In a salary-cap league like the NFL, finding building blocks is essential. As teams churn and burn the roster through the draft and bargain signings in free agency, it helps to find the players who are either a cut above the rest or can perform a task few others can. They relieve the pressure on everyone.

Over the next two weeks, we'll be ranking the 10 most essential players to the Colts' success in 2023. It's a subjective process, weighing factors such as ability, positional value within a scheme, age, leadership and durability.

To make it simpler, we're asking the following two questions about these players:

1. How difficult would he be to replace for more than a month?

2. What does the Colts' 2023 ceiling become if this player hits his?

The elephant in the room for 2023, of course, is the presence of a rookie quarterback. The growth of Anthony Richardson will matter more than the win-loss record, so this year's list will focus more on future value than it has in other years.

Today, we continue with No. 7, Quenton Nelson.

Here's the list so far:

10: JuJu Brents, cornerback

9: Jelani Woods, tight end

8. Bernhard Raimann, left tackle

7. Quenton Nelson, left guard

Position: Left guard

Age: 27

Experience: 6th NFL season, 6th with Colts

Accolades: Five-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, 78 starts in 78 games

2022 stats: Started all 17 games and was the Colts' lone Pro Bowl representative. Allowed seven sacks on 684 pass snaps

Last year's rank: No. 8

Why he's here: A year ago at this time, the question was about if and when the Colts would pay the premium to lock up their All-Pro left guard. Then the night before the season arrived, and they rewarded Quenton Nelson with a four-year, $80 million contract, only for the season to quickly go off the rails.

Nelson holds an incredibly high standard for himself as a top-10 pick and a cornerstone of a franchise built on the offensive line. By that standard, he didn't have the 2022 he wanted to have either. He gave up seven sacks, including a handful of quick losses that were uncharacteristic for him. But to start all 17 games and become the team's lone Pro Bowl representative despite that says everything about the standard he's built so far.

Indianapolis didn't see much pay-off to it last year, which goes to show the limited upside of a left guard. He can only cover up so much, and when left tackle and quarterback are revolving doors, the All-Pro running back is injured and the play-caller keeps changing, it's hard to keep that player at his best level either. But in understanding those limitations, it's not hard to see Nelson as one of the premier left guards in the game still, especially with the way he was able to rebound down the stretch of the season and helped turn the seasons of Bernhard Raimann and Ryan Kelly around for the better.

This year, Nelson's job is as important as it has been yet. He'll play next to Raimann, the No. 8 player on this list who is trying to take a step forward to become the team's long-term left tackle. He'll key the run game for Jonathan Taylor, who is trying to land a long-term contract while rebounding from a down, injury-riddled season. And he'll protect the middle of the pocket for Richardson, who needs to grow as a passer after completing less than 54% of his passes in college.

As 2022 showed, Nelson can't carry an entire line that's struggling, and that limits how high he can climb on this list. Much will have to come together with the young pieces around him to see the dominance of his 2021 season, when Taylor ran away with the rushing title. But if Taylor and Richardson can stay healthy and the rest of the line develops, the Colts have a chance to be one of the most exciting rushing teams again. That's the scenario where Nelson is playing downhill and angry, where he's one of the very best blockers in the game.

Nelson's floor when healthy is a Pro Bowl player, which is hard to say for just about anyone else on this list.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts: Why Quenton Nelson is No. 7 among most essential players