Who Are the Most Underrated Players on the Colts' Roster?
The Indianapolis Colts have continually had strong rosters in the Chris Ballard/Frank Reich era. While it hasn't always translated into the win column (mainly due to QB play), the Colts have consistently had good teams with a ton of talented players.
With that, there always seem to be a few players that fly under the radar with this team. The Colts are a small market, so it is expected for the national pundits to overlook a few of the team's better players. What about the local fans and pundits, though?
In today's article, I dive into two players that the national guys overlook while also taking a look at two players that people locally seem to underappreciate.
Underrated Nationally
1.) Grover Stewart
We are officially heading into year three of Grover Stewart not getting the proper love that he deserves. He plays a position that isn't flashy whatsoever, but his impact on the field is felt on every single snap.
Over the past two seasons, Stewart has accumulated 50 stops in the run game from his one-tech position. He graded out as Pro Football Focus' 13th best defensive tackle in 2021, which was actually two spots higher than All-Pro DeForest Buckner. He also hit a career high in sacks this past season, finishing with three on the year.
Stewart is a player that does the dirty work for the Colts. His excellence shows up for the fans that watch every game but his impact is certainly overlooked on a national level. He is one of the more important players on the Colts' defense, and his high level of play will certainly be needed in 2022 with the team transitioning to Gus Bradley's defense.
2.) Nyheim Hines
Nyheim Hines may be listed as a running back on the Colts' roster, but his impact is felt in so many different ways. I'm not going to sit here and say that he has been a dominant player in his career, but he is valuable playmaker that the Colts love to utilize in their offense.
The best thing about Hines' game is that his statistical production is usually the best indicator of QB success in Indy. In 2018 and 2020, he combined for 128 receptions for 915 yards and six touchdowns as a pass catcher. He finished the 2020 season with the third-most receptions among running backs in the NFL (and he was the highest graded receiving back in the league per PFF).
He has also taken tremendous strides as a rusher in the past two seasons, bumping his career yards per carry up to a steady 4.4 (it was sitting at just 3.8 after 2019). Overall, Hines has proven to be a legit receiving back while slowly progressing as the team's second-leading rusher. His impact on the offense should be even more prominent in 2022 with Matt Ryan under center.
Underrated Locally
1.) Bobby Okereke
With Darius Leonard, rightfully, getting all of the love, Bobby Okereke's development has flown a bit under the radar to Colts' fans. While I haven't seen many people criticize the young linebacker, he deserves a lot more credit for his play over the past two seasons.
Okereke spent his rookie season in 2019 primarily as a SAM backer responsible for slamming into fullbacks and lead blockers. His growth from that point to where he is at now has been incredible. He still has some work to do to be among the best in the league, but he is a solid linebacker to pair with Leonard in the middle.
He has grown a lot in the passing game, pairing nicely with the risk-taking Leonard on the inside. Okereke typically takes the more complex coverages, which leaves Leonard being able to play free and aggressive underneath. Still, Okereke was able to make his fair share of plays, snagging two interceptions in 2021.
He still needs to find a bit more consistency in his game, but Okereke is a good, young linebacker that gets overlooked a bit due to the maniac playing next to him.
2.) Zaire Franklin
Obviously Darius Leonard just steals all of the attention because I am sticking with the linebacker group for my other choice. Zaire Franklin has always been a solid player for the Colts, but his impact on the overall team has been overlooked quite a bit over the past few seasons.
On the field, Franklin is a valuable special teams player that played a hefty amount of snaps on defense a year ago. He appeared in 201 snaps on defense in 2022, coming away with 20 tackles, 11 stops, and one interceptions.
Off of the field, Franklin is the glue that holds the locker room together. He is a beloved teammate that has been voted as a team captain in each of the past two seasons. He was also a vocal leader for the team in 2019/2020 with their social outreach programs.
Former Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus had this to say about Franklin:
What a strong, powerful leader he is and he's strong in his convictions and he is – if you unzip his chest man, his heart is all about team. That's what Zaire brings to the table and man, he shows it on the practice field. You can tell he loves football and he loves this football team. The way he interacts with his fellow teammates, you can tell he loves them too. That's an important part of being a leader and you can just feel that when he walks into the room and his actions day-to-day say that. He's a fine young man.
While most Colts' fans acknowledge and love what Franklin brings to the football field, his impact on this team remains to be underrated.
Check out the latest Locked On Colts episode where Jake and I discuss the Colts' underrated players in detail!
Follow Zach on Twitter @ZachHicks2.
