Jack Nelson, Wisconsin: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Nelson was a four-star offensive tackle recruit from Stoughton High School in Stoughton, Wis. in the class of 2020

Wisconsin left tackle Jack Nelson never had a stable offensive line coaching situation in college. In the right situation in the NFL, Nelson could develop into a quality sixth offensive lineman. He projects as a mid-Day 3 selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Jack Nelson, LT/G Wisconsin: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior right tackle from Stoughton, Wis.

Background: Nelson was a four-star offensive tackle recruit from Stoughton High School in Stoughton, Wis. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 104 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 198 for Rivals, and No. 101 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 148th in the nation with an 83 grade out of 100. Nelson earned First Team All-State honors from the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association in 2018 and 2019. He won the Joe Thomas Award as the state's top senior offensive lineman in 2019. Nelson received three Badger South First Team All-Conference selections in high school and was once the Badger South Lineman of the Year. He also played three varsity seasons of basketball. Nelson’s father, Todd, played along the offensive line for Wisconsin and was selected by the Phoenix Cardinals in the 12th round of the 1989 NFL Draft.

Injuries & Off-Field: Exited 2021 Rutgers game with an injury and didn’t return, had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb in August of 2022, missed 2022 Ohio State game with illness, pulled hamstring during pre-draft process causing him to miss the Senior Bowl and perform limited role at NFL Combine

Awards: 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten, 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten, 2024 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten

Pros: Experience playing left tackle and right guard, four-year starter, filled out frame, respectable 33.5-inch arms, sinks butt to sit low in stance in pass pro, nice width on kick step, maintains a wide base, anchor to sit on the rushers, re-anchors against power rushes, enough flexibility to bend and contort while maintaining anchor, redirects for stunts, good burst off the line in the run game, comfortable climbing to the second level, smooth and easy combo blocker, nice mover in space, good angles climbing to linebackers, quick to redirect and pick off second level threats in run game, plays through the whistle

Cons: Lack of improvement in recent years, 20 penalties committed over the past two years, unnecessary holding calls, some waist bending, lunges or overextends on some punches, range is good but not elite, footspeed can be exploited, footwork after his kick step needs polishing to maintain speed, odd knee angles lead to balance issues, can’t play tackle with his B-gap issues, occasionally oversets and is late to close B-gap, change of direction to close B-gap is half a second late, underdeveloped hands, lacking independent hand usage, length is good but not great, keeps hands way too wide before engaging, hands arrive wide and late, allows free access to his chest, locked out by long-arms and vulnerable to speed to power, needs more hand counters vs. power rushes, not twitchy enough to mirror some linebackers in space

Overview: Nelson amassed more than 3,100 offensive snaps across his four years as a starter, including starting time at left tackle and right guard. He boasts a filled out frame with 33.5-inch arms. Nelson sits low in his stance and gains nice width with his kick step. His footspeed helps him mirror some rushers up the arc but gets exploited by more explosive defenders. The Wisconsin native’s range in pass protection is good but falls short of elite. His footwork after transitioning out of his kick step makes it difficult for him to maintain his speed and match wide-alignment rushers. This will be mitigated by kicking Nelson inside to guard. The three-time All-Big Ten honorable mention maintains a wide base in pass protection and anchors well against rushers of all builds. He re-anchors and holds his ground against power rushers but occasionally loses because of poor balance. Nelson contorts his upper body to absorb power without breaking his base. He identifies and redirects for stunts well but frequently fails to close the B-gap against rush counters. He lacks the change of direction and agility to cut off rushers countering inside. Nelson bends at the waist and overextends when punching in pass protection. This, combined with some odd knee angles, causes balance issues. Despite his experience, he lacks consistent independent hands and punches wide and late, exposing his chest. Nelson makes himself vulnerable to speed to power and lacks the hand counters to disrupt power rushers. He committed 20 penalties over the past two seasons, including several unnecessary holding calls caused by poor technique. Nelson bursts off the line in the run game and is comfortable working to the second level. He moves well in space and takes good angles. The redshirt senior lacks the twitch to consistently mirror linebackers but redirects quickly to pick off crashing threats. He plays through the whistle.

Overall, Nelson stagnated as a prospect in recent years and failed to clean up some of the technical flaws that haunt his game. He possesses the demeanor and movement skills to be a positive contributor in the run game but needs to transition inside at guard because of his limitations in pass protection. Nelson played for four offensive line coaches during his time at Wisconsin. There’s potential for him to develop into a quality sixth offensive lineman with consistent coaching.

Role & Scheme Fit: Right guard in an inside zone or gap scheme

Round Projection: Mid Fifth to Early Sixth Round

Size: 6'7", 314 lbs. (NFL Combine)

Submitted: 01-04-25

Updated: 03-11-25