Despite an underwhelming campaign as a team, three Colts starters will represent the franchise at the 2025 Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, Florida.
Running back Jonathan Taylor, offensive guard Quenton Nelson and linebacker Zaire Franklin were voted to the NFL’s all-star game for their performances during the 2024-25 season.
Taylor, 25, will make his second Pro Bowl appearance in five seasons. In 13 games, he rushed for 1,254 yards (seventh in NFL) and 10 touchdowns (T-12th) and was one of the more steady performers on a Colts offense which struggled with consistency.
The Ravens’ Derrick Henry and Texans’ Joe Mixon make up the rest of the AFC roster at the running back position.
Joining Taylor on the AFC offense is Nelson, making an astonishing seventh Pro Bowl appearance in seven seasons. He is the only Colt currently listed as a starter for the AFC.
The 28-year-old has been a mainstay on Indy’s offensive line since being drafted sixth overall in 2018. Nelson has missed just four regular season games in his career and is one of, if not the best left guard in football.
Per Pro Football Focus, Nelson ranks fifth in the NFL in run block grade (83.0), fourth in pass block grade (78.8), and fifth in offensive grade (81.8) this season, with a game to spare. Outside of a forgettable outing against the Lions, he’s been remarkably consistent.
Kansas City’s Joe Thuney will start at right guard opposite of Nelson, with Thuney’s teammate, Trey Smith, backing them both up.
The final Colts selection is perhaps the most significant as Franklin is headed to his first Pro Bowl after seven years in the league.
A seventh-round pick in 2018, Franklin began his career as a special teamer in Indianapolis, patiently waiting for his opportunity for more snaps on defense. When his chance finally came, he took off.
Franklin has finished in the top five of the NFL in tackles each of the past three years, and currently leads the league with 165 tackles with a game to go. He will join the Ravens’ Roquan Smith as the two inside linebackers representing their conference.
In addition to Taylor, Nelson and Franklin, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and center Ryan Kelly have been designated as Pro Bowl alternates. They will only head to Orlando should a currently rostered player be unable to participate.
The 2025 Pro Bowl Games will begin on Thursday, Jan. 30 with the skills competition, followed by the flag football championship being played Sunday, Feb. 2.
HN's NFL Power Rankings: Week 16
