Colts continue to revamp defense by taking LB CJ Allen with their 1st pick in 2026 NFL draft

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - The Indianapolis Colts needed a playmaking linebacker to help them complete a major offseason defensive overhaul.

CJ Allen seemed like a perfect fit.

So after watching the first round of the NFL draft Thursday and trading back six spots when they finally went on the clock Friday, the Colts took Allen at No. 53 overall.

"They're getting someone who can run and hit," he told reporters on a conference call just minutes after he finished speaking with the Colts brain trust.

At 6-feet, 230 pounds, Allen certainly made his presence felt over the last three seasons at Georgia. He started five games for the national champions as a freshman before serving as the defensive play-caller on back-to-back playoff teams in 2024 and 2025.

Last season, Allen led the Bulldogs with 88 tackles and eight tackles for loss while posting 3 1 /2 sacks, breaking up four passes, forcing two fumbles and recovering one on his way to first team All-American honors. He also was a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award and the Bednarik Award, which goes to college football's best defensive player.

And Allen insisted he learned one key lesson while playing for coach Kirby Smart.

"Good is not good enough," he said. "The standard for us, especially coming from Georgia, good is the lowest bar you can be. But you've got to earn it, you've got to work."

Allen became Indy's highest drafted linebacker since Ben Banogu went No. 49 overall in the 2019 draft. But Banogu played primarily on the defensive line.

Still, the selection was no surprise given all the changes Indy has made this offseason. He adds another body to a position that looked thin and is expected to fill the void left by Zaire Franklin, who was traded to Green Bay in March. Franklin topped the 100-tackle mark in each of the last four seasons and ranked among the league's leaders with 167, 179 and 173 from 2022-24.

But the revamp was put on pause Thursday because Indy traded its first-round pick to the New York Jets for two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner in a trade deadline deal last fall. Then the Colts swapped their second-round pick, No. 47, with Pittsburgh to pick up an extra Day 3 selection.

In addition to Franklin, the Colts also starting defensive end Kwity Paye and starting safety Nick Cross in free agency while a fourth ttarter, former Pro Bowl cornerback Kenny Moore II, has requested a trade.

General manager Chris Ballard opted to beef up his defensive front by signing defensive ends Arden Key and Michael Clemons and defensive tackles Derrick Nnadi and Jerry Tillery in free agency. He also acquired defensive tackle Colby Wooden from the Packers.

The Colts signed safeties Jonathan Owens, Cam Taylor-Britt and Juanyeh Thomas and linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither in free agency before convincing safety Nasir Adderley to come out of retirement after three seasons away from the game.

The Colts still have one more pick, a third-round selection on Friday, and now have six picks Saturday.