The Maniac

[Trueman]

Nice write-up on our boy , Leonard. 


https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2802404-maniac-darius-leonard-has-gone-from-clemson-castoff-to-rookie-nfl-sensation

 

[ColtsGermany]

Nice article. I love that guy. But i have to admit, when CB selected him in the 2nd round, i thought "what are you doin' Mr. Ballard???" 

But now I'm so excited about Leonard. That Kid is speacial and i hope he stays healthy. Then he really has a chance to get DROY award. 

Edited October 27, 2018 by ColtsGermany

[braveheartcolt]

Yes, he looks to be our LB star that we have been seeking for years. It also shows how futile all this pre and post Draft posturing is from us armchair GM's. We don't really know as much as we think. 

 

 

[Yoshinator]

46 minutes ago, braveheartcolt said:

Yes, he looks to be our LB star that we have been seeking for years. It also shows how futile all this pre and post Draft posturing is from us armchair GM's. We don't really know as much as we think. 

 

 

You gave me an interesting idea as far as correlating Madden and "armchair GMing" to real life based on advanced updates on the game. I'm going to see if I can form an article around it and get peoples opinions on if there is any correlation between the two.

[Yoshinator]

Leonard has been an absolute monster. I heard about him before day 2 started, so I knew how good he was and was hoping to get him with our mid 2nd rounder. My only worry was we reached a bit, but that seems to not be the case. Very happy we got him. I guess a lesson Ballard taught us is, if you like a guy, go out there and take him. Don't try and stretch his draft position to the absolute max where you could miss out on him. He did the same with Braden Smith as well. Got his last available starter according to his own personal ranks with both picks, and his analysis seems to be correct. I'd rather "slightly reach" and get picks like Leonard and Braden Smith, then take picks you weren't real comfortable with just because they are value. Ballard earned the benefit of the doubt in the draft with his 2018 draft.

[2006Coltsbestever]

2 hours ago, braveheartcolt said:

Yes, he looks to be our LB star that we have been seeking for years. It also shows how futile all this pre and post Draft posturing is from us armchair GM's. We don't really know as much as we think. 

 

 

This is why I always say the Draft is a crapshoot unless you are picking #1 and there is an Andrew Luck type of QB coming out and you need a QB. Right now as we speak, there isn't one person in here that Would take Chubb over Leonard if the Draft were today. If there is I would be shocked because Leonard is playing like a Top 5 pick. I would say at least 75% of people in here wanted Chubb on Draft day. Looking at it now I am glad we took Nelson and then ended up with Leonard. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

Now Chubb still would've been a good pick don't get me wrong but Leonard has 54 Tackles already and he's even missed a game. Chubb has picked up his Sack a bit but playing along side Miller really helps. Teams have to worry about Miller so dang much.

[Yoshinator]

2 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Now Chubb still would've been a good pick don't get me wrong but Leonard has 54 Tackles already and he's even missed a game. Chubb has picked up his Sack a bit but playing along side Miller really helps. Teams have to worry about Miller so dang much.

Technically he has 79. 54 solo and 25 assisted. He's still involved in the assisted, so I count them. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

3 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Technically he has 79. 54 solo and 25 assisted. He's still involved in the assisted, so I count them. 

I would've loved to get Chubb and then take Leonard as well. Chubb is Good but I doubt we would've taken Leonard had we taken Chubb. I am happy with Neslon and Leonard. I guess my point is, nobody thought Leonard would be playing like a Top 5 pick.

[Yoshinator]

28 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I would've loved to get Chubb and then take Leonard as well. Chubb is Good but I doubt we would've taken Leonard had we taken Chubb. I am happy with Neslon and Leonard. I guess my point is, nobody thought Leonard would be playing like a Top 5 pick.

If we didn't trade down from 3 to 6, we could of gotten both. However, it probably wouldn't of happened and we would of been a lot worse off. Lets assume we don't trade down and take Chubb at 3, then we still need a G in the draft because we didn't take Nelson and probably take Braden Smith instead of Nelson with our 2nd rounder. After that, we would have no other 2nds to take Leonard, Turay, and the trade down for Wilkins. 

