It hasn't taken long for Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard to stamp his name among the best defensive players in the NFL, as he earned a First-Team All-Pro selection during his rookie campaign.
Pro Football Focus demonstrates just how dominant Leonard really was, as he earned fantastic grades:
What a year it was for Darius Leonard! pic.twitter.com/4SUba3um9b
— PFF (@PFF) May 24, 2019
Leonard played 15 games and racked up a league-leading 163 tackles, seven sacks, a couple of interceptions, four forced fumbles, a pair of fumble recoveries and eight passes defended.
Talk about a ubiquitous presence.
The 23-year-old, who played his collegiate football at South Carolina State, was originally selected by the Colts in the second round (36th pick overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.
He registered seven double-digit tackle efforts this past season, including a 19-tackle performance during a Week 2 win over the Washington Redskins. Leonard then went on total 27 tackles in two playoff games.
The Nichols, S.C. native finished out his collegiate career by registering 114 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks during his final season at South Carolina State in 2017, and in 2016, he recorded 124 stops, 14.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which it won 10 games, rebounding from an ugly 1-5 start to make the playoffs. The Colts, who defeated the Tennessee Titans in a winner-take-all game in Week 17, then proceeded to defeat the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional Round the following week.
With a strong offense and an improved defense, Indy is a trendy pick to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl this coming season.
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