NFL Network’s Top 100 list already has one Colts name on it, and it’s the one you’d expect: Quenton Nelson at No. 99.
That alone gives Indianapolis a foothold on a list that is never just about pure talent. It blends respect, reputation and what players have done lately, and that mix usually tells you something useful about how the league views a guy.
Nelson’s spot makes sense. He’s not the same dominant force he was earlier in his career, but he’s still one of the best guards in football, one of the most respected offensive linemen around, and the tone-setter on the Colts’ offensive line.
If anything, No. 99 feels a little low.
The bigger question is who else from Indianapolis belongs next to him.
Jonathan Taylor is the easiest answer. Running backs always get handled differently on these kinds of lists, but Taylor is still one of the best at his position and still the engine of the Colts’ offense.
When he’s healthy and rolling, he changes the way defenses have to line up. He’s one of the rare Colts who can seize a game on his own, and if the list is supposed to reflect the best football players, he belongs.
Sauce Gardner is another clear yes, even if he’s new to Indianapolis. He’s already established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in football, and if the ranking is based on overall talent and league-wide standing, he should be ahead of every Colts player. Elite outside corners don’t come around often, and Gardner has already built the kind of résumé that makes him a Top 100 regular.
Then there are the players sitting in the gray area.
DeForest Buckner has a real case, but he’s not a sure thing. He remains a very good interior defensive lineman and has been one of the Colts’ most important players for years.
Still, these rankings tend to lean hard on sack totals, star power and national attention. Interior linemen who aren’t piling up big pass-rush numbers often get pushed aside, even when their value is obvious.
Buckner wouldn’t look out of place on the list, but he feels closer to the bubble than to safety.
Bernhard Raimann might be the most overlooked candidate of the bunch. Based purely on how he plays, he has a legitimate argument.
He’s developed into a high-level left tackle, and that matters because left tackle is one of the most valuable spots in the sport. The issue is recognition.
Offensive linemen already have a hard time getting noticed, and Raimann still doesn’t carry the same reputation as the bigger names at the position. He may deserve Top 100 consideration more than he’s likely to receive.
The long shots are easier to sort through.
Laiatu Latu is probably still a year away. He’s moving in the right direction and looks like a real building block, but edge rushers usually need big sack production, playoff visibility or major national buzz to break into a player-voted Top 100. He’s not there yet.
Kenny Moore II is also unlikely to make it now. He was a very good Colt, but slot corners rarely get the kind of credit they deserve unless they’re viewed as true stars, and Moore is probably beyond the point where he gets that kind of league-wide recognition.
Cam Bynum is a solid player and a useful pickup, but he doesn’t feel like a Top 100 name. Safety is a tough position to crack unless the player has star status, and Bynum looks more like a good starter than a list regular.
Charvarius Ward has the strongest reputation of that group, but he still seems to be on the outside. He’s a good corner and a valuable player, but with Sauce Gardner already on the roster and so many elite defensive backs across the league, Ward reads more like a strong starter than a Top 100 player right now.
So yes, the Colts should have more than one player on the list. Nelson is already there.
Taylor and Gardner should be locks. Buckner and Raimann both have legitimate arguments, even if they get left out.
Latu could get there soon, but he probably needs one more jump before the players see him that way.
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Wards message to Colts fans is less about hype than timing. He has stressed that the pairing only showed a glimpse of what it can become because injury interrupted the partnership so early, and the real test now is whether the two can build the continuity needed to make the defense look the way the Colts envisioned when they put this duo together. [Read more 🡒]