Colts OL Quenton Nelson made history with his ranking in the NFL top 100.
Under the tutelage of general manager Chris Ballard, the Indianapolis Colts have formed one of the best young offensive lines in the NFL, and it seems that the league itself is fully aware of this, as it recognized the leader of that group in its highly anticipated Top 100 reveal.
After defensive tackle DoForest Buckner (No. 56) and linebacker Darius Leonard (No. 50) made their deserved appearances, offensive guard Quenton Nelson rounded out the Colts cameos, coming in just inside the top 30 on Tuesday night. How notable was the two-time All-Pro’s ranking?
We’re glad you asked. Per Andrew Walker of Colts.com, Nelson’s No. 29 finish is good for the highest ranking EVER for a player at the guard position.
Top 5-ranked guards in #NFLTop100 history:
— Andrew Walker (@AWalkerColts) July 29, 2020
29. Quenton Nelson (2020)
32. Jahri Evans (2012)
34. Jahri Evans (2011)
37. Marshal Yanda (2016)
39. Logan Mankins (2011) https://t.co/B8ChtTmK3h
Colts guard Quenton Nelson dominated the NFL Top 100.
Sorry, Jahri!
It’s not often you see guards garnering this level of respect from the NFL. That honor normally lies with offensive tackles, but it’s clear that Nelson has already established himself as one of the league’s most complete and formidable blockers. After all, the former No. 6 overall pick became the first OL since 1948 to be named a First-Team All-Pro in his first two seasons.
For those that need a reminder, he turned 24 a few months ago. Try to make sense of that for a second.
As prestigious as those achievements are, the recognition hasn’t stopped there for Nelson this offseason. Pro Football Focus slotted him in as the No. 4 overall player in their latest top 50 ranking, and he was recently voted as the NFL’s highest-rated interior offensive lineman by ESPN.
https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1287825594248564736
Imagine being the anonymous league executive who wrote Nelson off after he was dominated by Cam Heyward in Week 9 against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season? Imagine being that irrational and reckless in your decision-making? Couldn’t be us.
The guard positions have been criminally undervalued for ages, but the Notre Dame product is so damn good that he’s turning literal history on its head. Make no mistake about it, folks: With Andrew Luck retired, you are looking at the new face of the Colts franchise.