After the Colts selected Wisconsin interior offensive lineman Tanor Bortolini, here are some instant reactions to that pick:
– Bortolini crushed the NFL Combine, posting an elite Relative Athletic Score of 9.77 that included a 4.94-second 40-yard dash. He was one of the top-performing interior linemen at that event. Ballard loves drafting top athletes and Bortolini certainly fits that mold.
– Bortolini brings versatility to the Colts’ interior offensive line. While the majority of his snaps at Wisconsin came at center, he has guard experience as well. At the NFL level, he will be able to play all three interior spots.
– The Colts interior offensive line is in very good shape for 2024, with Nelson, Fries, and Kelly, but as we take a peak ahead to the 2025 offseason, as of now, both Fries and Kelly are slated to be free agents.
– Last season, Bortolini allowed one sack and 11 pressures. He ranked 28th in pass-blocking efficiency and 70th in PFF’s run-blocking grade out of 200 eligible centers.
– During Chris Ballard’s pre-draft press conference, while several questions were about putting playmakers around Anthony Richardson, Ballard kept brining it all back to importance of offensive line play. Success starts in the trenches, and in a very good offensive line class, the Colts invested two of their first four picks on the trenches.
– Bortolini was the 139th-ranked prospect on Daniel Jeremiah’s big board.
