The Indianapolis Colts added several new players this offseason but according to the Bleacher Report Austrian offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann is being overlooked by many.
When Raimann (Central Michigan) was selected by the Colts as the 77th pick of the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, most fans had already stopped paying attention.
They should start paying attention now.
Looking back on this in a year, Raimann, who is a product of the Vienna Vikings youth program in Austria, could end up being one of the biggest steals of the draft writes Alex Ballantine in the Bleacher Report. In a recent piece ranking the top seven most overlooked additions from this offseason, Ballantine ranks Raimann at No. 7.
“The 6’6”, 303-pound tackle was the 28th overall prospect on the B/R big board and received a grade of 8.0, signifying a year one starter on his scouting report. In other words, there’s a strong chance the Colts were able to find a starter at a premium position in the third round. That’s not something that happens often.
“Raimann is an athletic marvel. He earned a relative athletic score of 9.87 out of 10, making him the 17th-most athletic tackle prospect since 1987, per Kent Lee Platte of Pro Football Network.
If the former tight end winds up beating out Matt Pryor for the left tackle job during the season, he will be one of the best picks in the draft.”
Bernhard Raimann’s ranks among all OTs in College Football last season
💪 94.6 overall grade (3rd)
💪 88.7 pass block grade (13th)
💪 94.6 run block grade (3rd) pic.twitter.com/FvYKjLJ77D— PFF IND Colts (@PFF_Colts) May 6, 2022
Although Raimann was selected to be the left tackle of the future for the Colts, there’s a chance he could also wind up being the left tackle of the present. The incumbent, Matt Pryor, has not had that much experience as a starter having been traded to Indianapolis from the Philadelphia Eagles at the start of the 2021-2022 season.
It was felt that Raimann was selected as insurance and the answer for the future, but his talent is obvious and he could very well push Pryor for the starting spot according to Ballentine.