He has made it look somewhat easy throughout his brief career. Indianapolis Colts' linebacker Darius Leonard is one of those do-it-all performers. And he has helped elevate coordinator Matt Eberflus' unit in recent years.

A second-round pick in 2018 from South Carolina State, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein had this to say in regards to his pre-draft evaluation.

Long and twitchy with athletic ability and straight-line speed that should light up the combine, Leonard has packed on the pounds since hitting campus, but it hasn't compromised his play speed as he has posted dominant production throughout. He lacks play strength and there are times you want to see more nasty in his field demeanor, but he has the traits and talent to become a good, three-down linebacker who can play 3-4 inside backer or 4-3 WILL

Leonard makes this Colts' team so much better when he plays. Despite taking the field when not being fully healthy, he is genuinely racking up numbers that are insanely phenomenal. Despite dealing with pain from an ankle injury that required surgery back in June, he's started and played in all eight games this season.

The four-year pro ranks second on the team with 60 tackles. There's also a pair of interceptions, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and five passes defensed. The Colts are tied with the Buffalo Bills – the latter playing one fewer game – with 18 takeaways this season. And Leonard have five of those opponent miscues. He is currently Pro Football Focus' seventh-ranked linebacker.

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Quite the Resume

That shouldn't be a surprise for a performer who earned All-Pro honors as a rookie in 2018 as well as a season ago while being named to the last two Pro Bowls. In 50 career regular-season outings, there have been 15 sacks (zero so far in '21), nine interceptions, 12 forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and an impressive 27 passes defensed.

Leonard amassed 120-plus tackles in each of this first three years in the league. He appears to be headed in that direction again. And his 2021 resume to date is certainly worthy of NFL Defensive Player of the Year attention.

On Thursday night at Lucas Oil Stadium, the Colts host the New York Jets. Some will focus on the quarterback battle between Mike White and Carson Wentz. Others may look for a big game from Indianapolis' running back Jonathan Taylor. But watching Darius Leonard roam the field may really be worth the price of admission.