Colts' scout evaluates DE George Gumbs Jr. pick in 2026 NFL draft

On Day 3 of the 2026 NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts gave their defensive end depth a needed boost by selecting Florida's George Gumbs Jr.

Gumbs, who began his college career at Northern Illinois as a wide receiver, is still relatively new to the defensive end position, and with that, development is needed.

That said, he's come a long way as a pass rusher in only three years, and has a strong foundation already established that he can continue building upon.

"I think there's a few things he could clean up just technique-wise, like skill set, hand usage, foot usage, having a plan as a rusher," said Colts' scout Anthony Coughlan. "He's only been rushing for three years. He was a walk-on receiver at Northern Illinois, played some receiver, played some tight end, and then they put him on scholarship. Then he played D-end for one year, and that's kind of how Florida found him. He's a little green. I wouldn't say he's like super raw, though. Like, there's enough there where there's a good baseline of stuff for us to work with as far as his skill set."

Over 136 pass rush snaps last season, Gumbs generated 13 pressures and three sacks. The year prior, he logged 26 pressures and five sacks across 188 pass rush snaps. He's taken advantage of his opportunities and been a willing run defender.

Gumbs measures in at 6-04 and weighs 245 pounds. He had an impressive NFL combine performance, which includes running a 4.66-second 40, along with a 41-inch vertical and 7.00-second 3-cone.

"You're seeing a guy, like he battled through some injuries this year, so the tape was solid," Coughlan said. "It was good. was a little up and down sometimes just because he was battling. But man, you went to pro day, it was an excellent performance. I thought movement athletically really impressed me in person. And obviously blew out the combine too with his numbers. But you see that on film too. How much when when a guy has the tools like that."

Gumbs will have the opportunity to earn snaps on the back-end of the Colts' defensive end rotation. But long-term, he possesses upside that the Colts will attempt to unlock.