The Indianapolis Colts pulled off a narrow upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers last week, winning 27-24 to improve to 2-2 on the season. The Colts were hampered by injuries in this game, as veteran center Ryan Kelly was ruled out due to a neck injury just hours before kickoff.
Stepping up in place of the veteran center was rookie Tanor Bortolini, a 2024 fourth-round selection who was a healthy scratch in the team's first three games of the season. Bortolini stepped into a near-impossible role on Sunday, tasked with handling pass protection calls and holding his own against one of the best interior defensive line duos in the league.
Surprisingly, Bortolini was quite solid for a majority of the game. He had his fair share of losses on the day, but the rookie never looked out of place against the league's top defense. In fact, his admirable play on the interior was one of the reasons why the Colts' offense was able to find success on Sunday.
So today, let's dive into the play of this impressive 22 year old starter for the Colts.
Pure Athlete in the Run Game
Bortolini is a fantastic athlete for the center position, and his athletic prowess popped on film multiple times in this outing. He was able to get the second level with ease, and his lead blocks helped spring a few of the Colts' better runs on the day.
He climbed to the second level and located the linebacker with ease on this Anthony Richardson draw play early in the game. His seal block on the linebacker helped this play convert for a key first on third down.
Bortolini also operated in sync with his teammates well in the run game. Whether it was Quenton Nelson or Will Fries, Bortolini leaned on the veterans for help in handling star defensive tackles like Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton all game long.
He had a nice rep on a toss play against Benton in the clip below. Nelson got hands on the powerful nose tackle early while Bortolini was able to clean up the block with impressive strength and athleticism on the backside.
Bortolini also drove Benton off the ball on this late explosive run by Jonathan Taylor. Bortolini had a good initial push on the play and then Fries came in late to finish off the block with a powerful punch. This initial displacement is good enough to give Taylor the space he needed turn this zone run into a big gain.
Surviving in the Pass Game
Bortolini's biggest test in this game came in pass pro, as players like Heyward and Benton are insanely difficult to match up against one on one. Bortolini had his share of losses, but he also knew how to win ugly reps when the team needed it the most.
These two plays below are far from perfect from Bortolini, but he showcased the ability to adjust from an initial loss and still keep a clean pocket for his quarterback. Benton is a tank of a nose tackle that outweighs Bortolini by a good 30-40 pounds, so the young center simply holding his own on these reps was/is impressive.
Bortolini's biggest win on Sunday came with his eyes. He was fantastic at spotting blitzes and free rushers, and he held up the middle of the line perfectly on short notice. He moved well in his slides and did a great job with passing off rushers with his running mates at the guard spots.
For a young player that may not be strong enough to be a full time starter (for now), this is what the coaches want to see. He nailed the mental aspect of playing the position on Sunday, now he just needs to continually grow in the physical aspect. At just 22 years old, odds are he is going to be able to add strength to his frame in the future.
The Bottom Line
Bortolini was far from outstanding in his first career start, but the Colts didn't need him to be. They simply needed the rookie to look passable and hold up his end of the bargain on the interior. For the most part, he was able to do that against one of the best defensive lines in football.
Bortolini is likely the Colts' long-term option at center following this season, so it was great to see him stand strong in his first career start. Hopefully, this is the first of many in his long career with the Colts.
