Reggie Nelson
No. 25, 20, 27 | |||||||
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Position: | Safety | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Melbourne, Florida, U.S. | September 21, 1983||||||
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
Weight: | 210 lb (95 kg) | ||||||
Career information | |||||||
High school: | Palm Bay (Melbourne, Florida) | ||||||
College: |
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NFL draft: | 2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 21 | ||||||
Career history | |||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Reggie Lee Nelson (born September 21, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators, winning a national championship and earning consensus All-American honors. He was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 2007 NFL draft and also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders.
Early years
Nelson was born in
College career
After graduating from Palm Bay High School in 2003, Nelson and Pirates teammate Joe Cohen chose to attend the University of Florida over rival Florida State University. He attended Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas first, red-shirting his freshman year, and then earned his associate degree and transferred to Florida as a sophomore.
Nelson accepted an athletic scholarship to play for coach
In his junior year, which would end up being his last season as a Gator, Nelson was selected as a member of the team's Leadership Committee, which was only one small highlight of his 2006 campaign. The Gators ended up going to the BCS National Championship Game and defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes, while Nelson recorded fifty-one tackles, five pass breakups and six interceptions. Two of his interceptions were against the Tennessee Volunteers, and he returned another for a seventy-yard touchdown against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Nelson was a first-team All-SEC selection and a consensus first-team All-American, and he was chosen by his Gators teammates as the team's most valuable player.[5][6]
In 2006, he was part a defense that helped the Gators win their first SEC title in six years and their first national championship in ten years. While also gaining him the moniker "The Eraser" for his strong defensive play throughout the season as well as the "battle for the SEC" game against LSU.[7]
Professional career
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 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 ft 11+3⁄8 in (1.81 m) |
198 lb (90 kg) |
33+1⁄4 in (0.84 m) |
8+7⁄8 in (0.23 m) |
4.56 s | 1.62 s | 2.68 s | 4.15 s | 6.67 s | 34.5 in (0.88 m) |
10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) | ||
All values from |
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars selected Nelson in the first round (21st overall) of the 2007 NFL draft.[11] Nelson was the third safety drafted in 2007, behind LSU's LaRon Landry and Texas' Michael Griffin, and also became the highest defensive back drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars.[12]
2007
On July 28, 2007, the Jacksonville Jaguars signed Nelson to a five-year, $9.55 million contract that includes $7.20 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $5.04 million.[13][14]
Nelson entered training camp slated as the starting free safety after the departure of Deon Grant in free agency. Longtime starting strong safety Donovin Darius was also cut at the beginning of camp due to a leg injury.[15] Head coach Jack Del Rio officially named Nelson the starting free safety to begin the regular season, along with strong safety Gerald Sensabaugh.[16]
He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the
The Jacksonville Jaguars finished second in the
2008
The Jacksonville Jaguars hired Gregg Williams to be their new defensive coordinator after Mike Smith accepted the head coaching role with the Atlanta Falcons.[22] Head coach Jack Del Rio named Nelson the starting free safety to begin the regular season, opposite strong safety Brian Williams.
Nelson sustained a knee injury and was inactive for three games (Weeks 4–6).
2009
Defensive coordinator
2010
Throughout training camp, Nelson competed for a role as a starting safety against Anthony Smith, Gerald Alexander, and Sean Considine.[28]
Cincinnati Bengals
On September 4, 2010, the Jacksonville Jaguars traded Nelson to the Cincinnati Bengals in exchange for cornerback David Jones and a conditional draft pick.[29] Head coach Marvin Lewis named Nelson the backup free safety, behind Chris Crocker, to start the regular season.[30]
On October 31, 2010, Nelson earned his first start with the Cincinnati Bengals after
2011
Nelson entered training camp slated as the starting strong safety.[33] Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer officially named him the starter to begin the regular season, alongside free safety Chris Crocker.[34][35]
He started in the
The Cincinnati Bengals finished third in the
2012
Nelson became an
On March 19, 2012, the Cincinnati Bengals signed Nelson to a four-year, $18 million contract that includes $6 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $2.5 million.[13][41]
Head coach
The
2013
Defensive coordinator
2014
The Cincinnati Bengals hired
2015
On October 18, 2015, Nelson recorded a season-high 12 combined tackles (eight solo) and broke up a pass during a 34–21 win at the
The
2016
Nelson became an unrestricted free agent after 2015 and was one of the top free agent safeties in the market. He received a two-year contract offer from the Cincinnati Bengals, but chose to decline it in hopes of receiving a three or four-year deal. At age 33, the Bengals declined to pursue a long-term contract extending beyond two years and ended contract negotiations.[57] Nelson also received interest from the Minnesota Vikings and Oakland Raiders. Vikings' head coach Mike Zimmer coached Nelson as the Bengals' defensive coordinator for five seasons.[58]
Oakland Raiders
On April 7, 2016, the Oakland Raiders signed Nelson to a two-year, $8.50 million contract with $4 million guaranteed.[13][59] The signing reunited Nelson with Oakland Raiders' head coach Jack Del Rio who previously was his head coach for the first three seasons of his career.
