PFF lists these three Colts as franchise building blocks
As the Indianapolis Colts enter the 2021 season, they have been building the roster around a select few players over the last few years through trades and the NFL draft.
As Pro Football Focus listed three players worthy of building around for each franchise, this included three All-Pros in the form of Quenton Nelson, DeForest Buckner and Darius Leonard.
“G Quenton Nelson
LB Darius Leonard
DI DeForest BucknerIt is rare for an offensive lineman to be as good as Nelson has been this early in his NFL career. PFF’s Wins Above Replacement metric doesn’t just list Nelson as the most valuable guard since 2018; he’s been the most valuable offensive lineman overall. At just 25 years old, he should continue to provide value for a long time.
Indianapolis also has two relatively young, elite players at their respective positions on the defensive side in Leonard and Buckner. Leonard hasn’t graded below 67.0 in any phase — run defense, tackling, pass rushing or coverage — since being drafted. Buckner, meanwhile, was everything the Colts could have imagined in his first year with the team. His 90.1 pass-rushing grade in 2020 ranked third among interior defenders.”
What’s interesting is that only one of these building-block players is under contract for the long term—that would be Buckner. However, Leonard is expected to receive a massive contract extension before Week 1 arrives while Nelson will get his shortly after.
The Colts can afford to wait on Nelson’s extension because they picked up his fifth-year option for the 2022 season.
These three players have been vital for the Colts’ success in recent seasons and if they make the playoffs for the second year in a row, they will likely have plenty to do with it.
