Anthony Nelson - 2019 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Iowa had four underclassmen leave the program early this year, and I have finally made it to the fourth member of that group, defensive end, Anthony Nelson. Nelson was a very good player during his years at Iowa, and he made some game changing plays along the way, but he's not the sexiest pick in this year's draft. I took a closer look at his games against Iowa State, Penn State, and Mississippi State.

The first thing that pops out about Anthony Nelson's game is power. Look at the drive he has on the right tackle to collapse the pocket.

The right tackle tries to set, but Nelson's power has him backpedaling the entire time as he collapses the pocket. The quarterback doesn't have time to let things develop downfield and has to utilize his checkdown.

The next thing you will notice about Nelson is the use of his hands. on this play, he's able to swat the offensive tackle with the outside arm before ripping underneath with his inside arm to give him a clear path to the quarterback.
At that point, the only thing the offensive tackle can do is blatantly hold onto Nelson's jersey to save his quarterback from certain doom.

Here he shucks the defender and makes the tackle on the backside of the play.

That's not only good technique but good hustle as well.

And trust me, you do not want to run near Nelson near the goal line.

Iowa State brings in an extra offensive lineman, but Nelson throws him to his right before taking on the fullback and plugging up the hole to leave nowhere for the running back to go.

Here is another really crafty play on a goal line stand.

He starts as a down lineman but immediately jumps up and takes a linebacker position where he diagnoses the play, works his way across the formation and tackles the quarterback for a loss. Fun fact about this play is that he not only made the tackle on first down, he assisted on the tackle on second down, and redirected the running back into a pile of Hawkeyes on third down. 'm going to say this again. Do not run near Anthony Nelson near the goal line.

His job here is really to occupy blockers for the defensive tackle stunt to get to the quarterback. He does his job and more.

The goal here is that Parker Hesse (#40) can get around to get to the quarterback with Nelson occupying the blockers. Instead, Nelson splits the gap between the two tackles where they are stuck trying to contain him while pushing against each other and only barely slowing his momentum as he makes his way to the quarterback.

And to finish up, I just wanted to point out that this is a guy who knows how to use all 6'7" of his frame to make an impact. He was always adept at batting down passes.

Well, this one was batted up, but you get the point.

Anthony Nelson is a bullrush guy as he isn't a great enough athlete to sprint past an offensive tackle, and he doesn't quite have the bend to get around corners. Still, he does have a nice swim move and uses his hands well to disengage from blockers. Everything starts with that inside arm, so if the force of that initial inside arm punch is minimized, he will get stuck on blockers even though the guy never stops churning his legs forward. He's more of an old-school defensive end that can reliably stop the run while being solid as a pass rusher. His potential on the high end is a 10-sack season, but he's probably going to more reliably be in the 8-sack range. I do think that length and motor is enough to keep him on the field at all times. He is relentless with his motor, and he should be a solid addition to a team.

I had trouble coming up with a comparison as he kind of reminds me of Carlos Dunlap, but I don't think he's quite at that level, so I think his impact will be closer to someone like former Hawkeye, Adrian Clayborn, another guy who was great with his hands and had a relentless motor who has had a very nice career in the NFL.

Anthony Nelson may not be a first round draft pick, but he is a football player, and he's about as reliable as it gets. In the second round, you're not disappointed, in the third round, you're very happy, and if it gets to the fourth (this is a pretty loaded defensive line year), you're ecstatic with getting a guy like Nelson on your team.

