so he could follow in his half-brother¡¯s footsteps.The Indianapolis Colts rookie linebacker soon learned he had much larger shoes to fill.Leonard has embraced the legacy of Edwin Jackson https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Matthias-Farley-Jersey , who wore the same jersey number with the Colts before he was killed in a February traffic accident. Now Leonard will honor Jackson¡¯s memory during the NFL¡¯s annual My Cause My Cleats celebration, something Jackson¡¯s family endorses.¡°When my family and I watch Darius, we see the same passion and fire Edwin played with¡± said Adam Jackson, Edwin¡¯s brother. ¡°Edwin often talked about how he represented a lot of people when he was on the field, and that he wanted to make them proud and give them a show. It seems like this is similar for Darius Leonard. From what I have read about Darius, he was considered an underdog coming out of college just like Edwin. They both used this underdog mentality as fuel to become NFL starters for the Colts.¡±The similarities go far deeper than numbers and resume lines, though.Both were largely overlooked by big-name colleges because of their size. Both far exceeded expectations at Football Championship Subdivision schools and impressed NFL coaches with their ability to run from sideline to sideline. Both won over their pro teammates with fun-loving personalities and their passion for the sport and both embraced giving back to their communities.Leonard knew nothing about Jackson when the Colts drafted him in the second round, No. 36 overall, in April.It wasn¡¯t until he requested the number of his half brother, former NFL player Anthony Waters, that Leonard got a crash course in what Jackson meant to the organization.¡°He was a great person, he came from a great family and he was great to be around,¡± second-year linebacker Anthony Walker said. ¡°He was one of the guys I was closest to last year, and he kind of took me under his wing and showed me how it worked in the NFL.¡±Now Walker finds himself fulfilling Jackson¡¯s old role by serving as a mentor, to Leonard ¡ª the league¡¯s leading tackler heading into Sunday¡¯s game at Jacksonville (3-8) and a bona fide candidate as defensive rookie of the year.The starting tandem and locker mates seem to thoroughly enjoy trading stories, doubling as comics and playfully teasing one another during locker room interviews in the same fashion. They¡¯re loud and full of joy ¡ª just like Jackson Christine Michael Sr Jersey , who was nicknamed ¡°Pound Cake¡± after walking on at Georgia Southern and being cut by the Arizona Cardinals in 2015 before landing in Indy.¡°It seems like his personality and who he was is very similar to who I am,¡± said Leonard, who was dubbed ¡°Maniac¡± during his college years at South Carolina State following an 19-tackle game against Clemson in September 2016.Leonard¡¯s performance caught the attention of Colts general manager Chris Ballard, who also was a huge fan of Jackson and his radiant smile that seemed to welcome anybody who came into the locker room.And it led Leonard to this place ¡ª where he, Walker and injured safety Mathias Farley intend to wear specially-designed cleats to help raise money and awareness for the Edwin Jackson 53 Foundation. In this, the third year of the cleats program, organizers have expanded it to a three-week window so every player has a chance to participate in front of their home fans.Indy¡¯s chance comes Dec. 16 against Dallas ¡ª a potentially huge game for an organization that has won five straight to climb back into playoff contention ¡ª and Jackson¡¯s brother will attend the game.It will be Adam Jackson¡¯s second trip to Indy for a tribute. He and his family also came back Sept. 30 when the Colts played a highlight reel of Jackson on the stadium¡¯s big screens and donated $32,000 to the foundation. Indy lost that game in overtime but won over the hearts of the Jackson family.¡°It was a special moment for all of us,¡± he said. ¡°We followed him everywhere from elementary school to Georgia Southern, all the way up to Indianapolis. It was a touching moment to walk in the same footsteps Edwin had walked and see how much his hard work was appreciated and how much it still is appreciated.¡±And now Adam Jackson will get to see the appreciation once more through the fittingly fancy footwork of Walker and Leonard.¡°Darius is also part of the same college fraternity as Edwin¡¯s grandfather, Omega Psi Phi,¡± he said. ¡°So I think if anyone is going to wear Edwin¡¯s jersey, it should be Darius, and he has represented the number 53 quite well.