Atlanta Falcons fans have known how good Chris Lindstrom is for quite some time. Finally, he’s getting more recognition across the league this summer.
Every training camp, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler surveys NFL players, coaches, executives and scouts to put together a top 10 list for each position. This year, Lindstrom made the final top 10 at guard.
One evaluator ranked Lindstrom as the best guard in the entire NFL.
Another evaluator shared that he only ranked him outside the top tier of guards in the league because of Atlanta’s offensive scheme.
“Really good player, technician — the only thing holding him back from the top, top tier is he’s a bit dependent on the [zone blocking] scheme he’s in,” an NFL personnel evaluator told Fowler. “I don’t know if he would be as good if he was in another scheme.”
The 26-year-old made his first Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro during the 2022 season, which was his fourth in the league. For his 2022 performance, the Falcons awarded him with a five-year contract extension worth $105 million.
The breakout season is what landed Lindstrom on Fowler’s list. Last summer, he did not appear anywhere on Fowler’s list of top 10 guards.
According to Pro Football Focus, Lindstrom should have made a bigger jump up Fowler’s list. PFF ranked Lindstrom the top-performing guard (among those who played at least 50% of his team’s offensive snaps) in the entire league.
Based on the PFF player grades, Lindstrom also should have received top 10 recognition in 2020 and 2021. Among guards who played more than half the season, PFF ranked him fifth and eight based on their player grades in 2021 and 2020, respectively.
With that in mind, Lindstrom still isn’t getting the proper respect he deserves around the league. But at least it is improving.
