Colts' Star DT Lands Inside Top 5 of PFF's iDL Rankings

The Colts are incredibly strong in the middle of Matt Eberflus's defense with DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart holding down the defensive line. Only one cracks the top 32 in PFF's positional rankings though.

Josh Carney | May 27, 2021

In his first season as a member of the Indianapolis Colts, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner was as advertised, racking up 58 tackles for the blue and white, including an impressive 9.5 sacks in 15 games, adding a career-high 26 quarterback hits.

Thanks to his impressive season as the unquestioned leader of the Colts' defensive line, Buckner cracks the top 5 of Pro Football Focus's interior defensive lineman rankings ahead of the 2021 season.

Here's what PFF had to say about Buckner landing at No. 5 overall, just behind guys like Los Angeles' Aaron Donald, Kansas City's Chris Jones, Pittsburgh's Cam Heyward, and Atlanta's Grady Jarrett.

Buckner was exactly what the Colts were hoping to get when they traded for him prior to the 2020 season, if not more. His 89.6 overall grade this past season was a career-high, ranking fifth among qualifiers on the interior. Buckner ranks third at the position in both sacks (38.0) and quarterback hits (66) since entering the league in 2016. He’ll likely have to shoulder much of the load in 2021 due to a young and unproven edge rotation in Indianapolis.

While it is true that Buckner will have to shoulder the pass rush load in 2021, it will be incredibly hard for teams to slow down Buckner inside, especially with a guy like Grover Stewart — who shockingly didn't crack the top 32 at interior defensive tackle — occupying blockers next to him.

Considering the draft capital and long-term investment made in Buckner, it's great to see him outperforming expectations so early in his time in Indianapolis.

With a guy like Stewart next to him, and an elite athlete in Kwity Paye on the outside for the Colts, 2021 could be an even better year for Buckner and the Colts.

Have thoughts on DeForest Buckner's ranking by PFF? Drop a line in the comments section below!

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Published May 27, 2021

JOSH CARNEY

Josh Carney is the Deputy Editor of Horseshoe Huddle and has covered the NFL for nearly a decade.