 Nelson with theArizona Cardinals in 2017 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 14, 15 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Wide receiver | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1992-04-24)April 24, 1992 (age 33) Midfield, Alabama, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 160 lb (73 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Midfield | ||||||||||||||
| College | UAB (2010–2014) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2015: 5th round, 159th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Jamarcus Jermaine Nelson (born April 24, 1992) is an American former professionalfootball player who was awide receiver in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theUAB Blazers, earning first-teamAll-American honors in 2014. He was selected by theArizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the2015 NFL draft. He was also a member theOakland Raiders,San Francisco 49ers,Buffalo Bills andIndianapolis Colts.
Nelson attendedMidfield High School inMidfield, Alabama, where he led them to the state Class 4A quarterfinals after finishing 11–2 during the regular season in 2009, recording 55 catches, 1,049 yards, 214 yardsrushing, fiveinterceptions, and 19touchdowns. He was namedThe Birmingham News Metro-West Player of the Year. He was listed as the No. 27 state prospect on Birmingham News Super Seniors list and was selected to The Birmingham News All-Metro West Offensive Team. He was also named to the ASWA First-team All-State.
As atrack & field star, Nelson was a two-time Class 4A state champion in the100-meter dash (best of 10.49 seconds). He also captured the200-meter dash title with a time of 21.76 seconds.[1] In addition, he was a highly regardedbasketball player for Midfield, earning team MVP and All-region honors. He was a two-year letterwinner in both track and basketball.
Nelson was named a member of the2014 College Football All-America Team by theWalter Camp Foundation,USA Today, andCBS Sports as akick returner. Nelson was alsoConference USAspecial teams player of the year and first-team All-conference as awide receiver.[2]
At the 2015NFL Scouting Combine, Nelson had the fastest40-yard dash with a time of 4.28 seconds, .04 seconds shy of the then-combine record of 4.24 seconds held then byChris Johnson.
| 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 ft10+1⁄4 in (1.78 m) | 156 lb (71 kg) | 31+1⁄8 in (0.79 m) | 8+1⁄4 in (0.21 m) | 4.28 s | 1.49 s | 2.51 s | 4.15 s | 7.02 s | 36 in (0.91 m) | 10 ft 7 in (3.23 m) | ||
| All values fromNFL Combine[3] | ||||||||||||
Nelson was drafted by theArizona Cardinals in the fifth round, 159th overall, of the2015 NFL draft.[4] In a 2015 game against theCincinnati Bengals, Nelson scored his first career touchdown with a pass from quarterbackCarson Palmer. He finished his rookie year with 11receptions for 299 yards and two touchdowns. In 2016, Nelson played in 15 games with six starts, recording 34 catches for 568 yards and six touchdowns. He also had four rushing attempts for 83 yards and a touchdown including a run for 56 yards for the touchdown in Week 14. In Week 2 of the 2017 season, Nelson recorded five receptions for 120 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown catch in Arizona's 16–13 overtime win over theIndianapolis Colts. Nelson finished as the Week 2 yardage leader among all eligible receivers and wonNFC Offensive Player of the Week.[5] In 2018, Nelson had a career-low seven receptions for 64 yards and no touchdowns on the season.
On March 15, 2019, Nelson signed with theOakland Raiders.[6] In week 3 against theMinnesota Vikings, Nelson caught 4 passes for 36 yards and his first receiving touchdown of the season as the Raiders lost 34–14.[7] He was released on October 10, 2019.[8]
Nelson was signed by theSan Francisco 49ers on August 15, 2020.[9] He was placed oninjured reserve on August 30, 2020, with a knee injury.[10] He was released with an injury settlement on September 6, 2020.[11]
On January 1, 2021, Nelson signed with thepractice squad of theBuffalo Bills,[12] and was released three days later.[13]
On February 1, 2021, Nelson signed a reserve/future contract with theIndianapolis Colts.[14] He was placed on injured reserve on August 6, 2021.[15] He was released on November 1.
Media related toJ. J. Nelson at Wikimedia Commons