Denver Broncos Quinn Meinerz’s rise to NFL prominence is nothing short of extraordinary.
After being drafted in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft, Meinerz burst onto the scene when he won the starting right guard job for the Denver Broncos straight from training camp. His powerful drive blocks and ferocious mentality quickly earned him wide respect across the league, with scouts praising his work ethic and motor.
In an article by Mason Cameron of PFF, he listed Meinerz as the third-best guard in his league rankings:
Meinerz has quickly become one of the most destructive interior blockers in the game, capturing the first All-Pro nod of his career in 2024. The 26-year-old guard has notched an 83.0-plus PFF overall grade in each of his past two seasons, and he finished 2024 as the only guard to earn an 80.0-plus PFF grade as both a run blocker and pass protector.
Meinerz is Consistent
In his rookie year, Meinerz started all 17 games. It shows that his technique and discipline translated immediately to the pro level. As a consistently available player, he became a reliable part of Denver’s blocking corps, stabilizing a front line that had seen frequent shuffling.
“I was trying to build a foundation last year with this new [Sean Payton-coached offensive] system, and now I’m trying to build on the foundation and adding more tools so that my pass sets aren’t predictable. What I’m doing isn’t predictable. Creating more of a chess match so it’s more in my favor throughout a game where I’m not getting timed up,” said Meinerz.
He plays with a rare edge with his pads staying low, and he attacks defenders head-on, creating running lanes and rumbling out finish blocks.
Elite Run Blocker
His blend of brute strength, relentless motor, and technical improvement has made him a force in the run game. He consistently opens lanes with a physical punch and excels when asked to pull or trap. His ability to reach linebackers at the second level adds extra yardage to every inside run. Guards like Meinerz don’t just block they move the line of scrimmage.
Meinerz always feels like he can improve on his skill set as a run blocker.
“My biggest thing is the backside cutoffs in the run game, I’m trying to work on,” he said. “I mean there’s always stuff to keep improving on and adding more tools in the pass game.
As opponents begin to scheme specifically against him—using stunts, blitzes, and edge rushers will be tested to refine his technique and strengthen his fundamentals further. If he continues his tireless approach and develops his game intelligently, he could emerge as one of the better interior linemen in both pass and run situations.
“Pass pro is typically looked at as being passive, and not making it passive anymore because I know that I can be a little more aggressive,” said Meinerz.
He will look to repeat his all-pro performance from last season as he has established his self as one of the leaders on offense.
