As a rookie last season, Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard turned heads from the start, stringing together an impressive campaign. Ultimately becoming the league's top defensive rookie, Leonard now has his sights set on some even bigger goals for his sophomore season in 2019.
However, it will surely be tough to top his production from a season ago, when Leonard helped lead the Colts to the postseason as a rookie.
“I want 200 tackles. I want 10 sacks. I want to be NFL Defensive Player of the Year,” Leonard said on NFL Network on Tuesday. “I want to be All-Pro, Super Bowl champion, Super Bowl MVP. Just everything with my name at the top of the charts.”
Darius Leonard also hasn't forgotten all the critics who did not believe in his abilities as a NFL linebacker prior to him suiting up for the Colts.
“Last year, I was called the worst draft pick by Bleacher Report,” Leonard added. “I screenshotted it and every day I looked at it, and it kind of gave me the drive to prove that I wasn’t the worst draft pick and I could play at the next level.
“I still have that chip on my shoulder. I wasn’t MVP. I wasn’t at the top of the charts. I wasn’t a Pro Bowler. I wasn’t a Super Bowl champion. So that’s still goals that I want to achieve, and until I achieve them goals, I’m going to still have that chip on my shoulder to outplay everybody and be the top competitor that I can be.”
Leonard and company are expected to once again serve as a major a force in the AFC South in 2019.
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