Colts may have one of the league’s best duos in Yannick Ngakoue and DeForest Buckner
The Indianapolis Colts may have one of the league’s best passing-rushing duos with Yannick Ngakoue and DeForest Buckner.
Over the last few years, the Indianapolis Colts have been desperately trying to build up the defensive line through the NFL Draft. In Chris Ballard’s six drafts as general manager, Indy has selected 10 defensive linemen, six of them were taken in the first three rounds. However, they haven’t had the impact yet that Indy was hoping for.
This forced the Colts to turn to established veterans. In 2020, Indianapolis used a draft pick to trade for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. Following the trade, Indy immediately made a big-time commitment to Buckner by signing him to a four-year extension.
This was a defensive line move that worked out for Indy because in the two seasons since the trade, Buckner has a combined 16.5 sacks, 20 tackles for a loss, and 44 quarterback hits. He was also selected First-Team All-Pro and to a Pro Bowl. Since trading for Buckner worked out so well, the Colts are hoping they can do it again.
This offseason, Indianapolis traded away Rock Ya-Sin to bring Yannick Ngakoue to Indianapolis. With DeForest Buckner doing work on the inside, Ngakoue is expected to generate consistent pressure from the edge. If everything goes according to plan, Buckner and Ngakoue could be one of the league’s best duos.
DeForest Buckner and Yannick Ngakoue should dominate for Colts
Recently, on Good Morning Football, the hosts each named a duo they believe will flourish on the field this season. Peter Schrager highlighted the duo of Buckner and Ngakoue. Schrager highlights their age and past production, and says “they’re in the prime of their careers and he believes they will wreak “havoc across the AFC and AFC South.”
The Colts certainly hope so. The team has been struggling to have a consistent pass rush for the last few seasons. Now, led by these two, with the help of some promising young defensive linemen, Indy should be a much better pass-rushing unit this upcoming season. If the pass rush is improved, the team should be able to better hold on to leads and win more games.
