According to NFL.com’s Nick Shook, Indianapolis Colts 3rd-year center Tanor Bortolini has been named among their 2026 ‘All-Under-25-Team’:
Tanor Bortolini
Indianapolis Colts · Age 24
There’s something about Wisconsin linemen that tends to catch my eye in Indianapolis during the NFL Scouting Combine, and Bortolini was only the latest to do so back in the winter of 2024. Luckily for Indianapolis, he still flew under the radar, lasting until the fourth round of the draft and spending his first season at guard,
learning alongside the player he’d eventually replace, center Ryan Kelly. Bortolini switched to the pivot in 2025, anchored one of the NFL’s best (and most expertly rebuilt) offensive lines and earned a stellar Pro Football Focus grade, ranking third among all centers. It seems general manager Chris Ballard has successfully found his long-term replacement at a crucially important position.
Waiting in the wings at center as a rookie back in 2024, Bortolini didn’t miss a beat during his first time as a full-time starting center just a season later in 2025, as he more than effectively replaced longtime Pro Bowl veteran center fixture Ryan Kelly in the middle of the Colts offensive line—which was no easy feat.
Per PFF (subscription), this past season Bortolini earned a +82.6 overall grade, which was the 3rd highest among all qualifying players at the center position. Specifically, he had a +88.2 run blocking grade, and a +66.2 pass blocking grade—as he allowed 0 sacks and 17 QB pressures during his 566 total pass blocking snaps.
The 24-year-old Wisconsin native has already shown consistently solid fundamentals by being a sound technician in his overall blocking, with a highly cerebral approach to the game, while also flashing the well above average athleticism to get out and block in space—while climbing to the 2nd and even 3rd levels of opposing defenses.
While it’s still early in the 2024 4th round pick’s pro career, the Colts appear to have found their long-term starting center for the foreseeable future.
