| No. 69 – Minnesota Vikings | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||
| Roster status |  Injured reserve | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born | (1995-12-19)December 19, 1995 (age 29) Cedar Rapids, Iowa, U.S. | ||||||
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||
| Weight | 315 lb (143 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school | Xavier (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) | ||||||
| College | Iowa (2014–2018) | ||||||
| NFL draft | 2019: undrafted | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| |||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||
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Matt Nelson (born December 19, 1995) is an American professionalfootballoffensive tackle for theMinnesota Vikings of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football atIowa, and has previously played in the NFL for theDetroit Lions.
Nelson attended high school atCedar Rapids Xavier. He was a three-yearletterman in basketball and two-year letterman in football, playingtight end anddefensive end. Nelson held Division I basketball offers, including fromRice, and severalFootball Bowl Subdivision offers, including fromStanford,Iowa,Notre Dame,Arkansas, andWisconsin.[1] Xavier reached the state 4-A final back-to-back, with Nelson earning All-State honors. He committed to Iowa in June 2013.[2]
Nelson was adefensive lineman for theIowa Hawkeyes for five seasons, redshirting as a true freshman. Playing both defensive end anddefensive tackle, Nelson finished his collegiate career with 111tackles, 12 tackles for loss, ninesacks, nine pass break-ups, and one forcedfumble.[3] Nelson was a four-time academic all-Big Ten Conference, and earned honorable mention all-Big Ten honors his senior season.
| 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 | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 296 lb (134 kg) | 34+7⁄8 in (0.89 m) | 9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) | 5.15 s | 1.81 s | 2.95 s | 4.61 s | 7.45 s | 30.5 in (0.77 m) | 9 ft 3 in (2.82 m) | 15 reps | |
| All values fromPro Day[4] | ||||||||||||
After going undrafted in2019, Nelson was signed by theDetroit Lions as an undrafted free agent with the intention of moving him to theoffensive line.[5] He was waived during final roster cuts, but was re-signed to the Lionspractice squad and spent the rest of the season there as he adjusted to the offensive line. Nelson made the team out of training camp in 2020. Nelson made his NFL debut in the season opener on September 13, 2020, against theChicago Bears.[6]
Nelson was given anexclusive-rights free agent tender by the Lions on March 4, 2021.[7] He signed the one-year contract on April 19.[8]
On March 14, 2023, the Lions re-signed Nelson.[9] He was placed oninjured reserve on September 28 with an ankle injury.
On March 21, 2024, Nelson signed with theNew York Giants.[10] He was released on August 27.[11]
On July 31, 2025, Nelson signed with theMinnesota Vikings.[12] He was placed on injured reserve on August 11.[13]