Seth
Mcgowan.
Seth
Mcgowan.
Kentucky· 6'0"· 223 lb· 4.49s 40
R7 · #237 · Indianapolis Colts"A downhill, one-cut power back in the Kareem Hunt-lite mold: the explosion numbers and contact balance are legitimate NFL traits, but the age, the missing pass-game portfolio and a two-year gap out of football make him a two-down rotation piece rather than a workload bet."Pre-draft read
A downhill one-cut back running with pads over toes, finishing forward on contact. He presses the front-side gap on wide and inside zone, moving second-level defenders before a violent plant and go. Contact balance allows him to absorb ankle and thigh contact without losing footwork; arm tackles do not slow him. His burst through the crease is explosive, and he separates from second-level defenders. Vision is decisive but can be impatient.
He is a functional pass catcher on checkdowns and swing routes. In protection, he is willing and squares up blitzing linebackers, though his hands land wide and he needs to shorten his punch. Ball security has been clean at the FBS level.
Shanahan outside zone scheme
Year 1 contributor as a rotational power back, with a ceiling to develop into a lead two-down zone runner capable of handling a significant workload.
Any pass-heavy Air Raid system that primarily utilizes backs as detached receivers and demands advanced route-running skills.
McGowan's rare explosion and contact balance make him an ideal fit for zone schemes that value a decisive one-cut runner, despite his limited receiving upside.
Seth McGowan 2026 NFL Draft Highlights | Round 7 Pick 237
Team-produced draft cutup of the 2025 Kentucky season: one-cut zone runs, goal-line finishing and the contact balance that drove the twelve rushing scores.
Seth McGowan Prospect Breakdown
Analyst breakdown of the running profile - vision on wide zone, the plant-and-go burst and the limits of the receiving usage.
Introducing Seth McGowan
Short introduction reel covering the Oklahoma-to-juco-to-SEC path and the traits Indianapolis targeted in the seventh round.
McGowan projects as an early-down, one-cut zone runner with exceptional vertical explosion, a rare athletic profile for his frame. His path through four schools over six years demonstrates resilience and a return from significant off-field issues, culminating in leading an SEC backfield in rushing touchdowns, which suggests a team is buying a motivated and physically gifted prospect for a rotational role.
He first produced as a true freshman in the Big 12, then rebuilt his career through junior college and an all-conference season at New Mexico State. His senior year at Kentucky saw him as the lead back, where he led the team in rushing and finished fourth in the SEC in rushing touchdowns. He consistently produced above his offensive line's performance, showcasing his ability to create yards independently, including 0.426 PPA on third down in 2025.
Evaluators were concerned by his age, prior dismissal from Oklahoma, and a thin high-level FBS sample across his interrupted career. Despite these flags and a heavy background check, his undeniable athletic traits, including a 4.49 forty-yard dash and 42.5-inch vertical at 223 pounds, made him a mid-to-late round target. He went to the Indianapolis Colts as the 237th overall pick.
- 01
Rare Explosion for Size
His 4.49 forty with a 42.5-inch vertical at 223 pounds creates real separation after clearing second-level defenders.
- 02
Exceptional Contact Balance
He absorbs low tackles and denies arm tackles without losing momentum, consistently finishing forward.
- 03
Adapts & Produces Across Levels
He produced from a Big 12 true freshman to an SEC lead back over several schools.
- 04
Creates Yards Independently
He consistently produced above his offensive line's blocking metrics, even when hit behind the line.
- 05
Improved Down Efficiency
He demonstrated improved efficiency and high production on later downs, with 0.426 PPA on third down.
- 01
Significant Character Concerns
Dismissal from Oklahoma and legal issues demonstrate a pattern of off-field issues.
- 02
Advanced Age & Mileage
He turned 24 during his final college season, limiting his developmental runway in the NFL.
- 03
Limited FBS Sample Size
Only one full season at the Power Four level (Kentucky in 2025) across his career.
- 04
Inconsistent Vision/Patience
His vision can be impatient, sometimes leaving potential cutback yardage unexploited.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.49sp50
- Vertical
- 42.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 131inp50
- Three-cone
- —s
- Shuttle
- 4.40sp50
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Att | Yds | TD | Rec | RecYds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Oklahoma | 8 | 58 | 370 | 3 | 13 | 201 |
| 2024 | New Mexico State | 12 | 153 | 813 | 3 | 23 | 277 |
| 2025 | Kentucky | 11 | 165 | 725 | 12 | 19 | 126 |
| Career | — | 31 | 376 | 1908 | 18 | 55 | 604 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- Cutter BoleyQB26%
- Cameron MillerWR10%
- Josh KattusTE8%
#6 of 15 tracked contributors · Production leaned on volume · Offense explosiveness 1.14 (p7) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Honors
- Second-team All-Conference USA (2024, New Mexico State)
- College Football Network third-team All-CUSA (2024)
- 2026 Senior Bowl invitee
- 2026 NFL Scouting Combine invitee
- Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award watch list (2025)
- Kentucky team rushing leader in 2025; fourth in the SEC in rushing touchdowns
- Multiple honorable-mention national and SEC player of the week nods in 2025 (Eastern Michigan, Florida, Tennessee Tech)
- Named a game captain at Auburn (2025)
A late-round Colts back who lives on the practice squad and the bottom of the depth chart, gets called up when injuries hit and turns a handful of chances into a real role.
The ceiling if the burst and the contact balance hold: an overlooked back with size who takes years to get a real workload and then produces as a lead runner once the volume finally arrives.
The floor: an athletic late-rounder whose body and availability never let the traits show up on Sundays, and who is gone before a second contract is a conversation.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Indianapolis took him at 237 as a late-round bet on a body type and an athletic profile that do not usually last that long. At 6-0 1/4 and 223 pounds he ran 4.49 with a 42.5-inch vertical and a 10-11 broad jump at the 2026 Combine, and the 4.40 short shuttle at that mass is what separates him from the generic big-back profile. The efficiency data supports the film more than the raw totals do: he carried a 25.5 percent usage share for Kentucky in 2025, the highest of any Wildcat back, and produced 0.108 PPA per play on an offense that generated only 0.093 as a whole, with his rushing PPA at 0.122 against a team rushing mark of 0.085.
He got better as the down got harder, posting 0.269 PPA on second down and 0.426 on third, and 0.238 on passing downs against a Kentucky offense that managed a 28.7 percent success rate in those spots. That is a back producing above his environment, not because of it - Kentucky finished at 3.11 line yards and a 17.2 percent stuff rate, meaning he was being hit behind the line on roughly one carry in six. The New Mexico State year reads the same way: a 31.9 percent rush share and 0.975 PPA on third down.
The professional path is narrow and honest. He is a rotational early-down runner and a special-teams body who has to earn his way onto the coverage units first, and the pass-protection technique has to be functional by camp for him to dress on Sundays. The character file is the other half of the evaluation, and Indianapolis clearly did the work; five years removed from the dismissal and after two years outside football, he came back through juco rather than waiting for a favor. If the burst holds at the NFL level he is a change-of-pace back with third-down value. If it does not, the age and the thin FBS resume leave very little margin.