The Indianapolis Colts scored a home run with their selection of little-known Darius Leonard at pick No. 38 in the 2018 NFL Draft. In his first season of play, the linebacker shattered all expectations as he led the team in total tackles with 168 and recorded 12 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, two interceptions, four forced fumbles, and eight pass deflections. His outstanding play earned him a first-team All-Pro nod as well.
Now, in 2019, Leonard isn't the same little-known South Carolina State prospect. He enters the season as a bonafide leader for a young defense and is looking to do what very few linebackers do; ascend himself into the superstar stratosphere.
But can he do it? To answer the question; yes, most definitely, for sure, oh yeah, without a doubt, affirmative, and si.
Leonard, is, by all means, a game-changing talent for the Colts, and an ideal mold for what they need at 4-3 inside linebacker. He's big (6-foot-2, 234-pounds), fast, cerebral, and already acclimated to the speed of the NFL offenses.
Leonard's box-score stats reaffirm his ideal traits and build. His 2018 statistics show a rangy linebacker that can make sure tackles from end to end of the field. The analytics and tape support that hypothesis to a tee as well.
Pro Football Focus praised Leonard's rookie season and for a good reason. With an 81.8 grade, he finished as their seventh best linebacker in the NFL, but it doesn't stop there. He earned above average to excellent grades in every facet of play. Let's go through what they had to say about him, shall we?
- Highest defensive stop total for linebackers in the NFL with 66.
- He was the Colts highest graded defensive player in 2018.
- His 85.4 tackling grade is amongst the best at the position in the NFL.
- His run defense grade of 70.8 isn't fantastic, but it's still above average.
- His coverage grade of 84.8 is one of the best in the NFL.
- Versatility. He didn't just finish with high tackling and coverage grades; he also finished with a 73.4 pass-rush grade as well — a good metric at the position.
- He missed just nine tackles in his rookie year.
The analytics paint a pretty clear picture for Leonard's rookie season. That picture? He was all over the place, but he matched his production with efficiency and smart play. His tape, on the other hand, continues to back that up.
After re-watching his 2018 season, here are a few tidbits from my notes:
- Leonard wears the “green dot” (signifying he calls defensive plays) for a reason. He's extremely effective in sniffing out offensive plays and adjusting to them on the fly.
- One of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL. Some of the better coverage linebackers are there because of their speed and athleticism. Don't get me wrong, Leonard brings that, but time and time again, he was found reading route concepts and making plays on them.
- He's a sure tackler. Leonard approaches ball-carriers with proper form and even has popped a few balls out due to heads-up play.
- Extremely patient when tasked with defending the run. He consistently appears to have his eyes on the ball and possesses sound gap control.
- Exceptionally able in man coverage. Leonard has good lateral quickness, meaning, he can keep up with tight ends when you combine that with good football IQ pertaining to reading leverages.
- When dropped back in zone coverage, Leonard flourishes. He continually shifts to quarterback's movements and seems to have the whole field in site.
- As a pass-rusher, he needs to develop his counters and moves, but the effort isn't a problem. Far too often, you saw No. 53 blitzing up the A-gap at an inhuman speed.
While watching his tape, a name kept popping up in my head: Derrick Brooks. Leonard's sideline-to-sideline speed, coupled with his tackling ability, show flashes of what Brooks could do against the run. But, Brooks was famed as a coverage linebacker, Leonard has an identical skillset in that area.
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If tape, prior success, analytics, and box-score stats tell us anything, Leonard is already a star. In 2019, that should be magnified. He'll be playing on a better defense, and on a team with Super Bowl aspirations. Because of that, all eyes will be on the linebacker to lead a young defense. If he continues to play the way he has, that shouldn't be a problem.
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