INDIANAPOLIS -- It was about this time last year that the Indianapolis Colts' front office converged on Mobile, Alabama, and watched as linebacker Darius Leonard from little-known South Carolina State University was one of the standouts during the Senior Bowl. Then, during the spring, general manager Chris Ballard traveled almost three hours north of Indianapolis to South Bend, Indiana, and watched Quenton Nelson put on one of the best pro day workouts he's ever seen.
Nelson and Leonard ended up being the first two players Ballard chose, and they didn't disappoint, becoming the first rookie teammates to be named to the All-Pro team since Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus did it with the Chicago Bears in 1965.