11. Anthony Castonzo, Indianapolis Colts
Virtually since coming out of college Anthony Castonzo has locked down the left tackle spot for the Indianapolis Colts. 2019 was another rock steady campaign for Castonzo, who logged over 1,000 snaps for the sixth time in his career. He allowed 34 pressures last season and just three sacks, very solid numbers for an offensive tackle in today’s game. He is also a solid run blocker, who works well with the guard next to him, the fabulous Quentin Nelson.
Watching Castonzo you see technical work that makes offensive line coaches smile. He is almost like Greg Maddux in a sense, as he can change things up on pass rushers and keep them on their toes. He has great hand usage, as he displays on this play against Von Miller to ride the pass rusher outside and behind the pocket:
Nice active, independent hand usage from Castonzo here vs. Von pic.twitter.com/cxBp7p9HOR
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) November 1, 2019
Castonzo is also a poster child for the slogan “Pass Protection is not Passive.” Watch him on this play against the New Orleans Saints take the right right to Trey Hendrickson off the edge:
Castonzo faced free agency this past offseason but the Colts found a way to keep him in town. Now he’ll get the chance to protect Philip Rivers for the next season or so.