IndyStar is spending the summer looking at the best athletes from Indiana sports teams since 2000. Here is our list of the 25 best Indianapolis Colts players since 2000:
1. Peyton Manning
Stats: 11 seasons, 176 games, 66.0%, 46,954 yards, 347 touchdowns, 155 interceptions, 97.5 passer rating
Manning loses two seasons based on the timeframe but it makes no difference; he’s an easy choice atop this list. Manning was named MVP four times, a six-time first-team All-Pro (and made a second team) and was a Pro Bowler for 10 seasons.
2. Marvin Harrison
Stats: 9 seasons, 130 games, 791 catches, 10,439 yards, 95 touchdowns
Harrison loses four seasons — including an All-Pro year with 1,663 yards and 12 scores — due to the timeframe, so this spot is a little closer, but he’s another easy choice. Harrison made seven All-Pro teams (2 first, 5 second) and seven Pro Bowls while setting the since-broken record with 143 catches in 2002.
3. Dwight Freeney
Stats: 11 seasons, 163 games, 44 forced fumbles, 107.5 sacks, 590 tackles, 113 tackles for loss
Freeney made the Pro Football Hall of Fame as one of the league’s greatest pass rushers. He led the NFL in sacks in 2004 (16) and tackles for loss (20) as a rookie in 2002, made All-Pro first team four times and second team once, as well as seven Pro Bowls.
4. Quenton Nelson
Stats: 7 seasons, 112 starts
Nelson has made three All-Pro first teams and two seconds, as well as the Pro Bowl in all seven of his seasons. He’s quickly establishing himself as one of the NFL’s best guards of all-time and shows few signs of slowing down.
5. Reggie Wayne
Stats: 14 seasons, 211 games, 1,070 catches, 14,345 yards, 82 touchdowns
After a relatively slow start to his career (1,899 yards over his first three seasons), Wayne became one of the NFL’s most consistent receivers over the next nine years. He led the NFL in receiving yards in 2007 (1,510), made All-Pro three times (first once, second twice) and six Pro Bowls.
6. Jeff Saturday
Stats: 13 seasons, 188 starts
The undrafted free agent became a full-time starter in his second season and only missed six games after that with the Colts. Saturday made five Pro Bowls, All-Pro first team twice and second team once.
7. Edgerrin James
Stats: 6 seasons, 80 games, 7,673 rushing yards, 51 touchdowns, 4.2 yards per rush, 294 catches, 2,253 yards, 7 touchdowns
No one takes a bigger hit for the timeframe than James, who loses a spectacular rookie season (NFL-high 1,553 rushing yards, 13 TDs, 62 catches, 586 yards, 4 TDs). He still made All-Pro second team twice and four Pro Bowls despite a knee injury the cut short his 2001 season and caused a dip in his production.
8. Robert Mathis
Stats: 13 seasons, 192 games, 54 forced fumbles, 17 fumble recoveries, 123 sacks, 538 tackles, 108 tackles for loss
Despite being a fifth-round pick, Mathis was an impact player almost immediately, hit double-digit sacks his second and third seasons, and established himself as an elite pass rusher. Mathis made All-Pro first team once and was a five-time Pro Bowler.
9. Bob Sanders
Stats: 7 seasons, 48 games, 6 interceptions, 16 passes defended, 295 tackles, 10 tackles for loss
How do you rate Sanders? He had one of the greatest three-year runs for a safety in NFL history, making first-team All-Pro twice — including being named Defensive Player of the Year— and being the key figure for the Colts’ Super Bowl championship turnaround in 2006. But he played a total of 15 games with the Colts outside of those three seasons.
10. Shaquille Leonard
Stats: 6 seasons, 70 games, 12 interceptions, 31 passes defended, 17 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries, 15 sacks, 614 tackles, 32 tackles for loss
He made All-Pro his first four seasons (first team three times) before injuries ended a remarkable career. Turnovers are not supposed to be predictable, but Leonard was a remarkably consistent playmaker. If you want to bump him down the list a few spots, I won’t argue, but I’ll take peak over longevity.
11. T.Y. Hilton
Stats: 10 seasons, 143 games, 631 catches, 9,691 yards, 53 touchdowns
He quickly became a primary target of Andrew Luck when both were rookies in 2012 and carried on the tradition of Colts’ receivers Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne. Hilton led the NFL in receiving yards in 2016 (1,448) and made four Pro Bowls.
12. Andrew Luck
Stats: 6 seasons, 86 games, 60.8%, 23,671 yards, 171 touchdowns, 83 interceptions, 89.5 passing rating, 1,590 rushing yards, 14 touchdowns
What could have been. Luck, of course, retired at 29 due to injuries, so we will only rank him based on what he did. That, of course, was drag four teams to the playoffs, including one AFC championship game, and make four Pro Bowls. Did Luck live up to his potential? No, but he’s still 12th on this list.
