DG #21

DJ Giddens

Running Back · Kansas State

A record-setting Kansas State back whose explosive combine testing made him a fifth-round steal, even in a crowded Colts backfield.

DJ Giddens spent two seasons as Kansas State's workhorse back before the Colts drafted him in the fifth round in 2025. Behind starter Jonathan Taylor, he settled into a situational role as a rookie while flashing the athleticism that made him a combine standout.

★ Fifth-round pick (151st overall), 2025 NFL Draft

★ Back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons at Kansas State

★ 9.89 Relative Athletic Score at the 2025 combine

Path to the league

Indianapolis selected Giddens in the fifth round (151st overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft. He tested elite at the combine, posting a 9.89 Relative Athletic Score that ranks 23rd among nearly 2,000 running backs measured since 1987.

Career highlights

Over 39 games (25 starts) at Kansas State, Giddens rushed for 3,087 yards on 517 carries with 23 touchdowns and added 58 catches for 679 yards. He topped 1,000 rushing yards in each of his final two collegiate seasons, capped by a 1,343-yard 2024 campaign in which he averaged 6.5 yards per carry, tied for fifth among draft-eligible backs that year.

2025 season recap

As the Colts' de facto third running back behind Jonathan Taylor, Giddens appeared in nine games as a rookie and rushed for 96 yards on 26 carries. Most of his work came in the season's first and last games; the midseason addition of veteran Ameer Abdullah as Taylor's primary backup limited Giddens' opportunities for much of the year.