The Edmonton Football Team selected defensive lineman Cole Nelson fifth overall in the 2021 CFL Draft on Tuesday night.
The 24-year-old put up impressive numbers at the virtual CFL combine, with 25 reps on the bench press and a 4.95 second 40-yard. Nelson did not play in 2020 after the U Sports season was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Nelson’s evaluation comes courtesy of 3DownNation draft analyst John Hodge:
He has impressive size at six-foot-six and 312 pounds. Posted some amazing testing numbers at the Virtual Combine, though some scouts were skeptical he would be able to replicate them in a traditional combine setting. Made only eight tackles in six games with the Golden Bears in 2019.
Nelson has a lot of good tools but has produced very little at the U Sports level. He’s a good positional and regional fit for Edmonton, but he would have been available in the fourth or fifth round. Frankly, there are far too many great players still on the board at No. 5 to legitimize this selection.
