Indianapolis Colts left tackle Bernhard Raimann enjoyed a strong second season in the NFL, earning a spot on Pro Football Focus’ All-Breakout Team for the 2023 season.
Raimann was a popular breakout candidate entering the season. Despite some struggles during his rookie campaign, he showed enough promise to warrant optimism going into Year 2.
Fast forward a calendar year later, and Raimann is now solidified as a cornerstone piece of the offensive line. Here’s what PFF said about Raimann:
OFFENSIVE TACKLE: BERNHARD RAIMANN, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
We’ve gone through all the offensive skill position players before the preseason breakout list gets its first hit. Raimann was a raw prospect out of Central Michigan, having played offensive tackle for only a couple of years before becoming a third-round pick by the Colts.
He showed some promise as a rookie in 2022, as both his run- and pass-blocking grades came out above 70.0. He broke out in year two, finishing as the seventh-highest-graded tackle in the NFL (82.3). Raimann continued to be very well-rounded as a pass blocker and a run blocker, grading out at 80.6 and 74.6 in those fields, respectively. He allowed just four sacks all year, and they all came against elite pass rushers — Myles Garrett, Josh Allen and Trey Hendrickson twice.
Preseason Pick: Bernhard Raimann, Indianapolis Colts
The entire offensive line stepped up in a big way during the 2023 despite the fact that the starting five rarely played any snaps together due to injuries. But Raimann was solid in both phases. According to ESPN, the former third-round pick was tied with Braden Smith and Patrick Mekari for the seventh-highest run-block win rate among offensive tackles.
Adding some depth to the offensive line should be a priority this offseason, but Raimann proved to be a solid cornerstone piece at one of the most valuable positions on the roster.