The Indianapolis Colts have made it clear they wanted to re-shape the linebacker corps when Chris Ballard took over as general manager, and they’ve done so wonderfully.
As all six starters for the Colts will be players that were drafted by the new regime, Pro Football Focus ranked the linebacker corps in Indy as the fifth-best unit in the NFL.
The Colts have one of the better linebacker groups in the league, led by Darius Leonard, who has been going in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Leonard has the sixth-ranked grade among linebackers over the past two years and has missed just 5.6% of his tackles, good for seventh-best. A true three-down linebacker, Leonard has graded well in all phases, and his length has fit well in the Colts’ zone-heavy scheme.
Indianapolis added more length with 2019 third-rounder Bobby Okereke, who is slated to start next to Leonard after seeing 472 snaps last season in which he graded at 77.3. Both Okereke and Leonard have 97th-percentile arm length among linebackers, and that length compresses passing lanes in the middle of the field. Anthony Walker is the other projected starter and is coming off his best year in coverage, posting a 73.3 grade. The issue for Walker is his 40 missed tackles over the past two seasons, which showed up in his 43.5 grade against the run that ranked just 87th among linebackers last season.
E.J. Speed, a 2019 fifth-rounder, adds depth as an athletic backup, and Matthew Adams also returns after back-to-back years grading in the 50.0s on 332 total snaps. A couple of years ago, the Colts had one of the worst linebacker units in the league. Now, they have one of the best.
The linebacker position has become one of the strongest units on the Colts roster. The addition of All-Pro talent in Leonard certainly helps, but the consistency of Walker Jr. and the upside of Okereke, along with the depth from Speed, Adams and Zaire Franklin give this unit immense strength.
The Colts front seven as a whole should be much stronger thanks to the addition of defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, but their strength against the run also comes from the players they have at the second level.
This will be a big year for the front seven, and the Colts linebackers will have the chance to prove they are one of the best units in the NFL.