13. DeForest Buckner
Stats: 5 seasons, 78 games, 17 passes defended, 6 forced fumbles, 39 sacks, 342 tackles, 50 tackles for loss
The Colts traded a first-round pick for the defensive tackle and have never regretted it. Buckner made first team All-Pro in 2020 and has made two Pro Bowls. If last year’s injuries don’t continue, he’ll move up this list.
14. Tarik Glenn
Stats: 10 seasons, 154 starts
Glenn started every game he appeared in, all but his 16 as a rookie right guard at left tackle, protecting Peyton Manning’s blind side. He missed just 6 games in his career — all in 2003 — and returned to make three straight Pro Bowls before retiring at 30.
15. Antoine Bethea
Stats: 8 seasons, 123 games, 14 interceptions, 47 passes defended, 805 tackles, 16 tackles for loss
The sixth-round pick quickly stepped into the Colts’ starting lineup at safety, making two Pro Bowls in Indianapolis. Bethea had two seasons with 4 interceptions, defended at least 4 passes in all eight years with the Colts and had at least 100 tackles five times.
16. Ryan Kelly
Stats: 9 seasons, 121 starts
The center started all 121 games he appeared in with the Colts before signing with the Vikings this offseason. He missed games in six of his nine seasons but made four Pro Bowls.
17. Jonathan Taylor
Stats: 5 seasons, 67 games, 6,013 yards, 51 touchdowns, 4.9 yards per rush
Taylor was spectacular his first two seasons, leading the NFL in yards (1,811) and touchdowns (18) in his second season (to make first team All-Pro) after rushing for 1,169 yards and 11 TDs as a rookie. He’s struggled to stay healthy since but ran for 1,431 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, making his second Pro Bowl.
18. Anthony Castonzo
Stats: 10 seasons, 144 starts
The left tackle started all 144 games he appeared in, starting with Peyton Manning, through Andrew Luck and finishing with Philip Rivers. Castonzo never made a Pro Bowl but was an excellent left tackle for 10 seasons.
19. Ryan Diem
Stats: 11 seasons, 150 starts
An underrated member of the Peyton Manning-era Colts. The offensive lineman never made a Pro Bowl but after coming off the bench seven times as a rookie in 2001, he started every game he appeared in the rest of his career, primarily at right tackle.
20. Dallas Clark
Stats: 9 seasons, 427 catches, 4,887 yards, 46 TDs
A productive tight end, making the Pro Bowl in 2009 with 100 catches, 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns. Clark only had two other seasons over 600 yards but was a reliable target for Peyton Manning.
21. Raheem Brock
Stats: 8 seasons, 104 starts, 17 passes defended, 12 forced fumbles, 15 fumble recoveries, 28.5 sacks, 303 tackles, 45 tackles for loss
Another underrated member of the Manning-era Colts, providing consistent production on the defensive line. Brock forced as many as 4 fumbles, defended as many as 4 passes, had 6.5 sacks twice and hit double-digits in tackles for loss twice.
22. Gary Brackett
Stats: 9 seasons, 116 games, 12 interceptions, 29 passes defensed, 712 tackles, 21 tackles for loss
Undrafted and undersized (5-11, 235 pounds), Brackett was the heart of the Colts’ defense during their most successful run. He topped 99 tackles five times after entering the starting lineup and had seasons with 4 interceptions, 7 passes defended, and 6 tackles for loss.
23. Adam Vinatieri
Stats: 14 seasons, 336 field goals, 85.3%, 507 PATs, 96.8%
Ranking kickers is hard but Vinatieri — a future Pro Football Hall of Famer and the NFL’s all-time leading scorer — has to be on the list. The Colts signed him as a free agent in 2006 at the age of 34 and he’d kick until he was 47. Vinatieri only made one Pro Bowl for the Colts, leading the league in field goal percentage in 2014 at .968.
24. Jack Doyle
Stats: 9 seasons, 295 catches, 2,729 yards, 24 TDs
Doyle made two Pro Bowls despite being an undrafted free agent who didn’t step into a starting role until he was 26 in 2016. He had his best season in 2017 with 80 catches for 690 yards and 4 touchdowns, but he was best known for his versatile blocking skills.
25. Kenny Moore
Stats: 8 seasons, 118 games, 20 interceptions, 62 passes defended, 10 sacks, 594 tackles, 36 tackles for loss
Claimed off waivers in 2017, Moore has developed into a wonderfully versatile slot corner. He’s made as many as 4 interceptions, defended 13 passes, had 2.5 sacks and 8 tackles for loss in a season. Moore made the Pro Bowl in 2021.