DJ Giddens: Indianapolis Colts Rookie Files

Giddens was born on August 26, 2003, in Junction City, KS, to David and Monique Giddens. Growing up, Giddens could always be found outside. While many kids his age spent countless hours glued to a screen or playing video games, Giddens wanted to be out in nature.

However, more than anything, Giddens wanted to be fishing. He developed a love for fishing at an early age, spending any free time he had casting out a line. Some of Giddens' fondest memories as a kid include him and his father traveling to Texas for big fishing trips. He also once caught a 30-pound catfish.

Fishing brings a calm to Giddens unlike anything else in this world. It has always been his way of slowing down and letting himself unwind.

“It’s peaceful,” Giddens said about fishing when speaking to Go Long. “You go out there with your friend or somebody in your family and you’re spending time with each other, too.”

While fishing has always been Giddens first love, he eventually found the game of football. He was drawn to the running back position right away, playing for the Junction City Junior Jays for several years. Giddens began to excel as a running back in middle school and wanted to see how far football could take him.

Giddens was enrolled at Junction City High School and immediately saw some time on varsity as a freshman. While the snaps were limited, he took his freshman season to learn about the game and waited for his opportunity.

However, Giddens did not play football for Junction City as a sophomore. Giddens did not play anywhere during his sophomore year of high school, and it is unclear as to why he did not play.

But Giddens did return to the team at Junction City as a junior, ready to contribute any way he could. Unfortunately for Giddens, he missed most of his junior season due to injury. When he did return, Giddens did not emerge as the starter until near the end of the season.

With three years of high school down and little to show for it on the field, a future in football seemed out of the picture for Giddens. He would have to shine both on and off the field to give himself a chance at playing collegiately.

Football Future In Doubt

Giddens was a zero-star recruit and had received zero offers after his junior season. The odds of him playing football at the next level were slim.

He had put little on film due to a lack of playing time and did not participate in seven-on-seven camps, drastically hurting his exposure. There were also questions about whether Giddens would have the grades to qualify academically for eligibility at the next level.

With almost no film available and uncertainty surrounding his performance in the classroom, most Division I schools passed on Giddens. The thought was he would need to attend junior college to improve his grades and play if he wanted to pursue a future in football.

Giddens was prepared to do just that, setting his sights on attending Butler Community College in El Dorado, KS. However, there was one Division I school still intrigued by Giddens' potential.

Kansas State head coach Chris Kleiman saw Giddens play against his son at Manhattan High and was impressed with how the running back moved on the field. Kleiman told Giddens that if his grades improved and his play took the next step, Giddens would have a home at K-State.

Knowing he could play at K-State was all the motivation Giddens needed. He placed a premium on his studies, focusing on schoolwork more than he ever had. Giddens received A's and B's in all of his classes his senior year, raising his GPA enough to be eligible.

On the field, Giddens was at the top of his game as well. He became Junction City's top back and helped lead the team to a 9-2 record and an appearance in the state semifinals, capturing district and regional championships along the way.

Giddens finished the 2020 season with 1,255 rushing yards and a staggering school record of 30 touchdowns. He earned First-Team All-State honors in a year when some states shut down high school football seasons entirely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If the state of Kansas had done that, Giddens likely would not have captured a scholarship.

Giddens made the most of the opportunity given to him. He had done enough on the field and in the classroom to convince Kleiman and K-State running backs coach Brian Anderson that he was the real deal. Kansas State extended an offer to Giddens in May of 2021, giving the zero-star recruit a shot.

But just because he had earned a scholarship did not mean Giddens had made it. There was still a long road ahead and a lot of work to accomplish if he wanted to be a contributor for the Wildcats.

No Stars, No Problem

Arriving at Kansas State and joining the football program was a bit of a culture shock for Giddens. The playbook was much more complex than anything he had ever experienced. He also had to learn how to watch film for the first time and apply what he saw in film study to the field.

Having less experience than most at this level, Giddens had to adjust to football dominating his life. Giddens was redshirted in 2021 by Kansas State as he grasped what it meant to be a collegiate student-athlete.

But even by the spring of 2022, Giddens was still struggling to succeed on the field in practice. While Giddens was expected to back up Deuce Vaughn in 2022, K-State brought in competition due to uncertainty around whether Giddens could be the guy.

It was all the motivation Giddens needed to take things up a notch and ensure he would not be replaced.

“Fall camp rolled around and he was a different dude," Anderson remembered. "The way he handles things, he’s a quiet competitor. He’s watching how guys do things. He’s watching what they do good, what they do bad.”

