens’ carries in 2024 came off zone reads–one of the reasons why he was likely rated highly on the Colts’ board.
Along with his backfield contributions, Giddens also had 72 targets in the passing game over the last two years. The Colts’ offense could benefit from having a passing game presence out of the backfield, which would add a new dimension for defenses to account for. However, one area of improvement for Giddens, as Ballard pointed out, is in pass protection–although Ballard added that is common for just about every rookie running back.
DJ Giddens’ scouting report
NFL.com
Lance Zierlein: “A productive runner with good size, Giddens lacks explosive elements in his game. He defies expectations as a big back who doesn’t run with heavy power. He’s a long-strider with wiggle between the tackles. He’s patient behind his blocks and quickly processes run-lane development. He’s not sudden and lacks the burst to outflank defenses, so running behind his pads and picking up the tough yardage inside might have to be his ticket into a rotation.”
They said it
Tyler Hughes, area scout: “He’s got to improve a little bit in the pass pro, but he’s only 21 years old,” Hughes said via the Indy Star. “He played through that wrist injury this year, so you can give him a slight advantage where it’s going to get better, but he’s tough enough, he’s strong enough and he knows the game well enough where you see his character come into effect there. He’s going to hit his ceiling in the passing game. He’s shown enough on tape, as far as a receiver, where he can make guys miss in the open field and run some routes and catch the ball reliably.