Indianapolis – When you’re with a pass racer and Aaron Donald in the same sentence, that’s a very good thing.
This is true of Yannick Ngakoue.
Over the years, the Colts have fought two major cases while relying on the pass racer.
Those are the areas Presence And Continuous production.
Well, Ngakoue checked two of those boxes.
Since entering the NFL in 2016, Ngakoue and Aaron Donald have been the only two NFL players to reach at least 8.0 sacks each in the last 6 years.
That’s pretty impressive.
Production on an annual basis is often a key barometer of one’s career evaluation.
Avoiding injury is one thing, and a big part of good luck.
If you’re able to stay healthy (Ngakoue missed just 2 games in his 6 NFL seasons), this is the only part of the fight.
You still have to go there and be interrupted.
And Ngakoue has done the same, with 6 straight seasons of at least 8.0 sacks.
To top things off, Ngakoue has made it even more significant in his first six NFL seasons. Ngakoue and 4 other NFL players did it. They are: Aaron Donald, Demarcus War, Derrick Thomas, Reggie White.
Although Ngakoue did not prove to be an all-pro defensive end (he has 1 pro bowl presence), like the others above, This is a guy who still brings a biography to Colt that they recently dreamed of.
Clearly, Ngakoue is not a Donald-type genius. Who?
But take any one of Ngakoue’s 6 NFL seasons and they will rank directly with any Colts Edge racer in the last decade.
Since Robert Mathis led the NFL with 19.5 sacks in 2013, Eric Walden (11 sacks in 2016) and Justin Houston (11 sacks in 2019) are the only Colts defensive end who have made a better season than Engaku. Any In his 6th NFL season.
And it should be noted that Ngakoue is about to turn 27, where both Walden and Houston were 30 years old or older when they reached that double digit sac number.
That’s why the Colts (wisely) took action for a player who could offer something that the company hadn’t received in years.
Also, Ngakoue is back with Gus Bradley, where he made at the beginning of his career (2016 season with Jaguar: 8.0 sacks) and most recently (with 2021 riders: 10 sacks).
“The LEO position is super, able to take a part in the super special,” Ngakoue explained of his role in Bradley’s system. “That guy has to be a guy who can run from sideline to sideline, a guy who can go quarterback, a guy who can do edge stuff, a guy who can hammer blockers and things like that. I think it suits my personality and my style of play is perfect. “
Ngakoue joined Colts in the last year of his contract.
Ideally, the Colts will retain a player for a few more years, and a guy who thinks he has more to show for it.
“I don’t think I’ve reached my ceiling yet,” Ngakoue said. “There’s always room to grow and when you think you’ve got it, you shouldn’t play anymore because you didn’t get it.”
Posted by Yannick Ngakoue Colts Rare, consistent Pass Rush production first appeared on 93.1FM WIBC.