Indianapolis Colts rookie linebacker Darius Leonard joined former Colts punter Pat McAfee on McAfee's podcast, The Pat McAfee Show 2.0, to delve into his first year as a pro.

And while he touched on the recent Pro Bowl snub and rise to the NFL from South Carolina State, he also opened up about a conversation he had with Robert Mathis, the former Colts star who's now a coach with the team, at the NFL Combine. Mathis, who attended Alabama A&M, also went to a historically black college.

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"It was more so just asking about who I was and who I was as a person, as a leader," Leonard said. "And then it kind of went more so about off-the-field then, because that's when the real Robert Mathis came out. It wasn't no coach then, it was more so the brotherhood — letting me know that coming from an HBCU was going to be hard. Coming from an HBCU, you're going to be overlooked. Just to keep that chip on your shoulder and just keep grinding."

Leonard leads the NFL in tackles with 146, the closest player is 21 tackles behind him. The second-round pick also has seven sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception, and back in September was named the league's top defensive rookie.