Colts Round One Prospects: Quenton Nelson

The next prospect in our series played college football in the state of Indiana at Notre Dame. The prospect is offensive lineman Quenton Nelson.

The Colts are in need of a roster re-build. They need to get stronger on both sides of the ball. The best way to do that is through the draft. With the number three pick in the draft, the Colts can pick up a stud prospect to help that effort.

One of those prospects they could potentially draft is offensive lineman Quenton Nelson. Nelson was a guard at Notre Dame, and was a big part of a strong running game for the Irish. He helped open up big holes for running back Josh Adams to run through. He also was a good pass blocker as well.

Watching his film, two things stick out above all else; his size and his footwork. He is listed at 6 foot 5 and 330 pounds, which allows him to put a lot of body weight behind his blocks. His footwork is very good for a man his size. He can effectively move sideways to go out and block defensive tackles in the pass rush, and is able to run well on screen passes.

Nelson also uses his hands very well. He gets inside leverage on defenders and doesn’t allow defenders to disengage his blocks. On many plays, he was driving defensive lineman back at least 3 yards, and was able to get to the second level to make blocks as well.

Next: Colts Free Agent Targets: LB Jerrell Freeman

Nelson would be an excellent fit in Indianapolis. He would be able to grow along the other young offensive lineman that the Colts have. The number one priority for the Colts should be to keep Andrew Luck upright. People saw what happened last year when Luck wasn’t able to be on the field, and it wasn’t pretty.