Colts Place 3 Players on PFF's Top 101

The Indianapolis Colts were well represented on Pro Football Focus' list of Top 101 players in 2022 despite a poor season.

The Indianapolis Colts failed to live up to anyone's expectations in 2022, but that doesn't mean there weren't individual performers who still shined.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) listed their top-101 players of the season this week, and the Colts were well represented with three players on the list... all on defense.

DeForest Buckner was the first to check in for the Colts at No. 67.

One of the few players with significant positives to take away from an ugly Colts season, Buckner posted an 82.3 overall PFF grade and recorded 56 pressures and 47 defensive stops. -- Sam Monson, PFF

Buckner was an All-Pro in 2020, his first season with Indianapolis, a Pro Bowl selection in 2021, but he was snubbed in 2022 despite having a career-high 74 tackles, his second-most tackles for loss with 11, and eight sacks in after seven in 2021. 

Team success matters for individual awards.

Cornerback Stephon Gilmore was next up for the Colts at No. 75. Gilmore signed as a free agent before the season, and the 32-year old also set a career high with 66 tackles.

Gilmore had a quiet resurgence this past season with the Colts, but it was largely overlooked because of how bad the team was overall. He finished with an 81.1 PFF coverage grade and eight pass breakups to go along with two interceptions. -- Sam Monson, PFF

32-year old safety Rodney McLeod wasn't quite Mr. Irrelevant on PFF's top-101, but he was close, checking in at No. 100.

McLeod had an excellent 2022 season for the Colts and was particularly good in the second half of the year. From Week 8 onward, he earned the second-best overall PFF grade among all safeties. -- Sam Monson, PFF

McLeod had the best grade of his career with the Colts in 2022. His 80.1 bested his previous high of 75.8 he posted with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018. His coverage grade of 85.3 was significantly higher than the 78.2 he had that same year.

Buckner is under contract with the Colts for two more seasons. He carries a $19.8-million cap hit in 2023 and could be ripe for an extension or restructure to lower that number this year.

Gilmore has one-year remaining on the two-year deal he signed last season. His $12.9-million cap hit is high, but he played at a level in 2022 that made him well worth the investment.

McLeod is a free agent after being one of the bargains of the season last year. He earned just $1.7 million in 2022, giving the Colts a significant return on their investment.

Although McLeod and Gilmore are on the wrong side of 30, a dangerous spot for defensive backs, their play hasn't shown any real signs of dropping off.

They should be key pieces of the Colts' defense in 2023, while new head coach Shane Steichen goes to work on the offense which underachieved last season.