Three Colts Players Named to PFF’s ‘2021 Third-Quarter All-Pro Team’

Three Indianapolis Colts players were named to PFF’s ‘2021 Third-Quarter All-Pro Team’: running back Jonathan Taylor (First-Team), linebacker Darius Leonard (Second-Team), and special teamer [wide receiver] Ashton Dulin (First-Team):

RB JONATHAN TAYLOR, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Second Team: Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals

As soon as the Derrick Henry MVP hype train was dashed by injury, the Jonathan Taylor one took its place on the tracks. Henry was head and shoulders above any other back in terms of production, and now that’s Taylor, who leads the league in rushing yards by almost 400.

Taylor is averaging 5.6 yards per carry and 3.7 yards per carry after contact. He has been outstanding at maximizing runs when his offensive line blocks the play well and solid at generating his own yardage when it doesn’t. Taylor now has 17 runs of 15-plus yards, five more than any other player.

LB DEMARIO DAVIS, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Second Team: Darius Leonard, Indianapolis Colts

ST ASHTON DULIN, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Second Team: Jamir Jones, Los Angeles Rams

Dulin has seen some snaps and made some big plays on offense for the Colts — a result of his hard work on special teams. He has 221 snaps of action on special teams across four different phases, racking up a league-leading 16 tackles in that facet.

First and foremost, Taylor’s inclusion is hardly a surprise, he’s one of the leading candidates for NFL MVP, let alone First-Team NFL All-Pro honors at running back.

Taylor leads the league in total carries (241), rushing yards (1,348), rushing touchdowns (16), and his 5.6 yards per carry average is the 8th highest among any running back who has ever had 240+ total carries in NFL history. To say that Taylor has had a special season would be a drastic understatement to the type of monster breakout campaign he’s had for the Colts—and there’s even still four games left down the stretch.

Meanwhile, despite battling through an injured ankle all season, Colts 3x NFL All-Pro Darius ‘The Maniac’ Leonard is no stranger to such lists—and should be under serious consideration yet again for a fourth year in a row.

The 26 year old star linebacker has 97 tackles (60 solo), 3 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 6 passes defensed, 3 fumble recoveries, and a whopping 5 forced fumbles—for a total of 10 takeaways during 13 starts in 2021. Featuring the patented ‘Peanut Punch’ on the field, he’s a walking takeaway machine right now.

Lastly, Ashton Dulin is the latest Colts’ special team standout to belong in serious conversations for All-Pro honors for a consecutive season. Special teamer (safety) George Odum was named a First-Team NFL All-Pro last season, and it appears Dulin could be the latest in-line with a league-leading 16 tackles. He has a +91.2 special teams grade via PFF.

It’s a credit to this Colts’ trio’s consistency and production that each player was named to such a list.