Incredible Stat puts Yannick Ngakoue in Elite Company
It's been a season of disappointment so far for the Indianapolis Colts, but edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue has become part of an elite list of players after recording two sacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.
Ngakoue's sacks in the 24-17 loss to the Steelers were numbers seven and eight (8.5) on the season. With number eight, he became just the fifth player in NFL history to record eight or more sacks in his first seven seasons.
The other four players look like candidates for a Mt. Rushmore of rush artists: Reggie White, Aaron Donald, Derrick Thomas, and DeMarcus Ware.
White and Thomas are in Pro Football's Hall of Fame. Ware retired after the 2016 season with nine Pro Bowls and four first-team All-Pro selections to his name. Donald is considered the best defensive player of his generation.
Not bad company for Ngakoue.
Ngakoue has been a testament to consistency rather than having eye-popping numbers some of the other uber-talented players on the list might have. He has 64 sacks (and counting) in his first seven seasons that have included five different teams.
By comparison, Ware and Thomas, the other two edge rushers on this list, had 99.5 and 85 sacks respectively through their first seven seasons.
However, Ngakoue is still just 27-years old. He was originally selected in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He is on place for 12 sacks, which would equal his career best set in his Pro Bowl-second season in Jacksonville.
Ngakoue was acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders in a trade in March of this year. The Colts sent cornerback Rock Ya-Sin to the Raiders in return for Ngakoue. Ya-Sin has struggled with his new team, garnering just a 64.5 grade from Pro Football Focus while the Colts got a steady sack-man in return.
He is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after this season. The Colts were on the hook for $13 million this season and will have a decision to make for 2023.
It seems hard to imagine a player with the credentials of Ngakoue could see his sixth team in eight seasons, and the Colts should prioritize him in the offseason.
