 Nelson at the 2020 Pro Bowl | |||||||||
| No. 56 – Indianapolis Colts | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Guard | ||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1996-03-19)March 19, 1996 (age 29) Holmdel, New Jersey, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 330 lb (150 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Red Bank Catholic(Red Bank, New Jersey) | ||||||||
| College | Notre Dame (2014–2017) | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2018: 1st round, 6th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2024 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Quenton Emerson Nelson (born March 19, 1996) is an American professionalfootballguard for theIndianapolis Colts of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football atNotre Dame, receivingunanimous All-American honors in 2017, and was selected by the Colts sixth overall in the2018 NFL draft. Considered among the NFL's best guards, Nelson has receivedPro Bowl selections in all seven of his seasons and three first-teamAll-Pros.[1][2]
Nelson is the youngest of four children of Craig and Maryellen Nelson.[3] He grew up inHolmdel Township, New Jersey and attendedHolmdel High School as a freshman before transferring toRed Bank Catholic High School inRed Bank, New Jersey, where he was an All-Star in basketball as a power forward/center.[4][5] Nelson committed to theUniversity of Notre Dame to playcollege football.[6][7] He also supplemented his football and strength trainings withTaekwondo.[8]
Afterredshirting his first year at Notre Dame in 2014, Nelson played in all 12 games and made one start in 2015.[9] In 2016, he started all 12 games.[10][11][12] Nelson was named a unanimous first team All-American after the 2017 season. On January 8, 2018, he announced that he would forgo his last year of eligibility and enter the2018 NFL draft.[13]
At the end of the pre-draft process, Nelson was projected a top ten selection in the first round by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the top offensive linemen prospect in the draft bySports Illustrated and NFL analystsDaniel Jeremiah andMike Mayock.[14][15]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 325 lb (147 kg) | 33+3⁄4 in (0.86 m) | 10+3⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 4.62 s | 7.65 s | 26.5 in (0.67 m) | 8 ft 9 in (2.67 m) | 35 reps | ||||
| All values fromNFL Combine[16][17] | ||||||||||||
TheIndianapolis Colts selected Nelson in the first round (sixth overall) of the2018 NFL draft.[18] On May 11, 2018, the Colts signed Nelson to a fully guaranteed four-year, $23.88 million contract, including a signing bonus of $15.45 million.[19]
On November 1, 2018, Nelson was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month for October, after being part of an offensive line that had not allowed a sack in 156 straight drop backs and had 200 rushing yards in back-to-back games for first time in 33 years. Nelson becoming the first guard to ever win the award, and he andShaquille Leonard (who won Defensive Player of the Month in September) became the first teammates to win awards in the same season.[20] Nelson was named to thePro Bowl as a rookie and was named first-teamAll-Pro.[21] He was also named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[22]
In the 2019 season, Nelson appeared in and started all 16 games for the Colts.[23] He played 1,042 snaps, allowing no sacks and committing just three penalties; he earned a grade of 91.2 fromPro Football Focus.[24] For the second consecutive season, Nelson was named as a First Team All-Pro and earned a Pro Bowl nomination.[25][26] He was ranked 29th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2020.[27]
In the 2020 season, Nelson again appeared in and started all 16 games for the Colts for the third year in a row.[28] He played 1,082 snaps, only allowed one sack, and committed nine penalties.[29] For the third straight year, Nelson was named as a first-team All-Pro and earned his third Pro Bowl nomination.[30] Nelson was ranked 33rd by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2021.[31]
On April 28, 2021, the Colts exercised the fifth-year option on Nelson's contract,[32] which guarantees a salary of $13.754 million for the 2022 season.[33] On August 3, it was revealed that he needed surgery on his left foot, a similar injury thatCarson Wentz had suffered a week prior. Recovery time was projected to be 5–12 weeks, but the doctors deemed that the injury was not as serious.[34] In Week 3, Nelson suffered a high ankle sprain and was placed on injured reserve on October 2, 2021.[35] He was activated on October 23.[36]
Nelson was namedAssociated Press second-team All-Pro.[37] He has the most total All-Pro selections (four) and the most First Team All-Pro selections (three from 2018 to 2020) by a guard in franchise history.[38]
Nelson became just the second player in team history to earn Pro Bowl honors in his first four seasons, joiningAlan Ameche (1955–58). He also became the first offensive lineman in the NFL to do it in his first four seasons sinceZack Martin (2014–17) and is the first Indianapolis player to be selected to four consecutive Pro Bowls sinceT. Y. Hilton (2014–17). The last Colts offensive linemen to be selected to four consecutive Pro Bowls wereChris Hinton (six consecutive, 1983–89) andRay Donaldson (four consecutive, 1986–89).[39] Nelson was ranked 28th by his fellow players on theNFL Top 100 Players of 2022.[40]
On September 10, 2022, Nelson signed a four-year, $80 million contract extension with $60 million guaranteed through 2026, making him the highest-paid guard in the league.[41]
In the 2022 season, Nelson started in all 17 games.[42] He was named to his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl.[43]
Nelson started all 17 games for the Colts in the 2023 season.[44] He earned Pro Bowl honors for the sixth consecutive season.[45]
Nelson started all 17 games for the Colts in the 2024 season.[46] He earned Pro Bowl honors for the seventh consecutive season.[47] Nelson was also named as a second-team All-Pro.[48]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Offense | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Snaps | Pct | Holding | False start | Decl/Pen | Acpt/Pen | ||||
| 2018 | IND | 16 | 16 | 1,136 | 100% | 6 | 3 | 2 | 9 | ||
| 2019 | IND | 16 | 16 | 1,045 | 97% | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 2020 | IND | 16 | 16 | 1,084 | 99% | 5 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||
| 2021 | IND | 13 | 13 | 768 | 90% | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2022 | IND | 17 | 17 | 1,151 | 100% | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2023 | IND | 17 | 17 | 1,140 | 99% | 3 | 2 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2024 | IND | 17 | 17 | 1,083 | 100% | 1 | 6 | 0 | 8 | ||
| Career | 112 | 112 | 7,407 | - | 22 | 14 | 5 | 41 | |||
