Indianapolis kept dipping back into Kentucky on Saturday, and this time the Colts used the No. 237 overall pick to take running back Seth McGowan in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft. The 24-year-old Dallas area native came off a 2025 season at Kentucky in which he rushed for 725 yards and 12 touchdowns.
McGowan, who is 6-foot-223 pounds, gave Kentucky an efficient late-season weapon after transferring from New Mexico State following the 2024 season. At New Mexico State in 2024, he rushed 152 times for 823 yards and six total touchdowns and earned Second Team All-Conference USA honors.
The pick gives Indianapolis a runner whose college path stretched across several stops before he reached this point. McGowan began his career at Oklahoma in 2020, where he rushed 58 times for 370 yards and four total touchdowns as a freshman, then spent time at Texas College and Butler Community College before rejoining the FBS ranks at New Mexico State in 2024.
The Colts had already gone back to Lexington once on Saturday when they selected Kentucky guard Jalen Farmer in the fourth round. Taking McGowan later in the draft suggests they saw value in adding another player from the same program, but it also reflects the reality of his route to the league: productive, interrupted and rebuilt more than once.
McGowan attended Poteet High School in Mesquite, Texas, and his selection closes a long climb that included a return to the top level of college football after years away from it. For Indianapolis, the question is less about where he has been than whether his production at Kentucky and New Mexico State can translate against NFL defenses.