Previous Scouting Reports:
Noah Fant - Iowa Hawkeyes - Tight End
Dwayne Haskins - Ohio State Buckeyes - Quarterback
TJ Hockenson - Iowa Hawkeyes Tight End
Amani Hooker - Iowa Hawkeyes - Safety
Josh Jacobs - Alabama Crimson Tide - Running Back
Daniel Jones - Duke blue Devils - Quarterback

The 5 Most Important Iowa Hawkeyes Who Could Declare For The NFL Draft

The Iowa Hawkeyes somehow managed to show a tremendous amount of skill yet have an incredibly disappointing season this past year. They showed they could blow the doors off teams, but also showed that if they were in a close game, they would make that one mistake that would cost them at the worst possible time. It was so frustrating and yet I look at this team, and I would feel totally confident picking them to win the Big Ten West if everyone returned next year. The problem is there is close to a zero percent chance of that happening. I would say there are five guys who could at least consider the possibility, so let's rank them to see who Iowa most needs to come back for their success in 2019.

5. Noah Fant
I hate doing this, because Noah Fant is awesome. He came in as a true freshman, and it was like holy shit, that guy owns. The his sophomore year, he made a massive leap and set a record for touchdowns by a tight end. Even though he nearly matched those numbers this past season, it was still seen as a disappointment as he could have done so much more. Unfortunately, Iowa did not find the right fit for him, and although that seems incredibly stupid, "That's football." Since Iowa does not know how to best utilize him and (SPOILER ALERT) there is another person at this same position later in the list, I can't put him any higher than fifth on the list even though he will probably be the first guy off the board in the draft if all of these guys declared.

4. Nate Stanley
If Stanley leaves, what does Iowa have at quarterback? No freaking clue, but what Iowa needs at quarterback is not greatness but consistency. Stanley has shown far more greatness and consistency, and it leads to games like Penn State where an average performance is likely enough to get the Hawkeyes the win. There is a chance that although Iowa would be less talented at the position next year, they could still have a better record. There is also a chance that this puts Stanley way too low on the list, and there could be a massive dropoff without him. I feel like it's closer to the former than the latter so that is why he is only fourth on this list.

3. Anthony Nelson
This may seem high for Nelson as Iowa has AJ Epenesa ready to take over one starting defensive end spot and would seemingly be fine with Chauncey Golston taking over the other, but a lot of the strength of this year's defensive line has been their depth. They already need some new faces to show they can play at the interior of the defensive line, so keeping depth at defensive end is very important. With Nelson and Epenesa starting with Golston giving them a breather, the Hawkeyes would again have the best defensive end situation in the Big Ten. The defensive line has always been what makes the entire defense great at Iowa so here's to hoping that Anthony Nelson can hold off those NFL dreams for another year.

2. TJ Hockenson
So if Hockenson and Fant both go, this Iowa offense could be in some serious trouble. The tight ends made the offense go, and there was nobody I felt better about than Hockenson as he reliably got open and made the catch. He even occasionally leaped over people. So it will definitely hurt to not have those options. But when has Iowa not had a good tight end? Before Hockenson and Fant it was George Kittle, before him CJ Fiedorowicz, before him Tony Moeaki, then Brandon Myers, Scott Chandler, Dallas Clark, and Austin Wheatley. Hell, even before Ferentz got there, there was Iowa great, Scott Slutzker. I don't think I could be any more confident in Iowa finding a good option at than tight end. It's going to hurt, but there is hope that a tight end steps up, that Brandon Smith and Ihmir Smith-Marsette take a big step forward, and that my main man, Tyrone Tracy is the real deal.

1. Amani Hooker
Hooker was Iowa's Defensive MVP. The dude was all over the field, and I had mixed emotions when he won the award for best defensive back in the Big Ten. Like, yes, he deserves it, because the dude was phenomenal this year, but also could the Big Ten do me a favor and keep his dominance on the down low? Where Hockenson made me feel the best when Iowa threw to him, Hooker was the guy that I felt the best whether they were running toward him, passing toward him, or just letting him be anywhere near making a play, because I knew that he would. Iowa is already losing Jake Gervase, so safety depth is already at least somewhat of a question mark. Without Hooker back, it would leave a massive hole in the defense, because his versatility makes everyone around him better. For the Hawkeyes, I really hope he comes back.

