Garrett Nelson will begin his NFL journey down in South Beach.
Nelson has signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Miami Dolphins. He joins draftees Ochaun Mathis and Trey Palmer, plus fellow UDFA signees Travis Vokolek (Ravens) and Brady Weas (Texans), as former Huskers who are set to take their first step in the NFL.
Nelson also follows in the footsteps of former Husker defensive lineman Ben Stille, who was given a shot with the Dolphins on a UDFA deal last April. Stille made the practice squad in September, eventually made the active roster and tallied a pair of tackles for Miami last season.
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Nelson, who went undrafted as projected, was a three-star and the No. 3-ranked player in Nebraska in the Class of 2019. The Scottsbluff High School star was ranked as the No. 36 weakside defensive end when he joined the Huskers as a true freshman.
He evolved into a standout EDGE/defensive end and a fan favorite playing for his hometown program. The longtime Husker totaled 167 tackles (80 solo), 12 sacks, 26 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and four pass breakups.
Nelson was very durable throughout his four-year career in Lincoln as he played in 43 of 44 possible games – with the only missed game coming due to an illness. He started in every game across his final three seasons with a streak of 32 consecutive starts.
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In terms of what position Nelson projects at in the NFL, he said most teams see him as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense.
“Some people were like, ‘You’re the non-prototype D-end. And I’m like, ‘Yeah,’” the 6-4, 245-pound Nelson joked following his Pro Day workout.
What Nelson likes about his time at Nebraska is the fact he’s played all over the line of scrimmage. He’s had his hand in the turf rushing the passer. He’s dropped into coverage. He’s slid inside as a three and even zero technique at times. He’s played outside as a six or nine technique.
“I have so much versatility and I’ve done so many different jobs on defense that I think teams recognize that versatility and they can use me wherever they want,” Nelson said.
Nelson made an impact right away in Lincoln, stepping on campus and playing in 11 games as a true freshman and finishing with 15 tackles and one TFL. He broke out as a sophomore in 2020, racking up 30 tackles, 1.5 sacks and four TFLs.
Nelson then set career highs as a junior with 57 tackles, five sacks and 11.5 TFLs – the latter of which ranked seventh in the Big Ten. In his last season, Nelson was named a second-team All-Big Ten selection (media and coaches) after finishing with 65 tackles, 5.5 sacks and nine TFLs.
More than his on-field production, Nelson was known for his leadership and veteran presence in the Huskers' locker room during his final years. He was named a team captain ahead of the 2022 season, and along with fellow captain Travis Vokolek spearheaded the effort to keep the locker room together as the program went through coaching turmoil last fall.
He received heaps of praise both from teammates who had known him for years and new ones.
Ochaun Mathis, who spent the 2022 season with the Huskers after four years at TCU, named Nelson when he was asked for the one coach or player who made the biggest impact on him at Nebraska.
"He's a great leader, one guy that I would like to see myself playing with," Mathis said. "He was a guy who had great leadership skills. He was very focused on integrity at the level of just leading the team, bringing everyone together when all things were falling apart. So that's one guy who kind of just had a big impact on my way of playing when I was there.”
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Vokolek spent four years at Nebraska, sitting out the 2019 season per NCAA rules after transferring from Rutgers before suiting up for three seasons. Vokolek and Nelson came to the Huskers as part of the same class when combining recruits and transfers.
Vokolek was also asked for the one player who impacted him the most in Lincoln, and he also said Nelson.
"Unbelievable dude, most hardworking guy I think I’ve ever met in my life," Vokolek said. "Always there for the team. It’s all about the team, never about him. As a homegrown Nebraska kid, it’s just different for those guys back in Nebraska because that’s all they have is Nebraska football. Garrett Nelson's one of the best dudes I’ve been around. We went at it every day in practice, he had to line up against me, and we definitely made each other better.”
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