Iowa football: Four Hawks look to improve draft stock at 2019 NFL Combine

Anthony Nelson

Anthony Nelson has arguably the most to gain from the NFL Combine with very little room to fall, which is the general narrative surrounding his play. With the Iowa football team, Nelson all but reached his ceiling. There wasn’t much more for him to do that could improve his draft stock by staying with the Iowa football team for another year.

At 6’7”, 275 pounds, scouts have a pretty good projection of what he could be. He is most likely a 4-3 defensive end who can be stout against the run and offer up 5-6 sacks a year, but to an extent his size puts him at a disadvantage.

As TDN’s Trevor Sikkema put it in his five-play breakdown of Nelson, his size doesn’t exactly equate to strength and he lacks the flexibility to bend around the edge quickly enough to put pressure on the quarterback.

That being said, there is a reason why the rest of the TDN staff absolutely adores Anthony Nelson as a prospect. He does have ideal size and there are flashes of his ability to rush the passer considering he was third in the Big Ten with 9.5 sacks this year.

Much like the other guys on this list, he is going to interview well, and there shouldn’t be any surprises come weigh in day, but if he can somehow put together an explosive athletic testing performance, he could become a draft riser.

The NFL Combine will be aired on the NFL Network so you can follow along with each of your favorite Iowa football players as they show potential employers exactly what they can do.