Colts' Top 3 Players According to PFF

The Indianapolis Colts have a roster that many teams across the NFL will envy. Picking the top-three players from the Colts can elicit several responses.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) picked the top-three players on every team, and it was no surprise who they chose for the Colts... guard Quenton Nelson, running back Jonathan Taylor, and linebacker Darius Leonard.

Landing two players such as Nelson and Leonard in one draft doesn’t happen often, as both are among the NFL’s best players at their respective positions. Nelson ranks second among all guards in PFF’s WAR metric since 2018, and Leonard ranks fifth at the linebacker position.

Those two are joined above by Taylor, who was the league’s top running back last season. His combination of size, speed and vision led to an 87.0 PFF grade in 2021 — the best at the running back position. -- PFF

It speaks volumes about PFF's own grading system that Nelson was ranked as the No. 26 offensive guard in the NFL with a lowly 69.1 season grade.

They're a nice guide, but should be taken with a grain of salt.

With different people grading different teams and players, it can be difficult to get a universal standard across for every player in the NFL. Objectivity and what we call the "eye test" come into play for Nelson.

He's clearly one of, if not the, top offensive linemen in the NFL, and PFF acknowledges as much despite their low grade for Nelson.

No just mental gymnastics were needed for Taylor. Taylor is PFF's highest graded running back.

Taylor led the NFL in rushing in 2021 by a whopping 550 yards and his 18 touchdowns were three more than second-place finisher Damien Harris of the Patriots.

Like Nelson, Leonard has been to the Pro Bowl in each of his first-four seasons, and he has been first-team All Pro in three of them.

Leonard is outstanding in coverage and had four interceptions in 2021, just one shy of his career high of five set in 2019.

New additions to the team including cornerback Stephon Gilmore should have gotten serious consideration. Gilmore made his fourth-consecutive Pro Bowl with the Panthers last season, and is still playing at a high level.

Wide receiver Michael Pittman could benefit from new quarterback Matt Ryan as well. Pittman had 1,082 yards in 2021, his second season in the NFL, and Ryan is considered by most to be an upgrade over the departed Carson Wentz.

With such a deep and talented roster, picking just three players is harder than one might think. We have no problem with PFF's choices, and we'll be watching eagerly in 2022 to see who makes the list after the season.