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INDIANAPOLIS – The reason the Colts felt Quenton Nelson was worthy of the No. 6 overall pick has very little to do with what the rookie guard does right after the whistle is blown.
But the teammates of Nelson have taken notice as to what happens immediately after a play ends.
Watch the TV copy of a Colts game and you will notice a No. 56 often entering your picture right when a blue or white shirt ball carrier/pass catcher hits the ground.
There’s Nelson, with his hand stretched, to pick up his teammate and offer some encouragement for the next snap.
“It’s a very little thing, but everyone in this locker room notices Quenton Nelson helping guys up, him basically around the ball every play, whether it’s a 60-yarder or a 6-yarder,” Andrew Luck says. “It shows his attitude and passion. You love playing with a guy like that.”
“It’s insane,” Jacoby Brissett says of Nelson always there to pick up a teammate. “We kind of joke about it in the quarterback room, ‘Who do we think will pick him up?’ And it’s Quenton every single time. It’s impressive because he’s 20 yards the opposite side of the play and he will run to pick his teammate up. That’s rare. It takes a special person to do that on a consistent basis. I’ve seen him on the ground, get up and run just to pick somebody up 15 yards down the field. It’s crazy.”
All over the offense, the Colts have taken notice of Nelson doing a little extra after almost always accomplishing his needed blocking responsibilities.
“We do notice that,” fellow rookie Jordan Wilkins says.
“Quenton, of course, is a great player, but also just a great teammate. He wants the best for everybody. He’s going to give it his all each and every play. If you are on the ground, as a running back, and you see an offensive lineman come to help you up every play, it’s a great feeling.”
Ask Nelson about his unusual post-whistle act and he isn’t too expansive.
For most 330-pound offensive linemen, doing your work within the confines of the pocket or near the line of scrimmage is enough for every down duties.
But Nelson goes beyond the norm.
“You just want to run down and pick up your guy after he goes down,” Nelson says. “That’s pretty much it.
“Just to show your teammates that you have their back and tell them good job, get after it the next play.”
Watching Nelson pick teammates up after a play and you go back to what Chris Ballard said after taking the Notre Dame guard with such a high draft pick.
“He’s got everything we want in terms of character,” Ballard said of Nelson back in April. “His makeup is unique. This (pick) tells your locker room what you stand for. When they watch him work and they watch him play and they watch him practice, this is the standard we hold. They have to come to this standard.
“To me, Nelson was an easy pick, because he’s everything we stand for. And the locker room knows it now. He’s everything we stand for.”
