The electrifying wide receiver made some major strides last season and is now climbing the Arizona Cardinals’ depth chart
University of Alabama at Birmingham’s J.J.Nelson had just wowed the Arizona Cardinals’ scouts. The site was the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine, and the rail-thin wide receiver had just completed his 40-yard dash. The stopwatches weren’t lying, Nelson amazed the spectators by clocking in at a blistering 4.28 seconds.
That was all the Cards’ brass needed to see. In need of a kick-returner, they would make the 5’10”, 156 lb Nelson their fifth-round pick two months later. The selection is looking brilliant.
The Cardinals’ coaching staff has gotten more than just a kick-returner. Despite his slight build, he’s getting it done as a wideout. And his emergence couldn’t have come at a better time.
Arizona’s receiving corps, a major strength of the squad just a year ago, has taken some hits. Former first-round draft pick Michael Floyd was slapped with a DUI last December and subsequently released. Health also affected the group when John Brown began suffering from the effects of a sickle-cell condition and Jaron Brown tore his ACL.
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Nelson initially flashed potential during his first year in the NFL. Appearing in 11 games, the rookie hauled in 11 passes for 299 yards, averaging a whopping 27.2 yards per catch. He accounted for two touchdowns, one a 64-yarder in which he showed off his blazing speed.
The negative circumstances surrounding the wideouts in 2016 created opportunity for Nelson. In 15 games (including six starts), he caught 34 balls for 568 yards and scored seven times (one rushing). The highlight of his season was an 80-yard score in December during the Cardinals road victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
With Floyd now gone, Larry Fitzgerald’s imminent retirement and John Brown’s questionable health, Nelson is primed for a bigger workload going forward. He could even assume a starting role this upcoming season. Not bad for a skinny, fifth-round draft pick from Alabama.