One Colts Player Who Dodged a Major Draft-Day Bullet

The Indianapolis Colts may have doubled up at his position in the draft, but the outlook still remains in second-year defensive end Jaylahn Tuimoloau's favor -- for now, at least.

Tuimoloau was drafted in the second round (45th overall) in last year's draft, and was viewed to be the eventual successor to longtime starter Kwity Paye.

After inking a three-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this offseason, Kwity Paye's absence left an immediate void that required filling. With fellow veteran defensive ends Samson Ebukam (Atlanta) and Tyquan Lewis (FA) also leaving in free agency, an avenue opened up for Tuimoloau to slide in and become the team's starter opposite of Laiatu Latu, but the job won't be blindly handed to him.

The Colts have since replaced their losses of Paye, Ebukam, and Lewis with the free-agent additions of veterans Arden Key and Michael Clemons, while supplementing the remaining depth (or lack thereof) with Day 3 draft selections George Gumbs Jr. (156th overall) and Caden Curry (214th).

Despite this overhaul of the defensive end room, Tuimoloau's outlook remains strong.

When asked what Paye's absense means for the outlook at defensive end in his pre-draft press conference, Colts general manager Chris Ballard said that Jaylahn Tuimoloau will compete to start.

Paye was playing out his fifth-year option while Tuimoloau embarked upon his rookie campaign in 2025. There wasn't a ton of opportunity provided to the latter as the former started 16 of the 17 possible games on top of fellow veterans Samson Ebukam and Tyquan Lewis being ahead of Tuimoloau in the pecking order.

Tuimoloau appeared in 13 games as a rookie, logging roughly a quarter (215) of all defensive snaps. He also logged 28% of the team's special teams snaps as a rookie, but an oblique injury suffered during a kickoff against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16 would cut his season short.

Tuimoloau provided a modest statline during his rookie campaign, totaling 17 tackles, one tackle for loss, and six QB Hits. It's not exactly a rookie season to remember, and especially not one that screams conviction if he were to be named a Week 1 starter, but the Colts remain high on what he can become.

"We've got a young one in Jaylahn (Tuimoloau) that we like, that I think's got some real upside," general manager Chris Ballard said ahead of the NFL Draft.

Although the Colts would go onto draft multiple defensive ends, Tuimoloau remains the penciled-in starter. It's a projection at the end of the day, but it's one that echoes Ballard and Co.'s sentiment that they have high hopes for what Tuimoloau can become.

Paye's aforementioned deal with the Raiders puts the Colts in line to receive a fourth-round compensatory draft selection for 2027. Regardless of this worthwhile bonus, the Colts need to improve its roster for the 2026 season if this regime wants the opportunity to utillize the extra pick in question.

This could point to Indianapolis adding a veteran defensive end off the market, which would make Tuimoloau's road to becoming a starter much more narrow. However, iron sharpens iron, and the Colts are in no position to bet on a second-year player making the jump. If anything, adding more competition to the room, especially a veteran, would do wonders for Tuimoloau's development.

General manager Chris Ballard has an awful track record with drafting defensive ends in the secound round, so at it stands, Jaylahn Tuimoloau must become the first successful data point if this Colts regime wants to stay in Indianapolis.

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