Jonathan Taylor, Shaquille Leonard Join NFL's Elite in NFL Top 100
For professional athletes, it's difficult to argue that being considered one the best in the business means a little more when it's coming from your peers and opponents.
The Indianapolis Colts have two players considered among the cream of the crop as linebacker Shaquille Leonard and running back Jonathan Taylor both landed inside the top 20 of the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022 list — Leonard at No. 18 and Taylor at No. 5.
Heading into his third season, this was Taylor's debut on the annual list while Leonard has now made it following each of his four seasons.
Taylor is the highest-ranked player on the NFL Top 100 since quarterback Peyton Manning was named No. 2 in 2011.
Taylor burst onto the scene as a rookie by capping off his regular season with the Colts' single-game rushing record, totaling 253 yards against the Jacksonville Jaguars and finishing third in the NFL overall on the season. But his incredible sophomore season was even better, tallying 332 carries for 1,811 yards (5.5 avg.) and 18 touchdowns to go with 40 receptions (51 targets) for 360 yards (9.0 avg.) and 2 touchdowns. He led the NFL in rushing over the next player by 25 carries, 552 rushing yards, and 3 rushing touchdowns. As a matter of fact, Taylor had 1,272 rushing yards after contact alone, which would've been good enough for third in the league overall.
He had perhaps the greatest season for a running back in Colts franchise history, setting several team bests, but he also made his mark league-wide. Taylor tied for the most consecutive games in NFL history with at least 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown (8) and is also the youngest player in NFL history with at least 2,000 scrimmage yards (2,171) and 20 scrimmage touchdowns (20) in a single season.
Individually, Taylor accomplished about all that he could, including the Pro Bowl and a unanimous First-Team All-Pro nod. He earned the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award once (Week 11), AFC Offensive Player of the Month twice (October and November), and the FedEx Ground Player of the Week four times (Weeks 6, 10, 13, and 15).
Through two seasons, Taylor has started 30-of-32 games and totaled 564 carries for 2,980 yards (5.3 avg.) and 29 touchdowns as well as 76 receptions (90 targets) for 659 yards (8.7 avg.) and another 3 touchdowns.
Leonard is the highest-ranked Colts defensive player on the NFL Top 100 since edge defender Dwight Freeney was named No. 15 in 2011.
Leonard is one of the most statistically accomplished defenders in the NFL since joining the league in 2018 when he was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
He's the only player with 10-plus sacks and 10-plus interceptions over that time, and he's also amassed 17 forced fumbles, 7 fumbles recovered, 30 pass breakups, and 538 tackles (30 for loss).
Leonard has a track record of doing a little bit of everything, including leading the NFL in tackles as a rookie (163) and forced fumbles in 2021 (8). He has three Pro Bowls and four All-Pros (three First-Team, one Second-Team) in four years.
"The Maniac" has truly rare playmaking ability, as opposing offenses know that he's capable of sitting on a route and picking off passes or doing his patented ball punch to cause fumbles, but he still does it on a regular basis regardless.
The Colts also had three other players make this list; guard Quenton Nelson at No. 28, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner at 66, and cornerback Kenny Moore II at 82.
Are Taylor and Leonard ranked properly? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!
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