The Colts drafted McGowan in Round 7 of the 2026 NFL Draft to compete with D.J. Giddens for the backup role behind Jonathan Taylor. Whoever wins this battle will be worth a roster spot early in the season in case something happens to Taylor. McGowan did score 12 touchdowns in his final college season, but he is also age 24 and never topped 1,000 yards rushing in a college season. In Dynasty, don't take McGowan before Round 4 in a rookie draft. Pay attention to the reports on camp battles before you choose to roster Giddens or McGowan in redraft.
Fantasy News
Colts' Seth McGowan: Emerging as top backup RB?
Rotowire
James Boyd of The Athletic suggests that McGowan has emerged as the Colts' top backup running back.
Per Boyd, with DJ Giddens having been sidelined with a hamstring injury, McGowan has seen added reps of late with the first- and second-team offense. While Jonathan Taylor is the Colts' undisputed top back, and those behind him on the depth chart are off the fantasy lineup radar as long as he's healthy, the pecking order behind him remains of interest in the event that he misses time for any reason. Though Giddens still has a chance to make a push for the RB2 role ahead of Week 1, he'll first need to get back on the practice field to build any momentum toward that end.
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Colts' Seth McGowan: Taken by Indianapolis
Rotowire
The Colts selected McGowan in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, 237th overall.
McGowan had a tumultuous college career, which saw him dismissed from Oklahoma's program after being arrested in April of 2021. He didn't see the field again until 2024 with New Mexico State and ended his college career with Kentucky in 2025, when he turned 165 carries into 725 yards and 12 touchdowns along with 19 catches for 126 yards over 11 games. McGowan has good size with a 6-foot, 223-pound frame, and he has the flexibility and strength to move around defenders, though he's not as explosive as other backfield prospects. There will be questions around his character heading into his NFL rookie season, but he'll have the opportunity to prove himself in Indianapolis, where he'll compete against DJ Giddens and Ulysses Bentley for rotational snaps behind lead back Jonathan Taylor.
