Where does Indianapolis Colts’ LB Zaire Franklin land in PFF’s annual rankings?
Pro Football Focus put together their linebacker rankings ahead of the 2025 NFL season, and low on that list was the Indianapolis Colts’ Zaire Franklin.
Mason Cameron, who put the list together, ranked the top 32 linebackers and put them into tiers. Coming in at No. 27 and in tier five was Franklin.
“Franklin continues to be a tackling machine with impressive volume, posting more than 500 total tackles over the past three seasons,” wrote Cameron. “However, he is largely hampered by a high rate of negatively graded run snaps (14% since 2022) and subpar PFF coverage grades. Limiting mistakes in 2025 could raise his profile beyond just a tackler.”
Like any player, Franklin has areas of his game that can improve. According to PFF’s metrics, he had a missed tackle rate of 11.6% last season, and quarterbacks were efficient when targeting him in coverage.
But the 27th-ranked linebacker? After a season where he was named a second-team All-Pro? Those two things don’t seem to align.
Franklin led the NFL in tackles last season. He also forced four fumbles, which was tied for the second-most among all linebackers, and came away with two interceptions as well. Combined, the six forced takeaways were among the most at his position group.
In Lou Anarumo’s defense, Franklin should see more opportunities to get after the quarterback, and the usage of defensive backs, along with this being a more disguise-heavy scheme, should help the front seven as a whole have a greater impact in 2025.