Anthony

Nelson

Nelson (6’7/271) turned pro as a redshirt junior after starting for two years as a Hawkeye, tallying 31 career TFLs with 23 sacks and four forced fumbles and earning second-team All-Big Ten in 2018. Nelson’s athleticism popped in Indy with 79th-percentile SPARQ results, including 4.82 speed and a twitched-up 6.95 three-cone time, incredible for a 271-pound lineman. He also aced the Wonderlic Test (39). With nearly 35-inch arms, Nelson’s strengths are length and motor, but his height can work against him in the trenches, and he likely doesn’t project as a double-digit sack pass rusher. Still, Nelson’s tools and movement skills raise his floor as a probable rotational asset at worst.

It’s not the first time we’ve heard Nelson being an underrated part of this class, with Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports mentioning that Nelson was a “plan B” for teams who couldn’t get a player like Nick Bosa. “Nelson recorded 23 sacks over his last three years at Iowa,” Moton writes. “A club desperate for a pass-rusher will find a spot for him on the defensive line, but his combination of size and traits may cause some debate in draft rooms.” Don’t be surprised if Nelson goes on Day 2, and he could be a steal there or early on Day 3.

Bosa is likely going in the first five picks -- it’d be an upset if he falls out of the top three right now -- but Nelson (6'7/271) could be a nice fallback option, as Trapasso mentions. "[Nelson] has the most advanced repertoire of pass-rushing moves at the edge rusher spot in this class after Bosa and demonstrated high caliber athleticism at the combine with a three-cone drill time in the 92nd percentile at his position as well as a broad and vertical in the 82nd and 87th percentiles respectively,” he writes. Right now, it looks like Nelson will be a Day 2 pick, and he could be a steal in that range.

Nelson (6'7/271) had the fifth-fastest time in the 40-yard dash among defensive linemen, and he also tested well in the 3-cone drill (6.95 seconds) and 20-yard shuttle (4.23 seconds). The negative for the former Iowa DE when it comes to his testing numbers was the bench press, with his 18 reps being the fewest for a defensive lineman. Nelson has been projected to be a Day 2 selection in next month’s NFL Draft.

Nagy continues to write that Nelson (6'7/271) has “unique tools” and those tools came through during Senior Bowl practices and at the Senior Bowl Game when he recorded two sacks and had a forced fumble. During the 2018 season, Nelson popped up for 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. Consider Nelson a riser and he could end up as a Day 2 selection when it’s all set and done.

Nelson had a day, also recording two “total stops” and two quarterback hurries according to Pro Football Focus. Nelson had 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss last season and is expected by Walter Football to be selected anywhere from Rounds 3-5.

Nelson (6'7/271) accepting his invitation last-minute, as Senior Bowl practices will be getting underway next week. This past season, the Hawkeyes standout registered 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. Walter Football’s Charlie Campbell views Nelson as being in play for a Round 3-5 selection.

Nelson (6'7/271) projects to be a versatile defensive player capable of playing in the interior or coming off the edge. Before the season started, Draft Analyst’s Tony Pauline called Nelson a “sometimes-dominant lineman who eats opponents alive.” While we don’t support cannibalism, that’s certainly high praise for Nelson, who is considered a Day 2 candidate at the moment. Nelson had 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss in 2018.

Nelson also recorded one quarterback hit and four pressures in this outing. Nelson has been a contributor since his redshirt freshman season where he recorded six sacks and eight tackles-for-loss. Draft Analyst’s Tony Pauline believes Nelson is a second-third round talent and expects him to be taken in that range in the upcoming draft.

“Nelson is a developing pass rusher with great length and solid size,” Pauline wrote. Nelson (6'7/250) posted 33 tackles, seven sacks, eight TFL, two forced fumbles, one pass break-up and three QB pressures last fall.