Giddens took his football IQ to a new level, diving into what defenses were trying to do and focusing on exploiting their weaknesses. He secured the RB2 role behind Vaughn, rushing for 518 yards and six touchdowns in his first year of game action for the Wildcats.

With Vaughn off to the NFL, 2023 offered Giddens the chance to take over as the lead back for K-State. It was an opportunity he had been working towards for two seasons. While others would have opted to transfer, Giddens stayed loyal to the only school that would give him a shot.

“In my head I’m thinking, ‘Why leave?’ I had no reason to leave at all,” Giddens recalled. “There wasn’t any point in me going somewhere else. I can do everything at K-State, I could do anywhere else. And it’s a good program. ... Already built relationships, people I trust.”

Giddens burst onto the scene in 2023 and did not look back. He became the bell cow for the Wildcats, rushing for 1,226 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 29 catches for 323 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. Giddens earned Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors that season.

2024 produced another huge season for Giddens as he took over the Big 12. The redshirt junior racked up 1,343 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground to go along with 21 catches for 258 yards and a touchdown as a receiver. Giddens was named Second-Team All-Big 12, capping off an incredible climb from zero-star recruit to all-conference star.

Giddens finished his Kansas State career third in school history in rushing yards (3,087) and second in yards per attempt (5.97). Giddens was also only the fourth running back in school history to have multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

Despite having another year of eligibility, Giddens felt confident in his ability and what he was able to accomplish at Kansas State. With the NFL calling and his chances of being drafted higher than ever, Giddens opted to head for the draft.

Giddens showed off his athleticism in the pre-draft process, posting a 4.47 40-yard dash and 39.5-inch vertical at the NFL Scouting Combine. A running back with the speed and explosiveness of Giddens at his size (6-0, 212 pounds) is sure to catch eyes.

As the 2025 NFL Draft got closer, Giddens was seen as a mid-round selection. Just like how Kansas State took a chance on him in 2021, all Giddens needed was for an NFL team to give him an opportunity.

The Colts were that team, taking Giddens in the fifth round with the 151st pick. Giddens and his family are not ones to show much emotion, but they could not hold it together when the call came.

"We don't show emotions, but when that call came and I saw him over there, I just couldn't wait to hold him," David Giddens admitted. "All of a sudden, tears started coming from my eyes. It was just sweet to see my son getting part of his dream."

How Giddens Helps the Colts

As the 2024 season went on, it was clear that the Colts needed a complementary running back to star Jonathan Taylor. Giddens could be the perfect fit.

Giddens is a high-level athlete (9.78 RAS) with a tall, lanky frame that can add even more mass. He has tremendous stride in the open field, helping him rip off chunk plays. Giddens also possesses elite elusiveness, staying light on his feet and ready to hit a variety of moves when a defender gets him squared up.

Giddens has steadily improved his vision and patience over the years with the Wildcats. He allows blocks to fully develop consistently and routinely finds cutback lanes. He also shows good contact balance through traffic at the line of scrimmage to accelerate to the second level.

As a pass catcher, Giddens shines in the open field, making him a dangerous threat after the catch on check downs and screens. While he is not a finished product as a receiver or pass protector, Giddens has the tools to be a plus in both areas at the running back position.

The player comp for Giddens in the 2025 Indy Draft Guide is none other than former Colts running back Marlon Mack. The Colts attempted to pair Mack with Taylor back in 2020 when Taylor was a rookie. However, the duo of Taylor and Mack did not last very long, with Mack suffering a season-ending injury in the opener.

Giddens gives the Colts a second chance at pairing two very explosive runners together in their backfield. The rookie will immediately compete with free agent acquisition Khalil Herbert for the RB2 role. Both bring big-play ability to the Colts' backfield behind Taylor and can spell the former All-Pro when he needs a breather.

The key to winning the competition between Giddens and Herbert will come down to who can hold up better as a pass protector. Taylor has struggled throughout his career in this area, with Trey Sermon serving as the primary pass-blocking back on third downs and in obvious passing situations a year ago. With Sermon no longer with the Colts, it leaves an open hole in the running back rotation.

Expect Giddens and Herbert to get runs as the RB2 throughout the season. But, with Giddens' upside as an explosive athlete and ability to create in the passing game, the rookie may solidify the role sooner rather than later.

Giddens has been discounted for much of his football career. But whenever he has faced adversity, the running back has done whatever it took to be successful.

Now in the NFL, you can bet Giddens will continue to do whatever it takes to prove the doubters wrong and excel on the field.

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