 

So basically you have to ask yourself, would I rather have Chubb and Braden Smith, or Nelson, Braden Smith, Leonard, Turay, and Wilkins along with a 2nd round pick next year of the Jets? We may of missed out on Chubb, but Ballard's trade was genius and it should pay off next year as well.

[2006Coltsbestever]

15 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

If we didn't trade down from 3 to 6, we could of gotten both. However, it probably wouldn't of happened and we would of been a lot worse off. Lets assume we don't trade down and take Chubb at 3, then we still need a G in the draft because we didn't take Nelson and probably take Braden Smith instead of Nelson with our 2nd rounder. After that, we would have no other 2nds to take Leonard, Turay, and the trade down for Wilkins. 

 

So basically you have to ask yourself, would I rather have Chubb and Braden Smith, or Nelson, Braden Smith, Leonard, Turay, and Wilkins along with a 2nd round pick next year of the Jets. We may of missed out on Chubb, but Ballard's trade was genius and it should pay off next year as well.

I agree 100%, that did work out nicely. I think Ballard will hit on 2 or 3 guys in the next Draft as well. Free Agency will be interesting too.

[Yoshinator]

8 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I agree 100%, that did work out nicely. I think Ballard will hit on 2 or 3 guys in the next Draft as well. Free Agency will be interesting too.

We have an extra 2nd from the Jets and an extra 4th from losing Moncrief to the Jags, so I imagine we will hit on at least 4 picks in next years draft with Ballard as GM. Probably our 1st rounder, at least one of the 2nds, at least one of the 3rd-4th rounders, and a pick in the 5th-7th round range. I definitely agree that FA will be interesting as well. Should fill quite a few holes if we spend more.

[jskinnz]

3 hours ago, braveheartcolt said:

Yes, he looks to be our LB star that we have been seeking for years. It also shows how futile all this pre and post Draft posturing is from us armchair GM's. We don't really know as much as we think. 

 

 

 

I don't ever get worked up over the draft because I know they are 10,000% smarter than I am.  I have my favorites in every draft but don't pound the table as some do that Ballard (Or Grigson or Polian or whoever) has lost their mind for not selecting player X.

 

For instance I was enamored with Tremaine Edmunds and thought he could be in play at # 6.  Well that obviously did not play out and thankfully so.  With the small sample size, Leonard appears to be the much better player.  And this is to say nothing of the draft haul that came from the trade.

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, Jared Cisneros said:

We have an extra 2nd from the Jets and an extra 4th from losing Moncrief to the Jags, so I imagine we will hit on at least 4 picks in next years draft with Ballard as GM. Probably our 1st rounder, at least one of the 2nds, at least one the 3rd-4th rounders, and a pick in the 5th-7th round range. I definitely agree that FA will be interesting as well. Should fill quite a few holes if we spend more.

Yeah the offseason will be fun to watch no doubt. I love the direction we are headed because I believe Reich is a Good Coach and we already have our Franchise QB in place. Eventhough we are 2-5 it doesn't seem like it. Man we should've beat Houston but we didn't oh well.

[2006Coltsbestever]

1 minute ago, jskinnz said:

 

I don't ever get worked up over the draft because I know they are 10,000% smarter than I am.  I have my favorites in every draft but don't pound the table as some do that Ballard (Or Grigson or Polian or whoever) has lost their mind for not selecting player X.

 

For instance I was enamored with Tremaine Edmunds and thought he could be in play at # 6.  Well that obviously did not play out and thankfully so.  With the small sample size, Leonard appears to be the much better player.  And this is to say nothing of the draft haul that came from the trade.

I liked Edmunds alot too but Nelson was 2nd on my Colts board only behind Barkley going in. I did have Chubb 3rd. Barkley and Chubb were gone so I was thrilled with the Nelson pick.

[Yoshinator]

9 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

Yeah the offseason will be fun to watch no doubt. I love the direction we are headed because I believe Reich is a Good Coach and we already have our Franchise QB in place. Eventhough we are 2-5 it doesn't seem like it. Man we should've beat Houston but we didn't oh well.

