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The Indianapolis Colts had four AP First-Team All-Pros: offensive guard Quenton Nelson, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, linebacker Darius Leonard, and special teamer George Odum.
However, the Colts franchise added two more All-Pros as well—as both center Ryan Kelly and longsnapper Luke Rhodes were named to the AP Second-Team All-Pro Team.
It marked an impressive accomplishment for the Colts in franchise history:
The @Colts 4 First Team All-Pros are tied for the 4th-most in franchise history & the most since ‘05 (4). The 6 total All-Pros are the most since ‘05 (6). It’s the 10th time the team has had multiple offensive linemen on the All-Pro Teams and the first time since 1988.
— Matt Conti (@ColtsConti) January 8, 2021
The @Colts tied the Green Bay Packers for the most All-Pro selections (six) and the most First Team All-Pro choices (four) this season.
— Matt Conti (@ColtsConti) January 8, 2021
Last time Colts had 4 first-team All-Pros: 2005.
— Mike Chappell (@mchappell51) January 8, 2021
Peyton Manning
Dwight Freeney
Bob Sanders
Jeff Saturday
Regarding Kelly, the former 2016 first round pick of the Colts started in 15 games at center during 2020—helping to anchor the interior for one of the league’s best units.
Per PFF, Kelly received a +68.9 grade among centers (14th best at his position), as he surrendered just 2.0 sacks and 12 total QB pressures on the season in his 558 pass blocking snaps. Kelly was also one of the key reasons—along with the rest of the Colts offensive line, as to why rookie running back Jonathan Taylor had the NFL’s 3rd most rushing yards (1,169), as well as 11 rushing touchdowns (although Taylor is also a beast).
Kelly was named to the 2020 Pro Bowl (as a 2x career Pro Bowler), but this is his debut as an NFL All-Pro.
Meanwhile, Rhodes has had an interesting career, as a former 2016 undrafted free agent from William & Mary. The Colts converted him from linebacker early on, and his ability to cover and tackle has been an advantage for their special teams units—as he has 3 tackles on all 16 starts during the 2020 season.
He previously signed a 4-year, $4.85 million extension with the Colts during the 2019 offseason, which made him the NFL’s highest paid longsnapper.
Like Kelly, it’s also his All-Pro debut.
All-in-all, it was a pretty awesome day for the Colts and team owner Jim Irsay, general manager Chris Ballard, the football operations/front office, and the coaching staff.
Nelson and Leonard are now 3x NFL All-Pros (and Leonard was promoted back to the first-team after last year’s second-team honors). Buckner and Odum got revenge, having been ridiculously snubbed for the 2020 Pro Bowl, while Kelly and Rhodes made their NFL All-Pro debuts all together.