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Indianapolis Colts left guard Quenton Nelson was ranked as the third-best interior offensive lineman in the NFL, according to ESPN’s poll of executives, coaches and scouts.
Nelson, who ranked No. 1 on the list entering the 2022 season, fell two spots in the overall rankings while some didn’t have him ranked at all.
Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 27 | Last year’s ranking: 1Nelson, the No. 1 interior lineman for the past two seasons, had never received votes outside of the top 10 — until this year.
“May be a bit harsh but the tape was not good,” said an AFC scout who did not list Nelson. “The whole [Colts] line was bad and overpaid.”
The Colts ranked 27th in total offense despite three linemen — Nelson, center Ryan Kelly and tackle Braden Smith — playing on contracts worth a combined $200 million.
Others figure Nelson is too good for last season’s play to make sense. He’s still a dominant talent.
“He must have been more hurt than he let on, because I refuse to believe he suddenly became a bad player,” one veteran NFL offensive lineman said. “There was a lot going on with that team last year, a lot of issues around him.”
It’s worth noting that Nelson missed the Pro Bowl festivities last season because of an undisclosed injury despite playing 17 games.
It was a rough year for the entire Colts offensive line as a whole, and Nelson wasn’t able to escape it. Whether the injury he dealt with played a bigger role than we know isn’t all that clear, but his dominant performances weren’t as common.
Part of the struggles attributed to the offensive line were due to the fact that Matt Ryan, Nick Foles and Sam Ehlinger failed to help out the starting five in terms of avoiding pressure.
Though the injury situation should be something to monitor, Nelson should bounce back to his dominant form with a much more mobile quarterback under center.
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