5. Darius Leonard, Indianapolis Colts
It was viewed as something of a reach when the Indianapolis Colts drafted Darius Leonard out of South Carolina State in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. But there is a reason Colts’ general manager Chris Ballard is widely regarded at one of the best in the business, and the Leonard pick is great evidence why. Leonard has been an elite-level player during his two seasons in the league, and last year was no exception. He was great in coverage, allowing 59 receptions on 74 targets for 559 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but grabbing five interceptions along the way, a career-high. Watch what he does here on this pick six of Jameis Winston:
One of my favorite Darius Leonard plays from 2019. 82 yard pick six by @dsleon45 #TheManiac pic.twitter.com/pn06ib9Jbk
— Cody Felger (@CPFelger55) March 30, 2020
He begins the play down in the box, showing pressure. But after engaging the center to mess with the protection scheme he drops off the line of scrimmage and gets underneath the slant route, reading this play perfectly. He finishes it off by returning it 82 yards for the score. This is veteran awareness from the young LB.
Leonard is also solid against the run, and in 2019 he notched 79 tackles – along with 36 “stops” – and just six missed tackles. He possesses a great combination of strength and short-area quickness, that allows him to evade and/or stack-and-shed against the run. Watch him on this play against the Miami Dolphins as he picks his way through traffic and stops this run before it gets going:
Entering just his third season in the league, there is no reason Leonard will not continue to show up on lists like this in the years to come.