The 2021 PFF50 ought to boost Notre Dame’s case for the title of “O-Line U."
Four Notre Dame football alums are among the 50 best NFL players in Pro Football Focus’ eyes — and three of them play on the offensive line.
That trio starts with the former Notre Dame guard whom PFF views as the best offensive lineman in football.
Indianapolis Colts guard Quenton Nelson is the No. 4 player on the list, following the second straight season in which he led all NFL offensive linemen in PFF WAR. The No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 draft has earned first-team All-Pro honors in each of his three years in the NFL.
“Nelson plays offensive guard, a significantly less valuable position than tackle, but that tells you just how good he is at his current position,” PFF’s Sam Monson wrote. “Nelson has now allowed just three sacks in his three NFL seasons and finished 2020 with 15 total pressures allowed across the full regular season and wild-card game. If anything, Nelson is an even better run-blocker, making him one of the best players in the game, period.”
The No. 2 ranked offensive lineman is also a former Irish player. Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin, a four-time first-team All-Pro, is No. 13 on the PFF50. His string of six straight Pro Bowls to begin his career ended in 2020 due to a calf injury that limited him to 10 games. He also made his first two career starts at tackle last year.
“The Dallas offensive line fell apart last season, but Martin was still playing his best football right up until getting injured, even when he kicked out to right tackle,” Monson wrote. “Martin earned a PFF overall grade of 91.3 at the time of his injury, allowing just 13 total pressures across 10 games. He has now allowed just one sack in two years for the Cowboys.”
The third former Notre Dame blocker is Baltimore Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who is 46th in the PFF50. He’s the No. 7-ranked lineman and fifth among offensive tackles. The 2019 first-team All-Pro signed a five-year, $112 million extension last year, but suffered a season-ending ankle injury six games into 2020.
“Stanley may be the best pass-protector in the entire NFL at any position,” Monson wrote. “He has back-to-back PFF pass-blocking grades of at least 90.0 (albeit in an injury-shortened year in 2020). He has surrendered just 16 total pressures across his last 719 pass-blocking snaps, allowing his quarterback to be hit or sacked just three times in that period.
"Stanley’s run blocking has improved throughout his career, but it’s his pass-blocking prowess that powers him to this ranking. What separates him from a player like David Bakhtiari is a combination of longevity at that level and the undoubted effect Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore offense has on the ease of his job as a pass protector by comparison.”
The lone former Notre Dame defensive player on the list is Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith, at No. 32. The 2012 first-round pick has spent all nine of his NFL seasons with the Vikings and has earned a pair of All-Pro honors. He’s the second-highest ranked safety, behind only the Denver Broncos’ Justin Simmons.
“Smith remains one of the best and most consistent safeties in the league, and while he isn’t coming off his best season, the same is true for most members of the Minnesota defense,” Monson wrote.
“Smith has elite versatility to play any safety role within any coverage shell the Vikings dial up, giving them the ability to play a little bit of every type of coverage in the book. The Vikings didn’t line up in any single coverage shell more than 17% of the time last season, and a huge part of that diversity is because of Smith’s ability to move around and fill any missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle. He should bounce back in 2021, too, as the Vikings defense looks far stronger on paper.”
The four Notre Dame representatives are tied with Ohio State for the most of any college team.
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