Notre Dame football: 3 Irish NFL players who will have biggest impact in 2022
By Ryan Shanko
Notre Dame football: 3 Irish NFL players who will have biggest impact in 2022
Quenton Nelson – G – Indianapolis Colts
When making a list of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, it’s difficult to make that list without putting Nelson in the top-3. At 6’5 330, Nelson was considered one of the best offensive guard prospects ever when he declared for the draft in 2018.
The Colts picked him at No. 6 overall and he has done nothing but become perhaps the best guard in the entire league. Nelson is going into his fifth season and already has been selected to 4 pro bowls and has been named First Team All-Pro three times. He has only missed four games in his career up to this point, and in 61 career starts he has only been called for 23 penalties.
That means that in his 4033 career snaps on offense, he has been called for a penalty on %0.005 of plays. Nelson has been a bonafide superstar since the first time he stepped on a NFL field.
Final Assessment
Nelson suffered an injury last season that caused him to miss 4 games, the first time in his career that he missed time in a season. If he fully recovers in time for the beginning of next season, which he is expected to, I don’t think it will take too long for Nelson to regain his All Pro form.
When it’s all said and done, Matt Ryan will be playing behind a top tier offensive line group, anchored by Nelson. He will be First Team All Pro once again in 2022. He is perhaps the best example of an Irish star who didn’t skip a beat when joining the league.