Anthony Hill Jr. did not just have a good September. The Tennessee Titans linebacker was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month, and the recognition lands in the middle of an early-season comparison that is already making Indianapolis look uncomfortable.
Hill’s month was built on production that is easy to measure. He finished September with a team-high 34 tackles, plus two quarterback pressures and two passes defensed, all in three games. The Titans also noted that Hill became the first NFL player with 16 tackles and two passes defensed in his first game since 2000, and that his 34 tackles through three games are the second-highest total by a Titans player through three games in a season since 2000.
That kind of start naturally sharpens the focus on the Colts’ decision to take CJ Allen 53rd overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, especially because Hill went 60th to Tennessee. The gap between the two picks was only seven spots, but the early returns have been very different.
Allen’s start has been far quieter. He was a healthy scratch in Week 1, then played a total of 11 snaps in Weeks 2 and 3. Through that stretch, he has one tackle assist and has allowed a five-yard completion. The Colts have said injuries slowed him in training camp, but he returned early in August and has been healthy since.
That matters because Indianapolis did not draft Allen as a long-term project with no immediate expectations. General manager Chris Ballard said Allen was the kind of player who would be the “green dot” in the defense from the start of his career. That is a much bigger standard than simply making the roster and waiting for development to arrive later.
The contrast is what makes Hill’s award sting for the Colts. Hill is not only producing like a rookie who belongs; he is drawing recognition for it. Allen, meanwhile, has barely been on the field.
Still, the comparison is not a final verdict. A player can’t be defined after only three games, and there is plenty of time for Allen to become a very good player. But the early evidence is hard to ignore: Hill is already being honored for a fast, disruptive start, while the Colts’ second-round pick has yet to establish himself in the role Indianapolis said he could handle right away.
For now, the award does more than celebrate Hill. It gives the Colts’ Allen decision a sharper frame, and it keeps the question alive about whether this is just an early miss or a deeper evaluation problem.