Darius Leonard is No. 1
ESPN polled NFL executives, coaches, players, and scouts on the best players at each position, and Indianapolis Colts Darius Leonard heads the list of inside linebackers.
Leonard is up to the top spot after finishing fourth on a similar list last season. Not everyone was convinced Leonard is the best in the business though; he garnered at least one sixth-place vote.
"He can flip the game at any moment," a high-ranking AFC executive told ESPN. "That worries you more as an opponent than a traditional linebacker because he gets his hands on the ball all of the time."
Leonard has been either All-Pro or to the Pro Bowl in each of his four seasons in the NFL. Ironically, he was All-Pro as a rookie, but he was not selected to the Pro Bowl.
"He's already the most disruptive linebacker, and he can do things to clean up his technique and get even better," a veteran NFL defensive player told ESPN. "Sometimes you'll see him standing straight up before the ball is snapped instead of in a linebacker position and you're like, 'What?' But then he takes the ball away and you're like, 'Oh, OK.'"
Leonard had a whopping 12 forced fumbles and four interceptions in 2021. He led the league in both categories from the inside linebacker position.
The Colts gave Leonard a five-year $98 million extension before the 2021 season, a risk considering the devalued nature of his position.
But Leonard is a game-changer, and there is no positional value for a game-changer. Leonard repaid the Colts investment with his play in 2021.
Leonard had back surgery during the offseason which should be cleared up in time for training camp.
DeForest Buckner was voted fourth by his peers in the NFL in the same poll conducted by ESPN.
