Colts news: Darius Leonard takes pointed shot at incoming NFL Draft class

Indianapolis Colts star Darius Leonard gave his honest thoughts on how the current NFL Draft class should approach their rookie seasons.

The NFL Draft is right around the corner. The first round takes place on April 29th and until then, each franchise is conducting thorough studying of the rookie class. This year, NFL scouts are chomping at the bit to acquire some of the high-level talent available. This year's group of rookies is deep in multiple positions, including quarterback, wide receiver, and pass rushers.

One current star in the NFL shares his thoughts on how this rookie class should approach the league though. Darius Leonard, the Indianapolis Colts star linebacker, provides a take that should catch the attention of every rookie.

This draft class talks too much for me! Let your work do the talking cause if you’re doing all this talking to the media or in social media and you don’t perform like you expect yourself to these media guys going to use it against ya! Keep ya mouth closed and grind! That’s it!

— Darius Shaquille Leonard (@dsleon45) April 7, 2021

A subtle shot at this year's NFL Draft class, but should also be considered solid advice from the three-year veteran. Leonard seems to prefer the “actions speak louder than words” approach when it comes to rookie evaluation. His point makes sense, as social media has created a space for people to collect receipts. If someone says one thing, then isn't able to back that up in a game, media and everyday people will have access to point out your flaws.

Leonard doesn't provide any names, so it's unclear if he's pointing out a handful of rookies, or the entire NFL Draft class in general. Either way, this should be an important message every athlete should consider as advice.

They live in a spotlight as it is, the more they talk, the more people pay attention to them. This could be why Leonard has “quietly” become one of the NFL's best defensive players in the league. He stays out of headlines and just balls out for Indianapolis. It'll be interesting to see how these rookies fare after the NFL Draft and into the 2021 season, as this is a group that has high expectations from nearly everybody.