Indianapolis Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin has been a tackling machine in the early stages of the season.
Franklin has already racked up 45 tackles through three games, putting him on pace to total 255 tackles on the year (via Destin Adams of A to Z Sports). The current record is 214, which was set by Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Hardy Nickerson back in 1993.
Franklin, who played his collegiate football at Syracuse, was originally selected by the Colts in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Philadelphia native saw very limited action over his first three NFL seasons. He played in every game, but he made just four starts, amassing a total of 44 tackles throughout that span.
Franklin finally began to receive considerable playing time in 2021, playing in all 17 contests and making 11 starts. During that time, he posted 40 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery, so he still had not made much of an impact.
The 27-year-old then broke out in a big way last season, rattling off 167 tackles, three sacks, a couple of forced fumbles and six passes defended.
Franklin has added a sack and a forced fumble to go along with his pile of tackles thus far in 2023.
In spite of Zaire Franklin’s efforts, the Colts rank just 23rd in total defense through the first three weeks of the season. They are also allowing 22.3 points per game, which places them 17th among all NFL teams.
That being said, Indianapolis has managed to jump out to a 2-1 start, most recently dispatching the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 22-19 in overtime on Sunday.
In the very winnable AFC South, the Colts definitely have a chance of making it back to the playoffs for the first time in three years.
Indy will host the Los Angeles Rams next weekend.
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