Colts Draft Seth McGowan: What a Late-Round Flier on a Reclamation RB Means for Indianapolis's Backfield Outlook

The Indianapolis Colts closed out last week's draft by selecting running back Seth McGowan, a player whose college career reads like a road map of second chances. As NBC Sports reported, McGowan was arrested as a freshman at Oklahoma in 2020 for theft, pleaded guilty, served three months in jail, and was removed from the program. He didn't play college ball again until 2023, cycling through Texas College, Butler Community College, New Mexico State, and finally Kentucky before hearing his name called by Indianapolis.

Colts GM Chris Ballard didn't shy away from the history. 'I'm a second chance guy,' Ballard said. 'How long do you keep punishing him for it?' That's not just a feel-good sound bite — it's a window into how Ballard built his case. He leaned on a long-standing relationship with New Mexico State head coach Tony Sanchez, who told him McGowan's final transfer to Kentucky was financially motivated, not character-driven. Coaches at both NMSU and Kentucky vouched for McGowan's work ethic and maturity. Ballard did the due diligence; this wasn't a dart throw.

What McGowan brings on the field is the more pressing question for bettors and fantasy managers. He's a physical, downhill runner whose college production was scattered across programs, making it difficult to build a clean statistical profile. At Kentucky in 2025, he was operating in a run-heavy system, but volume was inconsistent. The Colts' backfield currently features Jonathan Taylor — when healthy — with depth options that haven't inspired confidence. McGowan enters as a depth/special teams contributor for now, but Ballard's track record of elevating late-round backs (see Zack Moss, Deon Jackson) means dismissing him entirely is premature.

From a prop-betting standpoint, McGowan's immediate impact on team totals or rushing props is minimal heading into the summer. He's not a Week 1 starter, and his path to carries runs directly through Taylor's availability. That said, Jonathan Taylor's injury history — he's missed meaningful time in three of the last four seasons — is the variable that could make McGowan a name to know by October. If Taylor goes down, Indianapolis's backfield options become thin fast, and a team that ranked in the bottom half of rushing attempts last season would need to rebuild its run game on the fly. At that point, McGowan's snap share and carry totals become live betting markets worth monitoring.

For now, file McGowan under 'watch list' rather than 'act now.' His draft selection doesn't move the needle on Colts team totals or Taylor's props for the season opener. But in a league where running back health is the most volatile variable from week to week, a Ballard-endorsed reclamation project at a skill position deserves more respect than the typical late-round afterthought. Set a reminder for training camp depth chart updates — that's when this story gets actionable.