What grades from Pro Football Focus did the current group of Indianapolis Colts’ interior offensive linemen receive for their performances last season?
Compared to this time a year ago, there are a lot more unknowns with the Colts‘ interior offensive line unit heading into the 2025 season. After losing Ryan Kelly and Will Fries in free agency, second-year linemen Tanor Bortolini and Matt Goncalves will presumably be stepping into those starting roles.
For Bortolini, when called upon last season, which included appearing in eight games and making five starts, he very much held his own. However, he is still relatively inexperienced at a position where a lot is asked of that player, both pre-snap and particularly in the run game within Shane Steichen’s offense.
Goncalves, meanwhile, will be making a full-on position change. He played only 44 snaps at guard in college and had just one regular-season snap there with the Colts as a rookie. But, in part, what gives the Colts confidence that he can make this transition is that Goncalves practiced at guard often last season and improved as the year went on.
“I look at his skill set and the skill set that he has,” OL coach Tony Sparano said. “He’s a big man. He’s got power. He’s got length and he’s really, deceptively very light on his feet. He’s quick. He can get out in space, you saw some of the stuff he did in the run game out in space last year was very good. That about his skill set excited me, plus he’s a really tough physical player. For our guards, that is non-negotiable, they gotta be that way and he is that way.”
Now, Sparano would also mention that both Bortolini and Goncalves will be competing for these starting jobs. Danny Pinter saw some first-team reps at center during offseason programs as well, and presumably, Goncalves will be competing with Dalton Tucker and Josh Sills at right guard.
Now, as far as PFF’s grading system goes, I always want to add the caveat that this metric is far from the be-all end-all when it comes to evaluating a player’s performance. It is one tool out of many that are out there and should be treated as such.
For some context around these metrics, here is a look at PFF’s grading system to provide some context behind the numbers:
- 90.0+: Elite
- 80-89.9: High quality
- 70-79.9: Good
- 60-69.9: Above average
- 50-59.9: Average
- 40-49.9: Below average
- 39.9 or less: Poor
Alright, now let’s dive in.
Quenton Nelson
PFF grade: 81.3
Nelson ranked 15th among all guards in pass-blocking efficiency, and he was fourth in run-blocking grade. According to PFF’s tracking data, Jonathan Taylor averaged 4.8 yards per rush when running to Nelson’s direct left and 5.3 yards per rush when running to his direct right.
Tanor Bortolini
PFF grade: 65.1
Bortolini ranked 15th in pass-blocking efficiency metric and was 22nd out of 40 centers in run-blocking grade.
Matt Goncalves
PFF grade: 65.9
Goncalves played 566 snaps as a rookie, lining up at both tackle positions. He allowed three sacks and 22 pressures over 305 pass-blocking reps, and graded out well against the run with a score of 69.3.
Dalton Tucker
PFF grade: 53.3
Tucker took over at right guard for Fries after he was placed on injured reserve. However, he was eventually benched following Week 12 with a pass-blocking grade of 48.7 and a run-blocking grade of 53.0.
Danny Pinter
PFF grade: 68.6
Pinter made two starts at center during the 2024 season, allowing no sacks and three pressures, and he was particularly good as a run-blocker with a grade of 69.1.
Josh Sills
PFF grade: N/A
Sills did not play any regular season snaps in 2024.
Wesley French
PFF grade: N/A
French did not play any regular season snaps in 2024.
Mose Vavao
PFF college grade: 68.6
Vavao ranked 15th among all centers in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric. For what it’s worth, by PFF’s metrics, Vavao has routinely graded out better in pass pro (81.7) than as a run blocker (61.6).
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: PFF grades for Quenton Nelson, Tanor Bortolini and Colts’ interior OL