Jordy Nelson

I have to admit, when the Packers selected Jordy Nelson with their first pick (36th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft, I scratched my head.  My colleague from FanNation, League of Shadows said what seemed best at the time on the PackerNation message board:

They took a white receiver with their first pick. Kill me now.

However, League, it might not be that bad.  Just look at what Nelson did to Aqib Talib, the 20th overall draft choice to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Is that enough for you?  The man can fly.  This punt return against the Texas Longhorns shows his skill as well:

Jordy Nelson is one of the most interesting prospects of the draft.  His coming-from-no where rise combined with his unique skill set makes him a rare talent.  Nelson grew up in rural Kansas and upon joining the team earned the nickname, “The Hick From the Sticks.”  He was not offered a scholarship to play anywhere he desired, so he walked on at nearby Kansas State as a defensive back.  There, he did anything he could to get noticed, including playing defensive end on the scout team.  Former Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder asked Nelson to switch to wide receiver before the 2005 season, his sophomore year.  This was a logical decision, as Nelson had been a state champion in the 100, 200, and 400 meters in high school.  His first two years at wide receiver were not that fruitful for Nelson, but 2007 was a breakout year.

Listen to what this article on Nelson from Packers.com had to say:

Particularly last year as a senior. In 2007, Nelson earned consensus All-American honors with 122 receptions for 1,606 yards and 11 touchdowns. The reception and yardage totals both set school records, while the number of catches also set a Big 12 Conference mark and the yardage number ranks second in league history.

Nelson’s consistency was reflected in catching eight or more passes in 10 of 12 games, and 10 or more passes six times. He also topped 100 yards eight times, and in three of the other four games, he had at least 90.

Nelson also briefly describes his unique skill set, a combination of size (6-3, 217) and speed (4.4-4.5):

“That’s something I’ve developed over my years at K-State, being able to make a couple guys miss right off the bat and get vertical,” Nelson said. “That’s something I focus on a lot.

“I try to get what I can right away, not waste any time, and I think at the next level where the speed is even faster than what it is in college, that’s real important not to waste a lot of time dancing around, and just get vertical and get the ball north and south.”

The scout who seems to be the most responsible for the drafting of Nelson on Day 1 is Lenny McGill.  McGill seems confident that although Nelson’s 4.5 40-yard dash time dropped the Kansas State product below some other receivers, his game will not be hindered at the next level:

“When you’re 6-2, 220 pounds you don’t have to run 4.4 or 4.3,” McGill said. “The important thing about him is he has functional quickness. Very few receivers run a legitimate 4.3, 4.4 in the NFL. 4.5 is running, and when you’re 6-2 and as big as this kid is, I think 4.5 is good enough speed.

“One thing about him is he lined up in the Big 12 Conference against pretty good competition, and week in, week out the kid made plays. Whether his timed speed was 4.5, when he lined up against some of these top corners, he had no problems getting open and beating them, so I think his speed won’t be an issue.”

When I first heard that Nelson was drafted as the Packers’ first pick, I was confused.  Aaron Rodgers already has Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, and James Jones as his top three receivers, while Koren Robinson and Ruvell Martin are competent.  I was even more confused when I looked at the wide receivers who were still on the board when Nelson was drafted: James Hardy (to the Buffalo Bills), Jerome Simpson (to the Cincinnati Bengals), DeSean Jackson (to the Philadelphia Eagles), Malcolm Kelly (to the Washington Redskins), and Limas Sweed (to the Pittsburgh Steelers).

Earlier this year, I advocated the drafting of Hardy from Indiana.  After the Packers were destroyed by Plaxico Burress of the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game, the idea that getting a big wide receiver of their own could counteract another big wide receiver more than finding a 6-4 cornerback (good luck) was put into my head.  Hardy’s freakish size (6-7, 220) would have provided space for the speed receivers the Packers have.  Anyway, that did not happen.

The fact that the front office passed on Simpson and Jackson is fine with me as I know nothing of Simpson except for the fact that any player the Bengals draft has to be a bit questionable and I think of Jackson as nothing more than a glorified return man.  I would have also given Kelly and Sweed the benefit of the doubt over Nelson as well.

To prove me wrong, however, Ted Thompson has made some great choices in past drafts.  When Jennings was drafted in 2006, I was a bit quizzical.  I had no clue who he was except he was the best player on Western Michigan on NCAA Football 2005.  However, I soon discovered the player he was.  The same goes for Jones.  Who drafts a wide receiver from San Jose State on the first day?  Thompson apparently.  And it was a great pick.  The other wide receiver whom Thompson picked on the first day of the draft was Terrence Murphy out of Texas A&M in 2005.  Unfortunately for Packers fans everywhere, Murphy was hit with a career-ending neck injury three games into his NFL career and was forced to retire.

Because of Thompson’s drafting history with wide receivers I have faith.  CBSSports’ Dennis Dodd wrote a great article profiling Nelson the week before the draft and that article definitely needs to be read.  Nelson seems to be a high character guy that can make the Packers a better team.