The Indianapolis Colts made one thing clear with their first three selections in the 2026 NFL draft, and that was that they really liked guys from the SEC. One of those, guard Jalen Farmer, is a big fan of a fellow SEC player, CJ Allen, and he said as much after the draft.
Speaking with James Boyd of The Athletic, Farmer said, "CJ? Dawg. Dawg. That's it."
Succinct and factual. Farmer also mentioned he didn't block Indy's third-round pick, LSU product AJ Haulcy, but he implied he knew all too well how difficult trying to block the Colts' new linebacker was. Hopefully, the rest of the NFL will learn that lesson soon, too.
Indianapolis Colts rookie Jalen Farmer raves about fellow rookie CJ Allen
Indy needs Allen to be good quickly. The team traded Zaire Franklin and hasn't re-signed Germaine Pratt, a player who started in the second half of last season. General manager Chris Ballard did sign veteran Akeen Davis-Gaither, but the linebacker is beginning to bounce around the league a bit, which implies teams are sold on him being a long-term option.
The Colts also chose inside linebacker Bryce Boettcher out of Oregon in the fourth round, and Boettcher could line up next to Allen at some point during next season. This would mean the team would be starting two rookies in the middle of the field, but the duo could be an upgrade over Franklin and Pratt and be the long-term inside linebacker answer for Indy.
As for Farmer, he isn't expected to start right away. While the Indianapolis Colts had their issues in the second half of 2025, the offensive line wasn't a glaring problem. The Kentucky product isn't going to play left guard as that is manned by future Pro Football Hall of Famer Quenton Nelson. Farmer might need to try to win the right guard spot.
In 2025, the position belonged to Matt Goncalves, who is only 25 years old and allowed just two sacks last season, his first year as a full-time starter. He certainly didn't do anything to be dislodged from his starting gig.
Jalen Farmer solely played right guard in college, so he would know the position well enough to try to create a roster battle with Goncalves. He also faced extremely difficult competition in the SEC, including CJ Allen. No conference is going to help prepare an offensive lineman better for the NFL than the one Farmer played in.
The hope is that Farmer blocking players like Allen made Farmer better while also making Allen better. Both players could have high-end and immediate impacts for the Colts in 2026.