Welcome to Indianapolis, DJ Giddens!
Interview: Colts Fifth Round Pick DJ Giddens Joins & Shares Excitement Toward Indianapolis
In the fifth-round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected running back DJ Giddens from Kansas State.
He was one of the most productive backs in this class, rushing for over 2,500 yards the last two seasons and finding the end zone 17 times. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry between the two seasons. Last season, he averaged an outstanding 6.6 yards per tote.
Jonathan Taylor is without question the primary back for the Colts. However, they have really struggled to get reliable production when Taylor needs a break. Trey Sermon and Tyler Goodson did not have many explosive runs for the Colts last season. There is a strong likelihood that Giddens will have an immediate impact.
He caught 29 passes in 2023 and 21 passes in 2024 for 581 yards and 4 touchdowns. Most of his receiving work coming on screens and check downs. Giddens will need to show his pass catching ability in rookie minicamp, OTAs, training camp, and the preseason to the coaching staff because the Colts are really missing a pass catching back. Taylor can catch passes, but he had a handful of drops last season and only had effectiveness as a pass catcher on screens.
This selection from Chris Ballard could be very identical to the 2020 draft, when he selected Jonathan Taylor. At the time Marlon Mack was nearing the end of his contract with Indianapolis and Taylor clearly became the next featured back for the Colts. That was expedited because of Mack tearing his achilles in the first game of the season.
After 2025, the Colts can cut ties with Jonathan Taylor and save $13M if he starts to decline. He is still just 26 years old, and should have plenty of high quality football left in him. However, he has only played all 17 games once in his career. He missed 6 games in 2022, 7 games in 2023, and 3 games last season. On top of injuries, Taylor’s carries are starting to pile up. He’s carried the ball 1,228 times in the NFL and 926 times in college. That is over 2,100 carries in the last 8 years. After his dominant 2021 season, Taylor only played in 11 games the following year and saw a yard drop off in his yards per carry.
If Giddens can display the same success in the NFL that he did in college, then there is a strong chance that the Colts have found their Jonathan Taylor replacement.
Indianapolis Colts fifth-round pick DJ Giddens joined Query & Company on Thursday! He shared:
- Why the Indianapolis Colts are a great fit for him
- What makes him a good running back
- How will he handle sitting behind Jonathan Taylor?
To listen to Jake Query’s and conversation with DJ Giddens, download the podcast containing the conversation below! You can always listen to the Query & Company from 12pm-3pm on 93.5/107.5 The Fan. You can also watch and interact with the show by going to the 107.5 The Fan YouTube Channel.