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Ball was one of the few Razorbacks who didn’t completely disappoint in 2025, as he started all 11 games while picking up 4.5 tackles for loss in his redshirt senior season. He was much more productive as a junior, however, with 47 tackles and 1.5 sacks over his 13 games. While there are concerns about his ability to shed blocks, Ball (6’3/310) does have the quickness necessary to not allow said blocks to take place, and there’s enough athleticism to believe he someday could help both against the run and the pass. Ball will need to impress over the summer and in the exhibition season to make the roster, but there might be more upside in his game than the typical fifth-year senior prospect.

Per Ballard, both the players and the team just have to “have a little patience here and see what happens.” Ballard adds that he does not know if Richardson and Moore will attend the Colts’ voluntary organized team activities next week. It seems likely that both players will be released at some point in the near future if they don’t want to play with the Colts this season.

After a 57/620/4 receiving line with Oklahama in 2025, Burks (5’10/180) showcased his athleticism at the NFL combine. His 4.30 40-yard dash and 42.5-inch vertical were both top-three at the wide receiver position. He spent his first three college years at Purdue, building up his repertoire as a quick slot receiver before transferring to Oklahoma for his final two seasons. Burks’ production doesn’t pop off the page but he showed the ability to line up both outside and in the slot with versatile usage to show off his shiftiness in space. A shorter frame limits Burks’ ability to be a physical route runner and he lacks downfield targets, seeing an average depth of target of just 8.6 yards his final season. However, speed and athleticism will allow him to be a versatile weapon in space. Burks has the tools to succeed as a shifty slot receiver at the next level.

McGowan was a four-star recruit coming out of high school. He saw work as a backup for Oklahoma in 2020. After his freshman season, McGowan was arrested on charges of robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He eventually pleaded guilty to a felony charge of larceny of a person at nighttime. McGowan was kicked off the team and ultimately spent three months in jail, followed by a year-long probation. He returned to football at the JUCO level for two seasons before landing on New Mexico State’s roster in 2024, where he ran for 823 yards and three scores. McGowan then transferred to Kentucky and posted a 165-725-12 rushing line. He punctuated his draft profile with a 4.49 40 and strong burst measurables at 6’/223. McGowan is a decisive runner who shows great anticipation when choosing his lanes. On the other hand, he is an average receiver who needs to improve in pass-pro, even if a third-round role isn’t in his future. Fumbles were also an issue, as he coughed the ball up six times across his three seasons of limited FBS action. McGowan ultimately looks like a developmental backup for an NFL team.

Curry (6’2/257) finally got a chance to start in 2025, and he made the most of that opportunity. He was a Third-team All-American and Second-team All-Big Ten Conference performer while leading the loaded Buckeyes’ defense with 16.5 tackles for loss and finishing in the top 10 in all of college football with 11 sacks. While the production was impressive, there are concerns about his overall athleticism and fluidity, and his ability to shed blockers is a work-in-progress, to put it mildly. Still, those numbers in one of -- if not the -- best conference in college football is tough to ignore, and it’s not hard to see Curry developing into at least a situational pass-rusher at the highest level.

Grumbs (6'4/245) committed to Northern Illinois as a wide receiver. He moved to tight end after playing primarily on special teams as a freshman. Grumbs then moved to EDGE after serving as a backup tight end for one year. Finally at his true position, Grumbs was immediately productive, racking up 6.5 TFLs and 3.5 sacks with a pair of forced fumbles. He then transferred to Florida and served as a backup pass-rusher for one more year, notching five sacks along the way. In 2025, Grumbs tallied 2.5 sacks and 6.5 TFLs before undergoing season-ending meniscus surgery in November. Unsurprisingly, Grumbs doesn’t have an array of pass-rush moves and is still a work in progress in the run game. He is a developmental player for the Colts, but one who could pay dividends down the road.

Boettcher (6’1/233) is a high-volume tackling machine who posted 105 tackles with a strong 90.5 percent tackle rate and 75.0 percent run involvement, consistently living around the football. He added 11 havoc plays with 4 TFLs and flashed situational pressure ability with 8 pressures on 51 rushes (15.7 percent pressure rate), highlighting his downhill trigger. Boettcher’s 7.14 RAS reflects solid, well-rounded athleticism (4.69s forty, 34.5” vertical) without standout traits, but his instincts and processing speed drive his production. He shows playmaker flashes in coverage with 1 interception and 4 PBUs, though his tendency to overrun fits and struggle disengaging from blocks creates inconsistency. Boettcher projects as a “see ball, get ball” WILL linebacker whose tackling efficiency and motor give him early special teams value with developmental starter upside. Boettcher was also selected in the 2024 MLB Draft by the Astros, but chose to remain in school for 2025. The 2026 NFL Draft’s ESPN broadcast tells us that the Astros will continue holding his baseball contract rights for now.

Haulcy (6’0/215) is a throwback box safety whose instincts and trigger let him play faster than his timed speed, piling up 89 tackles, nine havoc plays, three interceptions and four PBUs in 12 games for LSU. He was one of the Tigers’ tone-setters on the back end, showing up as a downhill enforcer with an 82.4 percent tackle rate, plus the vision to undercut throws and bait quarterbacks into mistakes. In coverage, Haulcy allowed 18 catches on 31 targets for 213 yards and one touchdown, adding a 19.4 percent forced incompletion rate with a solid 34.3 NFL passer rating allowed, though his 58.1 percent completion rate conceded shows he can be stressed when isolated in space. His testing profile fits the tape in the middle of the field with 32.5-inch arms and good-not-great speed (4.52s, 86th percentile) but no elite recovery burst, which shows up when bigger windows open against man-match assignments. Haulcy’s best work comes playing forward, where his route recognition, timing and contact courage allow him to erase in-breakers, rob crossers and finish through the catch point like an extra linebacker. The NFL projection is a quality starting strong safety or big nickel in a split-safety structure, with his value tied to instincts, toughness and ball production rather than true range or man-coverage versatility.

Considered a potential first-round talent, 21-year-old Allen (6'1/230) instead tumbled to the middle of Round 2. Allen was a linchpin of Georgia’s front seven in his second year as a full-time defensive centerpiece. He finished with 93 total tackles and an 89.4 percent tackle efficiency rate while generating 12 havoc plays, 7.0 TFLs, and 3.5 sacks while adding eight run stops, showing three-down disruption rather than merely cleanup volume. His pass-rush profile was legitimately impactful from the ILB spot, recording 13 pressures on 80 rushes (16.3 percent pressure rate) with three sacks created and 12 first-pressure wins, underscoring how DC Glenn Schumann weaponized him as a delayed second-level rusher. PFF reflected that versatility with a 76.0 overall grade, 88.6 run-defense, 84.1 tackling, and 68.0 pass-rush, while his lone blemish remained coverage (55.6) as backs and tight ends were able to create space in underneath matchups. Even with that minor coverage dip, Allen was rugged between the hashes, highly efficient as a finisher, and a tone-setter with an NFL-ready skillset that should translate into immediate high leverage snaps.

Buckner underwent season-ending neck surgery late last year. It’s a good sign that he’s meeting with reporters and that GM Chris Ballard also had the same timeline for his return yesterday. The star defensive tackle is entering his age-32 season and the final year of his contract in 2026.