Notre Dame Football All-Decade Team: Interior Offensive Line

While the offensive tackle position always seems to be the most talked about position along the offensive line, Notre Dame has also had outstanding guard and center play over the last decade.

I decided to not create a poll for this one, because well, Quenton Nelson should receive 100 percent of the vote — and in no surprise — he is one of our All-Decade interior offensive lineman and one of the best players ever to step foot on Notre Dame’s campus. The two other guys to make the list are Chris Watt and Nick Martin. In thinking of the Notre Dame All-Decade team for this specific group, these three stood out in my mind as the three best, while several others get kinda bunched together.

Guys like Trevor Robinson, Matt Hegarty, Mike Golic Jr., Steve Elmer, Sam Mustipher, Alex Bars, Tommy Kraemer, etc. all had really successful Notre Dame careers — or in Kraemer’s case is still in the middle of that career. Watt, Martin, Nelson were a clear top 3 from a production and career starts standpoint.

Chris Watt (2009-2013)

Part of that first quarter of Brian Kelly’s career at Notre Dame, but actually recruited by the former staff, Watt enjoyed a really successful career in an Irish uniform. He was the starting left guard from 2011-2013 after redshirting in 2009 and providing quality depth in 2010. Having Zack Martin next to you throughout the vast majority of your playing career helps, but Watt was a tremendous college football player in his own way. Watt started 34 consecutive games, before hurting his knee in 2013, but would only miss one game. He was also awarded the Pietrosante Award after the 2013 season.

He was selected in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers and started 8 games throughout his career. The knee injuries would pile up, forcing Watt to retire before the 2017 season.

Nick Martin (2011-2015)

The brother of Notre Dame standout Zack Martin, Nick was also extremely successful in college and in the NFL today. Following the same path as Watt — a redshirt first season and reserve roll in 2012,  Martin would start 3 straight years – mostly at center. He started 11 games in 2013 before a season-ending knee injury, and in 2014 was moved to guard after a hand injury forced him to move from center. In 2015, he was able to start all 13 games at center. While not as dominant a football player as his brother, Nick ended up an elite NFL prospect in his own right.

He was taken in the 2nd round of the 2016 draft by the Houston Texans. While injuries have carried over to the NFL a bit, Martin has started all 46 career games he’s appeared in and signed a 3 year contract extension at the beginning of this season. He is known as one of the best centers in the NFL.

Quenton Nelson (2014-2017)

The crown jewel of the Notre Dame offensive line, Nelson has become the poster child for elite offensive line play in the NFL, with many saying he makes watching offensive lineman fun. Nelson redshirted his first year in South Bend, but that would not end up playing a factor, as he would play three seasons and forego his fifth year to enter the 2018 draft. During his time in an Irish uniform, Nelson continuously bullied defensive lineman and linebackers — putting unprecedented film out there that made draft experts and scouts drool. 2015-2017 was considered maybe the best offensive lineman stretch in Notre Dame history, and Nelson was a big reason why. The 2017 unit would go on to win the Joe Moore Award, while the 2015 unit was a semifinalist. Nelson was instrumental in CJ Prosise and Josh Adams putting up gaudy numbers, and after the 2017 season he was named a unanimous first team All-American.

He was the sixth overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2018 draft, and he is one of only 3 players over the past 30 years to be selected first team all-pro during their first two seasons. The other two? Barry Sanders and Devin Hester. Elite company. It has only been two years, but if Nelson stays healthy throughout his career, he should enjoy a Hall of Fame career.