The Indianapolis Colts have a crucial battle on their hands at the left tackle position likely coming down between the versatile Matt Pryor and the rookie Bernhard Raimann.
While the pads aren’t on yet, the Colts have been running more team drills with OTAs getting underway these last two weeks. Over that span, the third-round pick in Raimann has made a strong first impression in the eyes of head coach Frank Reich.
“Yeah, Bernhard’s done a really, really nice job. Really smart, really engaged, really athletic for the position,” Reich said Wednesday. “It’s only obviously been a short time so far, but he’s made a very good first impression.”
Raimann is still a work in progress. He shifted over from tight end to left tackle just before the start of the 2020 season at Central Michigan. He’s picked up the position quickly, but there is still a long learning curve for the 25-year-old.
Having the background of a tight end certainly helps, though. His movement skills and athleticism already make him an asset in the run game. Pairing him next to Quenton Nelson should do wonders in that regard.
Now, he needs to continue development in learning the nuances of pass protection and technique in the NFL. Not to mention, he will see a pretty big jump in competition coming from Central Michigan.
But the mindset Raimann has brought to his first NFL offseason has been noticed by his head coach.
“You can tell he’s got that right mindset of an offensive lineman. It’s about the unit, it’s about the team. Willing to do whatever it takes, all the things that we saw on film from him in college – his athleticism, his bend, his power,” Reich said. “Those are things that, now it’s just a question of putting that to the test at this level against a higher level of competition and doing it down in and down out.”
As it currently stands, Pryor has been taking the first-team reps at left tackle during OTAs. That’s not much of a shock. But Raimann can certainly work his way into a starting role when the preseason rolls around if he’s made enough strides in pass protection.
We’ll see what his rookie year has in store, but it’s a good sign that the third-round pick is already making a positive impression on his head coach.
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