Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard was disappointed

AFC’s Pro Bowl roster Tuesday night.Now the league’s leading tackler intends to make all future opponents pay for the perceived snub.“He told me he’d have 40 tackles this week Josh Allen Jersey , and I told him that’s humanly impossible,” tight end Eric Ebron said Wednesday.But if the Colts (8-6) have learned anything about their star rookie, it’s not to discount anything he says.When South Carolina State played Clemson in 2016, Leonard had 19 tackles against the eventual national champs and his childhood favorite, which never offered him a scholarship. His performance that day earned him the nickname “Maniac” around campus, a nickname he still clings to, and put him on the radar of Colts general manager Chris Ballard.Throughout the draft process, he heard from the critics again. This time they were questioning the level of competition he faced in college; how long it would take to make the transition from FCS to the NFL; and whether Ballard reached when he took Leonard at No. 36 overall, four picks into the second round, in April.Others questioned whether missing all of the Colts’ spring and summer workouts because of a bad hamstring would slow him down this season.Leonard has proved all of them wrong.Despite missing one game, at New England, he continues to lead the league with 146 tackles and needs 15 over the final two games to break Jeff Herrod’s single-season franchise record (160), a mark that has stood since 1991. And if Leonard’s play matches the hype, Herrod’s record could go down Sunday against the New York Giants (5-9).“It adds more fuel to the fire,” Leonard said when asked about missing the Pro Bowl. “It gives me more reason to go out and keep fighting. With everything I did and knowing it’s still not enough, I’ve got to put more on my resume.”Leonard views it as more of a promise than a warning and it fits his personality.While he revels in the underdog role, he routinely plays with a chip on his shoulder and continually sets his standards high. His goal each week is to get 25 tackles and he’s finished in double digits in seven of the Colts’ 14 games. He’s tied with Carolina’s Luke Kuechly for the most games with 10 or more tackles this season.But what the Colts have found in Leonard is much more than a tackling machine.His seven sacks are third-most100<button class="view-gallery">View Gallery</button> Gallery:View from the sidelines: NFL cheerleaders 2018Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports | Raj Mehtaby a Colts rookie, trailing only Dwight Freeney (13) and Vernon Maxwell (7). Dee Ford, Khalil Mack and J.J. Watt — all Pro Bowlers — are the only players this season to force more fumbles than Leonard (4). He also has 12 tackles for loss, six passes defensed and two fumble recoveries.Andrew Luck spotted the potential almost from the first moment Leonard suited up for Indy. At the first training camp practice, Leonard made a leaping http://www.jaguarscheapstore.com/jawaan-taylor-jersey-cheap , acrobatic interception of the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback.“I’ll be honest, the first couple of training camp practices I said ‘My goodness, he’s not supposed to be that fast and play linebacker,'” Luck recalled. “And then he went up for that interception and came down with it, and I just said ‘My goodness.'”Luck appreciates that he won’t have to contend with Leonard in a meaningful game. The rest of the league won’t be as fortunate.“I want to go out there every week and make every tackle,” Leonard said. “I like to set a crazy goal, so each week if it’s not 25 (tackles), I’m mad at myself.” NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Talk about a culture change.Not long ago, drafting a tight end in the first round was taboo for NFL teams. On Thursday night, two might go very high — and they come from the same school.T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant of Iowa are projected to go early, and it’s not just because they are versatile, talented players. Or that the Hawkeyes have turned into a college mecca for the position: 10 of them in the pros since 2000, including Dallas Clark, who helped the Colts win a Super Bowl, and George Kittle, who set records for the position with the 49ers last year.With the emphasis on more passing and a shift toward more open offenses, the tight end spot has become a critical component of NFL attacks. Every team is eager to find the next Rob Gronkowski or Travis Kelce or Zach Ertz. And colleges are putting more emphasis on using the tight end as a weapon, not as a glorified tackle.“The tight end is the eraser for the quarterback,” Fant said Wednesday as 21 potential first-rounders spoke at Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans and within a short walk across a bridge over the Cumberland River to where the draft will occur. “That’s where being a dynamic tight end comes into play.”Added Hockenson: “It’s become a valued position. A three-down tight end who can run past defenders when needed and block when needed is special.”So Josh Oliver Jersey , apparently, are these two. Hockenson has been rated on some draft prognostications as one of the top 10 prospects in this crop. Fant hasn’t been far behind.Neither likely will go in the top half-dozen selections, which figure to be dominated by defensive players such as Nick Bosa of Ohio State, Quinnen Williams of Alabama, Josh Allen of Kentucky and Devin White of LSU. Both are expected to be gone in the top 20 or so.That would be a rare occurrence. Since the NFL went to 32 teams in 2002 when the Texans joined the league, a pair of tight ends has not gone in the first 20. Indeed, only three were drafted higher than 19th: Kellen Winslow Jr. (2004, sixth); Vernon Davis (2006, sixth); and Eric Ebron (2014, 10th).But pro teams have changed their tunes most recently. Two years ago, three tight ends were taken in the opening round: O.J. Howard by Tampa at 19, Evan Engram by the Giants at 23 and David Njoku at 29 by Cleveland.Now come Hockenson and Fant, who say they have no clue where they will land.“I just feel we’re ready,” Hockenson said. “This entire process has been flattering and it has been cool to learn how people see the game differently. But as for where, don’t know.”Fant also shrugged when asked where he might wind up, though when the subject of replacing Gronk in New England was broached, he said: “Playing at New England, you couldn’t ask for a better situation.”Fant, who came into the 2018 college season as the higher-rated prospect — and still might be with many teams — believes he benefited from playing with another standout tight end. He certainly showed a knack for the end zone with 19 career touchdowns.Hockenson was no slouch, of course, and had nine TDs. He also handled more of the blocking role for the Hawkeyes than did Fant http://www.jaguarscheapstore.com/quincy-williams-ii-jersey-cheap , though many NFL personnel people believe both will be versatile and reliable at either chore.Both became tight ends in middle school and took to the position quickly. Hockenson grew up in Chariton, Iowa, while Fant is from Omaha, Nebraska. When they got to Iowa City, they were behind Kittle, then each of them excelled when Kittle headed to the 49ers.Kittle has told them to “block out all the noise” and just be themselves during the draft process — and when they arrive in the NFL. Both would do exceptionally well to emulate Kittle’s numbers with the Niners: 88 receptions, 1,377 yards and five TDs last season, playing mostly with backup passers.“What George did (at Iowa) was pretty special,” Fant said. “George has taken it to another level in the NFL. He made for big shoes to fill.”Perhaps. But remember, Kittle was a fifth-round selection in the 2017 draft. By that round this weekend, Hockenson and Fant likely will be ensconced in their new city, learning the playbook.NOTES: Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, considered likely to go to Arizona as the top overall pick, didn’t attend the morning availability. He notified the NFL on Tuesday that he had a family commitment that would prevent him from being at Nissan Stadium … Sooners WR Marquis Brown said of Murray, the Heisman Trophy winner: “He can seem like a quiet guy to people that don’t know him. He’s not just open to everyone. But when you know him and you’re on a team with him, you’re going to know him. Like he’s funny guy and he’s undoubtedly a leader; he leads by example, works hard in the weight room, on the field. He does everything for you not to question anything about him.”