I said in an earlier thread from a week or so ago that we are in much better shape then any other team drafting in the top 10 currently right now based on record. A girl I'm friends with is a Raiders fan, and she hates the team right now with Gruden. There's plenty of examples of teams that are behind us in stages of rebuilding, and we hit the first stage by drafting all these good players in the 2018 draft. We can now go into FA and the draft next year with the plan of fixing our remaining weaknesses and making a run. No other 2-5 team can say that.

 

As far as Coach Reich goes, I like him a lot, though I'm not completely sold on him yet. He did impress me twice majorly though. First in Houston by going for the win in OT. He has a winning mentality, and is a breath of fresh air compared to Pagano. The second thing I loved was how he had such a balanced offense Vs the Bills. We got Mack and Costanzo back, and he used them to perfection. If this is the game plan every week, then Coach Reich is as good as advertised and we will be very dangerous. Hopefully it continues tomorrow Vs the Raiders.

 

 

[2006Coltsbestever]

32 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

I said in an earlier thread from a week or so ago that we are in much better shape then any other team drafting in the top 10 currently right now based on record. A girl I'm friends with is a Raiders fan, and she hates the team right now with Gruden. There's plenty of examples of teams that are behind us in stages of rebuilding, and we hit the first stage by drafting all these good players in the 2018 draft. We can now go into FA and the draft next year with the plan of fixing our remaining weaknesses and making a run. No other 2-5 team can say that.

 

As far as Coach Reich goes, I like him a lot, though I'm not completely sold on him yet. He did impress me twice majorly though. First in Houston by going for the win in OT. He has a winning mentality, and is a breath of fresh air compared to Pagano. The second thing I loved was how he had such a balanced offense Vs the Bills. We got Mack and Costanzo back, and he used them to perfection. If this is the game plan every week, then Coach Reich is as good as advertised and we will be very dangerous. Hopefully it continues tomorrow Vs the Raiders.

 

 

I would be furious if I were a Raiders fan. Gruden has destroyed that team over night.

[Yoshinator]

2 minutes ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I would be furious if I were a Raiders fan. Gruden has destroyed that team over night.

Yep. They have all those first round picks, but they lost Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, a hall of famer and a solid 1,000 yard receiver every year. Good luck replacing them. I can easily see Gruden missing on 2-3 of those 5 first round picks in the next two years, then getting a D-Line player inferior to Mack to replace him, and a WR as good as Amari that is two years younger which really didn't accomplish much. Their pass rush is garbage now. Leonard almost has as many sacks as their whole team, and he missed a game. Thank goodness we have a GM in Ballard who knows what he is doing. I think the Raiders first round LT, Kolton Miller, was ranked last among Tackles according to PFF. That team is a dumpster fire.

[2006Coltsbestever]

18 minutes ago, Jared Cisneros said:

Yep. They have all those first round picks, but they lost Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper, a hall of famer and a solid 1,000 yard receiver every year. Good luck replacing them. I can easily see Gruden missing on 2-3 of those 5 first round picks in the next two years, then getting a D-Line player inferior to Mack to replace him, and a WR as good as Amari that is two years younger which really didn't accomplish much. Their pass rush is garbage now. Leonard almost has as many sacks as their whole team, and he missed a game. Thank goodness we have a GM in Ballard who knows what he is doing. I think the Raiders first round LT, Kolton Miller, was ranked last among Tackles according to PFF. That team is a dumpster fire.

Looks good for Luck tomorrow. I will take 3-5 going into the bye week 

[AZColt11]

The 2018 has worked out mighty nicely indeed.

[richard pallo]

I know we are all excited about the success of this years draft class and our possibilities for next years as well.  And we should be.  Ballard is always trying to improve our roster whether it's adding picks or players.  That's why I'm interested to see if he makes any moves by the trade deadline.  The consensus is he won't but I'm not so sure.  Chances are good he's having conversations though.  A lot probably depends on tomorrows outcome and the various situations the other teams are facing.   I think it could be an interesting 72 hours coming up. 

[HectorRoberts]

I really wanted Leonard in round 4 and I was a little confused when we got him in round 2. But what do I know I wanted t.y. Hilton in round 5 and Le’Raven Clark in round 2

[JustAColtsFan]

Ballard continues to impress me.  Talk about a diamond dug up out of the mud by the name of "MIKE MITCHEL".  We will have to pay the man next year but we definitely need to.   He is heads and shoulders above our other safety options not named Hooker and since that young man appears to have issues with staying healthy, we need that insurance. 