That being said, with Hooker, and anyone listed above, if they can get paid, then get paid. Outside of Stanley, it's tough to see anybody significantly increasing their draft stock. And even though my heart would love to see the Hawkeyes run it back next year, my head knows that these guys have all given far more to the University of Iowa than they will ever get back, so if they can get paid, go ahead and make money. 

4 Takeaways From The Iowa / Northern Iowa Game

Another week, another win for the Hawkeyes. Although Northern Iowa scored some touchdowns during garbage time, Iowa throttled the Panthers from the very start and finally had a dominating game where you can exhale and just enjoy the beatdown. Iowa should always beat a team like Northern Iowa in that manner, but as we know, it doesn't always work that way. Here are five big takeaways from Saturday night's game.

1. Nate Stanley Is the Best QB of the Kirk Ferentz Era...and the Worst Fit
Nate Stanley has the most talent of any quarterback Iowa has had on its roster during the Ferentz era. I would be very surprised if he wasn't the highest draft pick in a couple years, but although the talent is there, it's still very raw. That leads to total inconsistency, so although the ceiling is the highest, the floor is Jake Christiansen levels. The guys that have been successful under Ferentz haven't had the biggest arms, but they were accurate and quick decision makers. During Saturday's game, Stanley showed what he could he could be as outside of the interception, he looked great all game long. This is going to sound like a massive insult, but he kind of reminds me of Josh Allen with less arm strength and mobility. He still has a really good arm, but it's not a howitzer. His mobility, uh, yeah, that's not going to win any games. It's possible that he can gain consistency and accuracy in his throws, but in the meantime, he will guarantee that Iowa fans yell at their TV, sometimes in celebration, sometimes...not so much.

2. Iowa Doesn't Need a Lead Back
Ivory Kelly-Martin was supposed to be the starter this season, but due to an injury in game one, those plans have changed. In his place, Toren Young has taken over the lead role with Mekhi Sargent right behind him. It was always supposed to be a time share, but the percentages have changed. Luckily, the production hasn't. Iowa has two, and possibly three when IKM returns, backs that can be trusted to get in the game and make plays happen on the ground. In this game, Young led in rushing yards with 84 on the ground, including a touchdown, but Sargent had the more standout day as he had 72 yards, two touchdowns, and a 48-yard reception. The Iowa offensive line appears to be a lot closer to good than great, but these backs will get yards if given some holes, so even with an injury, there is enough depth to still keep the ground game churning.

3. Good God, This Defensive Line
Is it fair to ask whether this is the best defensive line during Kirk Ferentz's tenure? I know it's a bit absurd at first glance, but even if the starters can't quite be considered the best, Iowa has never had this amount of depth at all positions of the defensive line. Right now, the starters are Matt and Anthony Nelson, Sam Brincks, and Parker Hesse. If you swapped to the reserves of AJ Epenesa, Cedric Lattimore, Brady Reiff, and Chauncey Golston, that would still be a really good defensive line. There isn't a single one of those guys that I feel bad about when they are in the game, and that ability to swap guys out and keep them fresh may make this the most effective defensive line that Ferentz has ever had. As with all things Iowa, the big test comes this week, but even with the big hogs up in Wisconsin, they can't be feeling great about their chances on neutralizing this Iowa defensive line.

4. Tyrone Tracy Had 1 Catch, and I'm All In
Tyrone Tracy Jr. caught a pass from Peyton Mansell, and the fact that he caught the ball and looks fairly fast is enough to sell me on him being Iowa's best receiver. The wide receivers did have BY FAR their best game of the season, but I still don't have overwhelming confidence in any of them. Brandon Smith seems to be the most talented, and somehow Nick Easley emerged from the darkness to get ten receptions and a touchdown, but I haven't seen any of them reliably finding ways to get open. When Iowa can stretch the field with the vertical passing game, they are legitimately dangerous on offense. It gets them away from predictability where opposing defenses actually have to line up guys more than five yards off the line of scrimmage. I have no way of knowing whether Tracy can be that guy, but Iowa still needs one, so I'm just going to keep my wishful thinking.