Head coach Jack Del Rio named Nelson the starting free safety to start the regular season, opposite starting strong safety
The
2017
He started in the
2018
On March 24, 2018, the Oakland Raiders signed Nelson to a one-year, $2.50 million contract with $1.15 million guaranteed.[13][64] He played in 11 games before being placed on injured reserve on December 5, 2018, with a shoulder injury.[65]
NFL career statistics
Legend | |
---|---|
Led the league | |
Bold | Career high |
Regular season
Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
2007 | JAX | 16 | 15 | 62 | 57 | 5 | 1.0 | 1 | 5 | 76 | 0 | 37 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2008 | JAX | 13 | 13 | 55 | 49 | 6 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2009 | JAX | 16 | 14 | 70 | 64 | 6 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2010 | CIN | 16 | 6 | 55 | 35 | 20 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 63 | 0 | 56 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2011 | CIN | 16 | 16 | 85 | 59 | 26 | 2.0 | 4 | 4 | 115 | 1 | 75 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2012 | CIN | 14 | 14 | 85 | 56 | 29 | 1.0 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2013 | CIN | 15 | 15 | 65 | 49 | 16 | 1.0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 0 |
2014 | CIN | 16 | 16 | 95 | 62 | 33 | 1.5 | 5 | 4 | 30 | 0 | 31 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2015 | CIN | 16 | 16 | 77 | 52 | 25 | 0.0 | 2 | 8 | 115 | 0 | 37 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 25 | 0 |
2016 | OAK | 16 | 16 | 65 | 50 | 15 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 | 74 | 0 | 40 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
2017 | OAK | 16 | 16 | 89 | 60 | 29 | 0.0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2018 | OAK | 11 | 7 | 29 | 25 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
181 | 164 | 832 | 618 | 214 | 6.5 | 24 | 38 | 486 | 1 | 75 | 101 | 9 | 6 | 37 | 0 |
Playoffs
Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
2007 | JAX | 2 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2011 | CIN | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2012 | CIN | 1 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2013 | CIN | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2014 | CIN | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
2015 | CIN | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2016 | OAK | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
8 | 8 | 42 | 37 | 5 | 2.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
Personal life
Nelson's sister, Lynisha, is a hall of fame basketball player for the Florida Tech Panthers and his brother, Michael Nelson, is a teacher in the Miami-Dade public school system. Nelson's mother, Mary Lakes, who had breast cancer for several years, died on December 21, 2006, weeks before the 2007 BCS National Championship Game. As a result, Nelson was excused from participating in the daily media briefings leading up to the game.[66]
2007 Gainesville Shooting
On September 30, 2007, a car driven by Justin Glass with passengers Corey Smith and Randall Cason was approached by two individuals one of whom opened fire on the car. Smith received a gunshot wound to the back of his head and was in a coma for two days while Glass was shot in the arm. Cason who was unhurt in the incident initially identified Reggie Nelson as the man accompanying the shooter, identified as Aaron Hernandez.[67] Cason later rescinded his identification of Aaron Hernandez as the shooter and Reggie Nelson as the accomplice. No charges from this incident were ever brought against either Hernandez or Nelson.
See also
- 2006 College Football All-America Team
- 2006 Florida Gators football team
- History of the Cincinnati Bengals
- List of Florida Gators football All-Americans
- List of Florida Gators in the NFL Draft
- List of Jacksonville Jaguars first-round draft picks
References
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- ^ databaseFootball.com, Players, Reggie Nelson. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
- ^ GatorZone.com, Football History, 2006 Roster, Reggie Nelson. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
- ^ a b "FHSAA announces 33-member All-Century football team," Florida High School Athletic Association (December 12, 2007). Retrieved May 26, 2011.
- ^ a b 2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide Archived April 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 80, 89, 94, 97, 98, 101, 103, 154, 184 (2011). Retrieved August 31, 2011.
- ^ 2012 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 11 & 14 (2012). Retrieved September 14, 2012.
- ^ Beard, Franz (October 8, 2006). "Just Call Reggie Nelson "The Eraser"". gatorcountry.com. Retrieved July 3, 2013.