[LJpalmbeacher2]

5 hours ago, braveheartcolt said:

Yes, he looks to be our LB star that we have been seeking for years. It also shows how futile all this pre and post Draft posturing is from us armchair GM's. We don't really know as much as we think. 

 

 

 

Yes Leonard looks like a excellent pick so far. One that most of us armchair GM's didn't even talk about. Yes we fans have limited info (draft sites & YouTube) compared to the REAL GM's.

 

But the real GM's MISS there share of picks too, even with much more information and a team of scouts.

Just a few recently off the top of head like Banner, Bashaam, Dijon Smith over Coleman, Bjorn Werner, Dorsett, Hooker not looking so great for a 1st rd. pick, Q.Wilson looking bad for a mid 2nd rounder, etc...

 

Those are just a few from our Colts GM's(Griggs & Ballard) last few seasons. I'm sure tons of more misses from other teams GM's.

I think the members here on this forum do overall decent job of mocks. Especially considering they don't have the resources of information the GM's do or the salary. I mean our members our doing it only for FUN.

 

I applaud our 'armchair wanna be GM's' and say keep it up! 

 

[braveheartcolt]

2 hours ago, jskinnz said:

 

I don't ever get worked up over the draft because I know they are 10,000% smarter than I am.  I have my favorites in every draft but don't pound the table as some do that Ballard (Or Grigson or Polian or whoever) has lost their mind for not selecting player X.

 

For instance I was enamored with Tremaine Edmunds and thought he could be in play at # 6.  Well that obviously did not play out and thankfully so.  With the small sample size, Leonard appears to be the much better player.  And this is to say nothing of the draft haul that came from the trade.

Agreed on all fronts. I don't follow college footie, so I rarely have a view on the draft, apart from perhaps what our key positional priorities should be. I was a wee bit 'all in' on Luck mind you.....

[braveheartcolt]

21 minutes ago, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

 

Yes Leonard looks like a excellent pick so far. One that most of us armchair GM's didn't even talk about. Yes we fans have limited info (draft sites & YouTube) compared to the REAL GM's.

 

But the real GM's MISS there share of picks too, even with much more information and a team of scouts.

Just a few recently off the top of head like Banner, Bashaam, Dijon Smith over Coleman, Bjorn Werner, Dorsett, Hooker not looking so great for a 1st rd. pick, Q.Wilson looking bad for a mid 2nd rounder, etc...

 

Those are just a few from our Colts GM's(Griggs & Ballard) last few seasons. I'm sure tons of more misses from other teams GM's.

I think the members here on this forum do overall decent job of mocks. Especially considering they don't have the resources of information the GM's do or the salary. I mean our members our doing it only for FUN.

 

I applaud our 'armchair wanna be GM's' and say keep it up! 

 

I agree with what you say. What I don't like is all those posters getting bent out of shape as if they know better. I am also aware GM's screw up regularly. And that is just by watching our drafts for the last 15 years or so. 

[crazycolt1]

My, my, the mentality of winning a game. If we drop this game vs the Raiders it will be right back to the fire everyone mentality. 2 weeks ago this forum was blowing up and talking about having a pick in the top three picks. It's funny because I sit back and read a lot of this stuff just shaking my head. Fandom does strange things to the fan base for sure.

[Yoshinator]

5 minutes ago, crazycolt1 said:

My, my, the mentality of winning a game. If we drop this game vs the Raiders it will be right back to the fire everyone mentality. 2 weeks ago this forum was blowing up and talking about having a pick in the top three picks. It's funny because I sit back and read a lot of this stuff just shaking my head. Fandom does strange things to the fan base for sure.

That's how fans emotions are in football, an up and down rollercoaster. This site is very tame to the general public. I think most understand we are on thin ice as far as playoff chances right now. We don't have any game that's a guaranteed loss left and have made it through the hard part of our schedule, but we are 2-5, and have to go 9-7 minimum to have a shot at a wildcard or winning the division. Right now, people are still optimistic after last week Vs the Bills until proven otherwise. I expect we will do largely the same to the Raiders, and we should. They have no offense, defense, or pass rush to get pressure on Luck. 

