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