Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard has been impressing everyone since he first stepped onto the field as a second-round pick during the 2018 season.
Now, The Maniac has three All-Pro First Team and three Pro Bowl selections under his belt while racking up the numbers in several categories. He’s been the heart of the Colts defense and earned himself a payday that made him the highest-paid player at the position.
Entering the 2022 season, ESPN ranked Leonard as the best off-ball linebacker in the NFL.
Leonard remains a splash-play generator. His combination of eight forced fumbles and four interceptions in 2021 led this group by a wide margin. The Colts gave Leonard a $99.2 million extension before last season because of his ability to get the ball back to his offense with length and explosion.
“He can flip the game at any moment,” a high-ranking AFC executive said. “That worries you more as an opponent than a traditional linebacker because he gets his hands on the ball all of the time.”
Through four seasons, Leonard has 11 interceptions, 17 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and 15 sacks. As a rookie in 2018, the Colts used him in a role that allowed for more blitzes, resulting in seven sacks. His sacks have decreased every year since then, due in large part to how Indianapolis uses him in space and coverage more often.
Leonard sometimes can struggle with sturdiness and tackling in the box, one exec told me, and he also started 2021 slowly because of an ankle injury. His elite instincts easily make up for that, however.
“He’s already the most disruptive linebacker, and he can do things to clean up his technique and get even better,” a veteran NFL defensive player said. “Sometimes you’ll see him standing straight up before the ball is snapped instead of in a linebacker position and you’re like, ‘What?’ But then he takes the ball away and you’re like, ‘Oh, OK.'”
One thing to keep an eye on: Leonard had back surgery in July and will miss part of training camp recovering.
Leonard was dealing with an ankle injury throughout the majority of the 2021 season. He still put up gaudy numbers en route to his third All-Pro nod. His eight forced fumbles led the NFL.
The Colts are expecting Leonard to be ready for the start of the regular season, but even if he misses some time during training camp, he’ll remain the heart of the defense upon his return.
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