Pro Football Focus Snubs Colts' All-Pro Linebacker in Positional Rankings
Pro Football Focus just added fuel to the fire for Darius Leonard ahead of the 2021 season.
Leonard, poised to become the highest-paid linebacker in football this summer, failed to crack PFF's top 5 — let alone top 3 – of the linebacker positional rankings despite getting off to a historic start for his career.
The perennial All-Pro off-ball linebacker came in at No. 6 overall in PFF's positional rankings written by Sam Monson, coming in behind names like Seattle's Bobby Wagner, San Francisco's Fred Warner, Minnesota's Eric Kendricks, Tampa Bay's Lavonte David, and New Orleans' Demario Davis.
Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports
Here's what Monson had to say about placing Leonard sixth:
In three NFL seasons, Darius Leonard doesn’t have a bad PFF grade in any facet of play in any single season, which is a remarkable level of consistency at a position that is routinely exploited by modern offenses. Leonard also has the most forced fumbles of any linebacker since he came into the league (10 including the playoffs).
Though Leonard is certainly behind those five in terms of PFF's metrics, there's something to be said about PFF's grading, which knocks Leonard so heavily in run defense and coverage, which doesn't quite show up on tape.
Leonard consistently puts up monster numbers and has helped lead the way for a Colts' defense that has made a significant jump from near the bottom of the league when Leonard entered the fold, to top 10 last season.
For what it's worth, Leonard has seen his overall grade decline three straight years, which I think says more about PFF's metrics than Leonard's play, considering he continues to play at a similarly high level the last two seasons.
Have thoughts on Darius Leonard's ranking by Pro Football Focus? Drop a line in the comments section below!
Follow Josh on Twitter @ByJoshCarney.
