Craig came under heavy criticism for the first time in his six-year tenure last season, after the Crows failed to live up to their expectations of a top-four berth.
Adelaide’s 11th-placed finish - its worst result under Craig - was widely considered an aberration, with most bookmakers tipping the club to return to finals action this season.
The Crows longest-serving coach has vowed to step down when he feels his time at the club is up, but McLeod said he could not imagine that scenario playing out this year.
"Craigy is a very good coach and if you look back at it, especially early on he probably over achieved," McLeod told afl.com.au.
"A lot of people consistently wrote us off, but Craigy was able to get the best out of everybody and out of the team, and we finished in the top four both years.
"He always has high expectations for Adelaide and I’m sure it’ll be no different this year.
"He certainly has the tools to lead Adelaide to a premiership. When that is…who knows? But I definitely think he’ll be around longer than this year."
An abnormally high injury count, particularly early in the season, was partly to blame for Adelaide’s failure last year.
But the club has overhauled its pre-season training program in a bid to avoid a repeat of the injury crisis and the early signs have been good, with only Bernie Vince (knee) and David Mackay (groin) in any doubt for the NAB Cup opener against Port Adelaide and Melbourne on February 11.
McLeod said his old club was much better placed for round one of the season proper than at the same time last year.
"Now that they’ve got everyone out on the track, they can implement the planning they’ve done for this season properly, whereas last year we were trying to do it on skeleton staff because so many boys were in rehab," he said.
"They’ll be in a better position to start the season off and I think they’ll definitely make the finals."
McLeod has joined the coaching ranks since accepting a role with the AFL as an engagement and talent coordinator with the indigenous foundation in October.
The dual premiership player and Norm Smith medallist took the Flying Boomerangs (an indigenous team of under-17s) to Tonga in December and will coach South Australia’s first aboriginal Under-21s side in February.
McLeod said he was enjoying his role working with under-age players, but that he had no desire to coach in the AFL.
"I really enjoy helping the young guys develop and passing on my own personal knowledge, but one thing I did realise is that as a coach you can only do so much and when it comes to playing and the boys are out there on the field you’re a bit useless," he said.
McLeod’s senior coaching career is over before it began, but his playing days might not be.
The 34-year-old retired from the AFL last year because of injury, but a few months out of the game has given his degenerative knee some much-needed respite.
He’s back training most days and said he was contemplating a return with the Darwin Buffaloes in the Northern Territory Football League.
"I’ve had a few phone calls about playing some sort of footy. I wouldn’t mind at some stage, maybe, heading home to Darwin to play a game for my old footy club, but nothing has come to fruition yet," McLeod said.
"I’m enjoying my time and with work I’m too busy to even think about playing footy."
