Colts' Darius Leonard, DeForest Buckner Ranked in NFL Top Player List

Indianapolis Colts weakside linebacker Darius Leonard received a No. 50 ranking while defensive tackle DeForest Buckner checked in at No. 56 on NFL.com's list of “Top 100 Players of 2020” revealed on Monday.

The NFL website shared a video about Leonard as well as another on Buckner in announcing the selection.

Teammate Anthony Walker teased Leonard, nicknamed “The Maniac,” about being assigned the number that was Walker’s jersey number for three years.

My Brudda ‼️ I Know You’re Mad About Being #50 But I wore That Number For 3 Years 🙂 https://t.co/N0lNA9sYO0
— Anthony Walker Jr. (@__AWalkJr) July 28, 2020

Since being selected in the second round out of South Carolina State in 2018, Leonard has amassed 244 total tackles, 12 sacks, seven interceptions including one returned for a touchdown, and six forced fumbles.

The 25-year-old South Carolina native from Lake View led the NFL in tackles as a rookie and was named First-Team All-Pro. He earned a Second-Team, All-Pro nod as well as his first Pro Bowl honor for the 2019 season.

Buckner was acquired from San Francisco in March for the 13th overall selection in April's NFL draft. He was a Second-Team All-Pro defender in 2019 and made the Pro Bowl in 2018. The Colts gave their new D-line cornerstone a four-year, $84-million extension.

Two-time All-Pro offensive guard Quenton Nelson is expected to be listed as more players are announced in the next two days. Nelson was the Colts’ sixth-overall selection in 2018.

Nelson and Leonard were just the second rookie teammates to be named First-Team All-Pro. The others were the Chicago Bears’ Gayle Sayers and Dick Butkus in 1965. Sayers and Butkus are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)