- ^ "Reggie Nelson Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
- ^ "Reggie Nelson, Florida, FS, 2007 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Reggie Nelson, Combine Results, FS - Florida". nflcombineresults.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "2007 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
- ^ "Jaguars sign rookie Nelson". NFL.com. July 27, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Spotrac.com: Reggie Nelson contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Reggie Nelson signs contract!". bigcatcountry.com. July 28, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Jaguars Release Safety Donovin Darius". news4jax.com. June 14, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Ourlads.com: Jacksonville Jaguars Depth Chart: 07/01/2007". Ourlads.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Game Center: Week 1-2007: Tennessee Titans @ Jacksonville Jaguars". NFL.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Jaguars Vs. Chiefs- Game Summary-October 7, 2007". ESPN.com. October 7, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "NFL Player stats: Reggie Nelson (career)". NFL.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Raiders safety Reggie Nelson has been one of the NFL's most consistent in recent seasons". mobile.twitter.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Player stats: Reggie Nelson (2007)". NFL.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Shanks, Daniel (June 8, 2009). "Reggie Nelson Re-Dedicates Himself After Lackluster 2008". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Jaguars' Nelson, Florence ruled out against Steelers". NFL.com. October 8, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Player stats: Reggie Nelson (2008)". NFL.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Triplett, Mike (January 7, 2009). "Ex-Jaguars coordinator Gregg Williams first in line to interview". blog.nola.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Player stats: Reggie Nelson (2009)". NFL.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Wright, Michael (December 23, 2009). "Will Jaguars' Reggie Nelson be demoted?". Jacksonville.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Long, Mark (August 21, 2010). "Reggie Nelson looks to rebound". staugustine.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Bengals trade corner for safety; What next?, Bengals trade corner for safety; What next?. Retrieved September 5, 2010.
- ^ "Ourlads.com: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart: 10/01/2010". Ourlads.com. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
- ^ Pugh, Jesse (October 29, 2010). "Injury Report: Dolphins @ Bengals". assets.dolphinsdigital.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Kirkendall, Josh (November 22, 2010). "Bengals Place Safety Chris Crocker And Defensive End Frostee Rucker On IR". cincyjungle.com. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ "Ourlads.com: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart: 07/01/2011". Ourlads.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Hobson, Jeff (September 3, 2011). "Bengals seek right mix of years". Bengals.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Ourlads.com: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart: 09/04/2011". Ourlads.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "NFL Player stats: Reggie Nelson (2011)". NFL.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Game Center: Week 8-2011: Cincinnati Bengals @ Seattle Seahawks". NFL.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Game Center: Week 18-2011: Cincinnati Bengals @ Houston Texans". NFL.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Mehta, Manish (May 17, 2012). "NY Jets make an offer to free agent safety Reggie Nelson, expect to get an answer within 24 hours". nydailynews.com. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
- ^ Ramirez, Miguel. "2012 NFL Free Agents: Reggie Nelson Says No to the New York Jets". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Florio, Mike (March 21, 2012). "Four years, $18 million for Reggie Nelson". profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Ourlads.com: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart: 10/01/2012". ourlads.com. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
- ^ a b c "NFL Player stats: Reggie Nelson (2012)". NFL.com. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
- ^ Kirkendall, Josh (November 9, 2012). "Bengals Safety Reggie Nelson Unlikely To Play Against The New York Giants". cincyjungle.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Ourlads.com: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart: 09/05/2013". Ourlads.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Harvey, Cooley (October 2, 2013). "Bengals get Nelson back, lose Johnson". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ a b "NFL Player stats: Reggie Nelson (2013)". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Ourlads.com: Cincinnati Bengals Depth Chart: 10/01/2014". Ourlads.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Game Center: Week 8-2015: Cincinnati Bengals @ Pittsburgh Steelers". NFL.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Game Center: Week 10-2015: Houston Texans @ Cincinnati Bengals". NFL.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Player stats: Reggie Nelson (2015)". NFL.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Hutchins, Andy (December 24, 2015). "Chomping at Bits: Florida Gators greats Reggie Nelson, Mike Pouncey make Pro Bowl". alligatorarmy.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Predicting the Biggest Suitors for Reggie Nelson, NFL's Best Remaining FA Safety". bleacherreport.com. April 1, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Claasen, Matt (June 12, 2016). "Raiders or Broncos now own best secondary in AFC West?". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Benne, Jon (January 9, 2016). "Bengals' Reggie Nelson, Dre Kirkpatrick leave Wild Card game with injuries". sbnation.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Beasley, Adam (January 25, 2016). "Miami Dolphins defensive backs Reshad Jones, Brent Grimes added to Pro Bowl". miamiherald.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Palm Bay's Reggie Nelson signs with Raiders". floridatoday.com. April 6, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Howe, Connor (March 7, 2016). "Vikings could push to sign Bengals safety Reggie Nelson". cincyjungle.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Raiders Sign S Reggie Nelson". raiders.com. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
- ^ Damien, Levi (December 21, 2016). "Trip to 2017 Pro Bowl earns several Raiders nice bonuses". silverandblackpride.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "NFL Player stats: Reggie Nelson (2016)". NFL.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Oakland Raiders fire head coach Jack Del Rio". nfl.com. December 31, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ "Pro Football Focus: Reggie Nelson". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved May 10, 2018.
- ^ Damien, Levi (March 24, 2018). "Reggie Nelson back with Raiders on 1-year deal". SilverAndBlackPride.com. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
- ^ "Raiders announce transactions - 12.5.18". Raiders.com. December 5, 2018.
- ^ "College Football: The Beat; UF's Nelson loses mother to cancer," Orlando Sentinel (December 23, 2006). Retrieved July 2, 2010.
- ^ "[1]," "ESPN.com" (July 3, 2013). Retrieved May 16, 2014.
Bibliography
- Carlson, Norm, University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators, Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). ISBN 0-7948-2298-3.