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It’s time for Indianapolis Colts left guard Quenton Nelson to take his place as the best interior offensive lineman in the NFL.
Entering the 2022 season, Nelson is already viewed to be on a Hall of Fame trajectory for his career. And in their survey of coaches, players and executives, ESPN believes Nelson is the top player among all interior offensive linemen.
Here’s what they had to say about Big Q taking the top spot:
Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 3
Age: 26 | Last year’s ranking: 1Nelson tops this list for the third consecutive year, though with less conviction than in the past. Zack Martin and Brandon Scherff stole several of his first-place votes.
“He’s still the guy you would start a team with [at guard],” a prominent NFL coach said. “You just have to watch him to know he’s a special player who can dominate a game at times.”
Evaluators believe Nelson can handle a stout defensive tackle on his own, and he has made efforts to improve the whiffs that used to plague him when he went for the big play. He didn’t have his most consistent season in 2021, but he was also dealing with foot and ankle injuries throughout the season. Nelson’s 94.1% pass block win rate was 12th among guards last season, and his 71.7% run block win rate was 13th at the position.
Overall, Nelson’s 94.6% pass block win rate since entering the NFL in 2018 ranks seventh among guards.
Nelson is entering the final year of his rookie contract while playing on the fifth-year option. His big payday is coming soon, and he’s expected to rest the market at the guard position.
Nelson’s 2021 season was a bit frustrating for him. He was still an elite guard, but the injuries he dealt with kept him from playing with the typical consistency that separates him from the rest of the league.
Nelson’s running mate in center Ryan Kelly made it onto the list as an honorable mention.
A fixture in the top 10 over the past two years, Kelly is consistently one of the NFL’s best centers because of his strength and power advantage up front. But his 62.0% run block win rate ranked 28th among centers, and his 91.8% pass block win rate was 25th. “He’s a good player but probably gets overinflated by playing next to Quenton [Nelson],” a high-ranking NFL team official said.
This duo on the interior is one of the best in the NFL and will continue to be the heart of the offensive line going into the 2022 season.
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