Jack Nelson has 'taken off in a leadership role' for Wisconsin football
Wisconsin's left tackle has taken on a bigger leadership role as a redshirt senior.
After an up-and-down redshirt junior season, Jack Nelson once pegged as a likely round 2-3 NFL Draft selection, is back with the Wisconsin football program for one more year. He's determined to prove he's ironed out the inconsistencies and is ready to elevate his draft stock in 2024.
At 6-foot-7 and 312 pounds, Nelson brings a wealth of experience to the Wisconsin Badgers offensive line, having started 38 total games, 25 of which at left tackle. With a pair of All-Big Ten honorable mentions on his resume, Nelson is primed to anchor the line under AJ Blazek this season.
In terms of his performance in 2023, Nelson was tied for eighth among Big Ten offensive linemen who played at least half of their team's snaps in sacks allowed (4). It's worth noting, however, that three of those sacks came in the first five games. Nelson allowed just one more sack during the latter half of the season and played much more consistent football.
Nelson recorded the second-highest offensive grade on the Badgers' offensive line at 70.6 and earned a 75.6 pass-blocking grade, making him third on the team and 16th overall in the Big Ten. That said, Nelson's pass-blocking grade dropped off from the 83.5 he registered in 2022.
That drop-off could be explained by a drastic change in scheme, going from a ground-and-pound rushing attack under the previous regime to a spread-based system. No matter the reasoning, Nelson needs to sort out his penalty issues after leading Power 5 linemen with 13 flags last year.
Either way, the Wisconsin football team will need Nelson to perform like one of their top players in 2024, and head coach Luke Fickell shared that he's had a good offseason, specifically from a leadership standpoint.
"I would say Jack Nelson has had a good offseason," Fickell said on ESPN Milwaukee. "Obviously [Nelson] has played a lot of ball, had a lot of expectations, but I just think he's kind of really grown and taken off in a leadership role, and in this role here in this weight room."
After spending a full offseason in the weight room with Badgers strength coach Brady Collins, Nelson should be in the best position physically to play up-tempo and out in space despite being recruited to play offensive tackle in a remarkably different scheme under Chryst.Â
As last season progressed, Nelson seemed to find his groove and adapt to the Wisconsin Badgers' new system. With this final season being pivotal for his NFL draft prospects, I'm betting on the Stoughton native to have a bounceback year and have an all-conference type of season.
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