 

We may not get a top 3 pick, but a top ten pick is still a possibility unless we consistently play well every week. Basically everyone on here has turned into me for a week, and I hope we make an example of the Raiders so it continues for another week.

[NewColtsFan]

1 hour ago, JustAColtsFan said:

Ballard continues to impress me.  Talk about a diamond dug up out of the mud by the name of "MIKE MITCHEL".  We will have to pay the man next year but we definitely need to.   He is heads and shoulders above our other safety options not named Hooker and since that young man appears to have issues with staying healthy, we need that insurance. 

 

Mitchell is not a replacement for Hooker.   I believe he is more of a strong safety.    He’s more of a replacement for Geathers. 

 

That’s my understanding.   If I’m wrong, I’m sure someone will correct me.   

[Peterk2011]

5 hours ago, 2006Coltsbestever said:

I would've loved to get Chubb and then take Leonard as well. Chubb is Good but I doubt we would've taken Leonard had we taken Chubb. I am happy with Neslon and Leonard. I guess my point is, nobody thought Leonard would be playing like a Top 5 pick.

 

I love Leonard, but I'd trade him for Chubb in a heartbeat. I follow the Broncos closely, and albeit Chubb had a bit slower start, but he is catchcing up quickly. He is already very-very good, and he'll only be better. (And he would've been even better fit on our 4-3 than in Denver's 3-4, so he could be even better for us.) So, you have to take position value into account, an elite edge rusher has more impact on the game than an elite WLB. Don't get me wrong, I love our 2018 draft class. But 1 on 1, I would take Chubb over Leonard any day.

 

However, if the quetion is, would I prefer the duo of Chubb+Hernandez/Smith over the quartet of Nelson+Leonard+Smith+Turay, then hell, no.  (Which is crazy, considering, that otherwise I would take a Chubb+Hernandez/Smith duo in the first two rounds ANY YEAR, and call it a hit.)

 

[NorthernBlue]

2 hours ago, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

 

Yes Leonard looks like a excellent pick so far. One that most of us armchair GM's didn't even talk about. Yes we fans have limited info (draft sites & YouTube) compared to the REAL GM's.

 

But the real GM's MISS there share of picks too, even with much more information and a team of scouts.

Just a few recently off the top of head like Banner, Bashaam, Dijon Smith over Coleman, Bjorn Werner, Dorsett, Hooker not looking so great for a 1st rd. pick, Q.Wilson looking bad for a mid 2nd rounder, etc...

 

Those are just a few from our Colts GM's(Griggs & Ballard) last few seasons. I'm sure tons of more misses from other teams GM's.

I think the members here on this forum do overall decent job of mocks. Especially considering they don't have the resources of information the GM's do or the salary. I mean our members our doing it only for FUN.

 

I applaud our 'armchair wanna be GM's' and say keep it up! 

 

Hooker was playing quite good last season. So far this year he’s been up and down, but he’s coming off an acl injury. 

[NewColtsFan]

Amended comment on Mitchell...

 

It looks like he’s going to sub for Hooker...   not sure we have anyone better.   Just not sure if his BETTER position is the free safety or the strong?

[JustAColtsFan]

13 minutes ago, NewColtsFan said:

Amended comment on Mitchell...

 

It looks like he’s going to sub for Hooker...   not sure we have anyone better.   Just not sure if his BETTER position is the free safety or the strong?

You are correct, not a replacement for Hooker but he seems very capable of covering side line to side line.  Definitely a keeper.

[Scott Pennock]

6 hours ago, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

 

Yes Leonard looks like a excellent pick so far. One that most of us armchair GM's didn't even talk about. Yes we fans have limited info (draft sites & YouTube) compared to the REAL GM's.

 

But the real GM's MISS there share of picks too, even with much more information and a team of scouts.

Just a few recently off the top of head like Banner, Bashaam, Dijon Smith over Coleman, Bjorn Werner, Dorsett, Hooker not looking so great for a 1st rd. pick, Q.Wilson looking bad for a mid 2nd rounder, etc...

 

Those are just a few from our Colts GM's(Griggs & Ballard) last few seasons. I'm sure tons of more misses from other teams GM's.

