by Kevin Hickey
One of the more encouraging developments regarding the Indianapolis Colts’ season in 2023 was the growth shown by second-year left tackle Bernhard Raimann.
The former third-round pick built off a promising rookie campaign, developing into a cornerstone piece at one of the most vital positions on the entire roster.
Raimann was already named to Pro Football Focus’ All-Breakout Team earlier in the offseason, and they also listed him as the Colts’ secret superstar following the 2023 season.
Raimann showed some promise in his rookie season with the Colts but was held down by a poor offensive line around him – so those rookie growing pains were magnified. However, his ascension in his second season has been excellent. Raimann earned an 82.3 PFF grade — the seventh-highest among all tackles, while his 80.6 pass-blocking grade was eighth-highest.
With Anthony Richardson returning next season, Raimann’s status as one of the up-and-coming left tackles in the NFL will matter even more. He’ll have the task of protecting the Colts’ franchise quarterbacks blindside for the foreseeable future.
The Austria native allowed four sacks throughout the season, all four of which came against elite edge rushers Myles Garrett, Josh Allen and Trey Hendrickson twice. He also was regarded as one of the best run-blocking offensive tackles in the NFL, according to ESPN’s run-block win rate metric.
Though the offensive line, including Raimann, dealt with injuries throughout the 2023 season, he proved he can hold his own and more against some stiff competition on the blindside.
With another season under his belt, the Colts can once again rely on the strength of the left side of the offensive line as a catalyst for an offense that has a lot of potential in the immediate future.
Originally posted on coltswire.usatoday.com