COREY NELSON
High School: Skyline High School
Height: 6-1
Weight: 191
STRENGTH
Speed: Corey Nelson moves and runs like a safety. He is a very natural runner. From a linebacking stand point, when the ball is snapped, Nelson goes and when he goes, he gets to where he is going in a hurry. Nelson plays at a very fast pace with high intensity and aggression.
Lateral Range/Movement: He is very hard to block in open space as he blows by frumpy un-athletic offensive linemen trying to pull or cut off block at the second level. He is also fast enough to get to the opposite side of the box where he is very active. He must work on staying low to protect his legs from all the muck that goes on inside the box, but at this point, he is very good laterally. He sifts and scrapes well.
Tackling: Nelson is a sure tackler. He does well in close quarters and in space. He can run down the ball carrier running away from him but he can also run through the ball carrier coming towards him. He takes great angles and rarely over shoots his target. He is more of a tackler than a hitter.
Diagnosing a Play/Locating the Football: Nelsons biggest strength is his ability to read and diagnosis a play. Because he plays so fast, he needs to be able to read the play before attacking; he is very good at doing so. You will see him "biting the cheese" because of his aggression but it is seldom. After he has read run/pass, he does a good job at finding the football and going to make a play. He plays with good LB instincts.
WEAKNESSES
Size: He is built like a safety and I am not sure if his body can handle the extra weight. He has long legs which usually indicates that weight can be added however, his arms and calfs are lean and wiry- muscular. Wiry frames have a hard time holding weight. He may hit a growth spurt in the next two years. If not, it won't be a surprise to see him moved to strong safety because of his speed and athleticism.
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