Packers Working out Wisconsin S Scott Nelson
By Paul Bretl
Safety is an under the radar need for the Green Bay Packers this draft season.
At the moment, they need a reliable third option to play next to Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage. That role last season belonged to Henry Black, who was on the field for almost 300 snaps, but he is no longer on the team. Other on the roster options include Shawn Davis, Vernon Scott, and Innis Gaines, but combined, the trio has only 90 career snaps—and all belong to Scott.
Speaking of Scott, he is also the only safety under contract in 2023 at the moment, which is another reason why this position should be addressed.
So with the Green Bay Packers needing to build their overall depth at the position, a name to know is Scott Nelson from Wisconsin.
According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the Packers had Nelson in for an individual workout on Friday.
As Wilson mentions, with his performance at his pro-day, Nelson is a late riser in this pre-draft process. On the RAS scale, he posted an elite score of 9.67, measuring in at 6’2” and weighing 204 pounds. Nelson also ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and recorded a 39.5” vertical.
Nelson played four years for the Badgers, totaling 1,206 career snaps during that span, according to PFF ($$), with 575 coming in 2021.
During this past season, Nelson would log three pressures, 56 total tackles, and 15 stops. In coverage, he allowed a completion rate of 63% on 27 targets and 15.7 yards per catch with an interception and four pass breakups.
Defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard would move Nelson around the secondary as he finished his Wisconsin career with 392 snaps in the box, another 522 as the free safety, and 238 from the slot.
For more on Nelson, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network had this to say about him in his pre-draft report:
"“Nelson is a high-effort defender who makes plays with his head and hustle rather than athleticism. He’s a traditional strong safety or a fit in a zone system, and Nelson comes with a special-teams mentality.”"
Brennen Rupp of Packers Wire has Nelson as a UDFA in his own rankings but mentions that he could make his way into Round 7 if a team wants to take a chance on his speed and athleticism.
Rupp also adds that Nelson could carve himself a role on special teams—which again, is an area that the Green Bay Packers could use a boost in as well, and where Nelson will make his biggest impact, at least early on. He played 87 special teams snaps this past season at Wisconsin.