¡± Do the Colts need to draft a cornerback early in the NFL Draft? Are they necessarily set at the position? Are they set, but should they still draft a cornerback? Maybe they¡¯re not set, but still..." Indianapolis Colts Draft CentralDraft ProspectsThe Curious Case of the Colts¡¯ Cornerback PositionNew Pat McAfee Color Rush Jersey ,22commentsEDTDo the Colts need to draft a cornerback early in the NFL Draft? Are they necessarily set at the position? Are they set, but should they still draft a cornerback? Maybe they¡¯re not set, but still shouldn¡¯t draft a cornerback early considering the other needs. The cornerback position is a confusing one for the Colts right now.There are three questions that need to be answered, and those answers should help us with the questions listed above. Those three questions are:Do the Colts feel comfortable with Pierre Desir as a #1 cornerback moving forward?Is Quincy Wilson going to be a legitimate #2 cornerback in 2019-2020?Do the Colts have enough depth at the position?<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="adh61l">Is Pierre Desir the #1 cornerback of the future?When the Colts signed Pierre Desir in the offseason to a 3 year, 22.5M dollar deal, it might¡¯ve seemed like they have locked up their #1 cornerback for the next three years. In reality, the Colts can save cap space if they decide to release him after this season. He essentially signed a one year deal with a 2nd and 3rd year team option. Desir had a fantastic 2018 season, and while he¡¯s locked in as a starter and probable #1 cornerback for 2019, his future with the Colts is still up in the air. A bad season and he could be wearing different colours in 2020. <hr class="p-entry-hr" id="94vQXy">Is Quincy Wilson going to be a legitimate #2 cornerback?This, to me, is the biggest question heading into the draft. The 22, to-be 23 year old is still in the baby steps of his career. While his career has been marred with inconsistency, he finished last season strong and ended the year as the 39th best cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. In the last 10 games of the season, quarterbacks targeting him had a 65.4 passer rating and when targeted 10 or more yards down the field, he allowed just a 9.3 passer rating. Is this just a good stretch of football or will his 3rd season in the NFL be marred by inconsistency again? The #2 cornerback position gets a lot of attention in the NFL and is often targeted by opposing offenses for match-up purposes. Due to his young age and his stellar play in the second half of last season https://www.coltsfanshop.com/Jack-Doyle-Jersey , the Colts should ride with him as a starting cornerback heading into the 2019 season, but he has yet to prove that he¡¯s the longterm answer at cornerback. <hr class="p-entry-hr" id="Cpxq7e">Do the Colts have enough depth at the position?If you consider the three starting cornerbacks to be Pierre Desir, Quincy Wilson and Kenny Moore (as the nickel), then that means that the following 4 players would be considered the current backups:Nate HairstonJalen CollinsChris MiltonDJ KillingsNone of those players screams confidence if they were thrust into a starting role. All 4 players are 26 years old or younger, so they lack NFL experience and none of their ceilings are very high. Considering those negatives, I would say the Colts need to bolster up their depth, considering depth is crucial at cornerback, perhaps more than any other position in the NFL. <hr class="p-entry-hr" id="Pu0QvU">To recap, Pierre Desir is not locked in as a longterm starter, Quincy Wilson has a lot of question marks surrounding his play and his consistency and the depth is thin at cornerback. Based on the answers to those three questions, the Colts should strongly consider taking a cornerback (if the right situation arises in terms of the ¡°Best Player Available¡± strategy that Ballard seems to follow) with one of their first 4 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft.If the Colts were to follow the cornerback rankings in our Draft Guide, then the following 10 players would be worth a long look in the first few rounds:Amani Oruwariye ¡ª Penn StateGreedy Williams ¡ª LSUByron Murphy ¡ª WashingtonDeandre Baker ¡ª GeorgiaJustin Layne ¡ª Michigan StateRock Ya-Sin ¡ª TempleJoejuan Williams ¡ª VanderbiltJulian Love ¡ª StanfordMichael Jackson ¡ª MiamiDavid Long ¡ª West VirginiaMost fit the Colts¡¯ defensive Cover 2-based scheme and could have immediate impacts in the short term and the long term. Don¡¯t be surprised if the Colts take a cornerback with one of their first two picks.