I think the members here on this forum do overall decent job of mocks. Especially considering they don't have the resources of information the GM's do or the salary. I mean our members our doing it only for FUN.

 

I applaud our 'armchair wanna be GM's' and say keep it up! 

 

I'll concede Banner and Basham as not working out for the Colts so long as you can acknowledge that the free agents and/or waiver wire pickups thst were signed to replace them have played well (Glowinski, Muhammad, Phillips, Ward, etc).

 

I will not concede Hooker nor Wilson as busts.....they have played good to great when on the field. A cheap crackback block likely cost Hooker of a chance at DROY last year (that does not make him injury prone) and Wilson, when not in whatever dog house he's found himself in plays very good as a young corner.

[NewColtsFan]

8 hours ago, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

 

Yes Leonard looks like a excellent pick so far. One that most of us armchair GM's didn't even talk about. Yes we fans have limited info (draft sites & YouTube) compared to the REAL GM's.

 

But the real GM's MISS there share of picks too, even with much more information and a team of scouts.

Just a few recently off the top of head like Banner, Bashaam, Dijon Smith over Coleman, Bjorn Werner, Dorsett, Hooker not looking so great for a 1st rd. pick, Q.Wilson looking bad for a mid 2nd rounder, etc...

 

Those are just a few from our Colts GM's(Griggs & Ballard) last few seasons. I'm sure tons of more misses from other teams GM's.

I think the members here on this forum do overall decent job of mocks. Especially considering they don't have the resources of information the GM's do or the salary. I mean our members our doing it only for FUN.

 

I applaud our 'armchair wanna be GM's' and say keep it up! 

 

 

WTH?!?

 

Hooker hasn’t even played 16 games because he’s had a major injury and you’re already deciding he’s nit so good?     Huh?

 

Wilson is “bad”?   He hasn’t played 16 games either.

 

What games are are you watching?

 

This is why professional people say don’t judge kids until they’ve played for three years. 

 

You can judge Banner and Basham.  That’s about it.    Otherwise....

 

[Surge89]

Anyone that questioned the pick listens to analysts and reads articles instead of actually watching tape.  It was very clear that Leonard was of equal talent to Edmunds and Smith but against a weaker conference.  I was sure Leonard doesn't make it out if the first round but then the outrageous run on guards happened.  

[Stephen]

14 hours ago, jskinnz said:

 

I don't ever get worked up over the draft because I know they are 10,000% smarter than I am.  I have my favorites in every draft but don't pound the table as some do that Ballard (Or Grigson or Polian or whoever) has lost their mind for not selecting player X.

 

For instance I was enamored with Tremaine Edmunds and thought he could be in play at # 6.  Well that obviously did not play out and thankfully so.  With the small sample size, Leonard appears to be the much better player.  And this is to say nothing of the draft haul that came from the trade.

I liked idea of Edmunds  because he was young, fast, and lots of upside. Plus Ballard kept saying he liked speed on defense. So I looked at smith edmunds and Leonard. I knew if we took nelson smith and Edmunds  wouldnt be there because they were super hyped.

[crazycolt1]

10 hours ago, NewColtsFan said:

Amended comment on Mitchell...

 

It looks like he’s going to sub for Hooker...   not sure we have anyone better.   Just not sure if his BETTER position is the free safety or the strong?

IMO Mitchell has earned a starting spot no matter where he starts. How you take him off the field?

[Dark Superman]

The Maniac is not human.

[Lawrence Owen]

Here is a link to something i didn't realize.  How early Indy truly picked him compared to how the rest of the NFL viewed Leonard in unreal.  But, Honestly, a possible DROY/probowler in the 2nd round is worth it.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000978218/article/colts-droy-candidate-darius-leonard-fueled-by-slights

 

The Indianapolis Colts weren't considered Day 2 winners when they selected linebacker Darius Leonard out of South Carolina State with the 36th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft.

In fact, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport said he randomly received a flood of messages from team executives questioning why Leonard went so early. Rapoport can't remember there being such a disparity in an evaluation between one team and the rest of the league -- the Colts were thrilled Leonard was even on the board still.

Leonard, who appeared on the latest episode of the RapSheet and Friends podcast, says he didn't think he would be drafted that early either.