According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (subscription), the Indianapolis Colts’ Quenton Nelson is currently ranked as their third best offensive guard entering the 2024 regular season—which was voted upon by league executives, coaches, and scouts alike:
3. Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts
Highest ranking: 1 | Lowest ranking: 10
Age: 28 | Last year’s ranking: 3
Teams are torn on Nelson, a former No. 1 who is still among the best. Nelson helped a depleted Colts offense finish 10th in rushing despite injuries to quarterback Anthony Richardson and running back Jonathan Taylor.
“I thought he was stellar — maybe his best season,” an AFC scout said.
Nelson’s 72.4% run block win rate ranked fourth among guards under consideration. Others weren’t sold on him as a top-five guard, with one league exec saying Nelson is playing “top heavy and doesn’t bend as well anymore.”
“I think Nelson has always been a little overrated,” an AFC executive said. “His highs are very high, and he can set a tone and dominate at times. I think he has slipped this past year, though.”
It appears as though some reports of Nelson’s demise have been exaggerated.
Starting all 17 games for the Colts last season, Nelson was PFF’s 16th best offensive guard with a +70.8 overall grade—including a +80.3 pass blocking grade.
Specifically, in pass blocking, Nelson allowed just a sack and 21 QB pressures during 686 total pass blocking snaps.
While the 4x NFL First-Team All-Pro didn’t arguably quite play at an ‘All-Pro’ level again, Nelson played like a perennial Pro Bowler—earning such honors in 2023 for the sixth consecutive time in as many seasons to begin his pro career.
Once again, he was consistently the Colts interior anchor along the team’s offensive line.
There may be something to be said that now age 28-years-old and having had some back issues, that maybe he’s not quite as physically dominant as he once was in the trenches—where early in his career, he would simply manhandle opponents.
Some of that may simply be a natural progression from aging and starting to approach his early thirties (*and continuous wear-and-tear from the physical trenches).
However, I do think that from an on-field awareness, football IQ, and blocking technician standpoint, ‘Big Q’ is just as elite and effective as he’s ever been—and he doesn’t lack high-level athleticism for a Hall of Fame career that so far appears fast-tracked for Canton.