Matt Nelson (American football)

Matt Nelson
Personal information
Born: (1995-12-19) December 19, 1995 (age 29)
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S.
Height:6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight:315 lb (143 kg)
Career information
High school:Xavier
(Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
College:Iowa (2014–2018)
Position:Offensive tackle
Undrafted:2019
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Games played:43
Games started:14
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Matt Nelson (born December 19, 1995) is an American professional football offensive tackle. He played college football at Iowa, and has previously played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions.

Early life

Nelson attended high school at Cedar Rapids Xavier. He was a three-year letterman in basketball and two-year letterman in football, playing tight end and defensive end. Nelson held Division I basketball offers, including from Rice, and several Football Bowl Subdivision offers, including from Stanford, Iowa, Notre Dame, Arkansas, and Wisconsin.[1] Xavier reached the state 4-A final back-to-back, with Nelson earning All-State honors. He committed to Iowa in June 2013.[2]

College career

Nelson was a defensive lineman for the Iowa Hawkeyes for five seasons, redshirting as a true freshman. Playing both defensive end and defensive tackle, Nelson finished his collegiate career with 111 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, nine sacks, nine pass break-ups, and one forced fumble.[3] Nelson was a four-time academic all-Big Ten Conference, and earned honorable mention all-Big Ten honors his senior season.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 7 in
(2.01 m) 		296 lb
(134 kg) 		34+7⁄8 in
(0.89 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 5.15 s 1.81 s 2.95 s 4.61 s 7.45 s 30.5 in
(0.77 m)		 9 ft 3 in
(2.82 m)		 15 reps
All values from Pro Day[4]

Detroit Lions

After going undrafted in 2019, Nelson was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent with the intention of moving him to the offensive line.[5] He was waived during final roster cuts, but was re-signed to the Lions practice squad and spent the rest of the season there as he adjusted to the offensive line. Nelson made the team out of training camp in 2020. Nelson made his NFL debut in the season opener on September 13, 2020, against the Chicago Bears.[6]

Nelson was given an exclusive-rights free agent tender by the Lions on March 4, 2021.[7] He signed the one-year contract on April 19.[8]

On March 14, 2023, the Lions re-signed Nelson.[9] He was placed on injured reserve on September 28 with an ankle injury.

New York Giants

On March 21, 2024, Nelson signed with the New York Giants.[10] He was released on August 27.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Hawkeye football recruit also had choice of Division I basketball". The Des Moines Register. February 5, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  2. ^ "Matt Nelson". University of Iowa Athletics. April 10, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  3. ^ "Gustafson, Nelson Named Iowa's Big Ten Medal of Honor Winners". May 14, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2020.[dead link‍]
  4. ^ "2019 NFL Draft Scout Matt Nelson College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
  5. ^ Birkett, Dave (May 10, 2019). "Meet Detroit Lions' class of undrafted rookie free agents". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  6. ^ Raven, Benjamin (September 14, 2020). "Snap counts: Lions roll with 3 safeties for most of Week 1 loss with Duron Harmon leading the way". MLive.com. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  7. ^ "Lions tender three exclusive rights free agents". DetroitLions.com. March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
  8. ^ "2021 NFL Transactions: Signings – April". NFL.com. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  9. ^ "Lions re-sign T Matt Nelson". DetroitLions.com. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  10. ^ "Giants agree to terms with OT Matt Nelson". Giants.com. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  11. ^ Eisen, Michael (August 28, 2024). "Giants announce initial 53-man roster for 2024". Giants.com.