Pro Football Focus recently selected the top three players on each NFL team ahead of the 2024 season. For the Indianapolis Colts, they selected DeForest Buckner, Quenton Nelson, and Michael Pittman.
Here was PFF’s reasoning behind those selections:
“Picking these three was a debate between talent level and recent production. Offensive linemen Bernhard Raimann, Braden Smith and Ryan Kelly all earned season grades higher than Nelson, but Nelson is still the best of the bunch, for now. Samson Ebukam earned a higher overall grade than DeForest Buckner, but Buckner beat him out in pass-rush grade (87.1). Wide receiver Michael Pittman did take over for running back Jonathan Taylor from last year’s list due to his consistency as the team’s top receiver.”
PFF also noted that Jonathan Taylor, Kenny Moore, and Bernhard Raimann were among other players who were considered.
It’s hard to argue with these selections. As PFF notes, while there might be other players who had more productive seasons in 2023, like Ebukam or Raimann, the consistency at which Buckner, Pittman, and Nelson have played at a high level is what sets them apart.
Since Buckner joined the Colts in 2020, he has produced between 49 and 57 pressures each season while recording at least nine sacks each year as well, according to PFF.
In the midst of catching passes from numerous quarterbacks over the years, Pittman continues to produce, reaching the 1,000-yard mark in two of the last three seasons along with catching over 71 percent of his targets during that span.
Nelson, meanwhile, has allowed over two sacks only one time since he entered the NFL in 2018. In pass-blocking efficiency, Nelson has ranked in the top-15 among all guards in four of the last five seasons, including being within the top-five twice.
With strong 2024 seasons, other players who could be vying for one of these spots next offseason include Anthony Richardson, Adonai Mitchell, and Laiatu Latu, along with the aforementioned Moore, Taylor, and Raimann.
