It looks like Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson has something to prove to the folks over at Pro Football Focus.
As PFF continued dishing out its positional rankings entering the 2024 season, Nelson was confusingly left off the list of the top-10 guards in the NFL.
Instead, Nelson came in at No. 11 among NFL guards, which is simply too low given his track record and consistent success.
The Top-10 guards heading into next season 📊 pic.twitter.com/gNCTcddOfV
— PFF (@PFF) June 7, 2024
A three-time All-Pro First-Team selection, Nelson graded out as the fourth-best guard in terms of pass-blocking. His run-blocking grade from PFF was 25th among qualified guards, though, which is likely why he's ranked lower.
Even that is a bit difficult to believe, though, considering Nelson was the driving force behind an offensive line that helped record the seventh-most rushing touchdowns (19), sixth-most runs of 20 or more yards (14) and the third-most runs of 40 or more yards (4).
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Even so, putting a one-year breakout like Sam Cosmi over established, consistently productive veterans like Nelson and Zack Martin is a choice. Cosmi had a great year and is certainly ascending but if a draft was taking place, Nelson would go ahead of him without hesitation.
Nelson was plagued by injuries during the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but he returned to form in a big way for the Colts in 2023. He's the heart of an offensive line that is considered one of the best in the NFL going into the 2024 season.
Maybe Nelson is simply entering the point of his career where analysts get name fatigue, but he'll definitely have some bulletin board material to work with going into the new campaign.
For more Colts coverage, check out Kevin Hickey's work on Sporting News.
